A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
In the not-so-far future the polar ice caps have melted and the resulting rise of the ocean waters has drowned all the coastal cities of the world. Withdrawn to the interior of the continents, the human race keeps advancing, reaching the point of creating realistic robots (called mechas) to serve them. One of the mecha-producing companies builds David, an artificial kid which is the first to have real feelings, especially a never-ending love for his "mother", Monica. Monica is the woman who adopted him as a substitute for her real son, who remains in cryo-stasis, stricken by an incurable disease. David is living happily with Monica and her husband, but when their real son returns home after a cure is discovered, his life changes dramatically.
—Chris Makrozahopoulos <makzax@hotmail.com>
Haley Joel Osment stars as David, a "Mecha" or robot of the future, when the polar ice caps have melted and submerged many coastal cities, causing worldwide starvation and human dependence upon robotic assistance. The first Mecha designed to experience love, David is the "son" of Henry (Sam Robards), an employee of the company that built the boy, and the grief-stricken Monica (Frances O'Connor). David is meant to replace the couple's hopelessly comatose son, but when their natural child recovers, David is abandoned and sets out to become "a real boy" worthy of his mother's affection. Along the way, David is mentored by a pleasure-providing Mecha named Gigolo Joe (Jude Law) and a talking "super toy" bear named Teddy. His adventures take him to the Roman Circus-style "Flesh Fair," where Mechas are destroyed for the amusement of humans; Rouge City, where Gigolo Joe narrowly avoids capture by police; and finally a submerged New York City, where David's creator, Professor Hobby (William Hurt) reveals the secrets of the boy's creation.
In the futuristic tale, a highly advanced robotic boy named David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not. He is a marvel of cybernetic progress who really only wants to be a real boy, loved by his mother and his father in that happy place called home. But David journeys out into the forests to find a way to become a real boy.
—Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}
In this futuristic fairy tale, "David", a highly-advanced robotic boy, hopes to become a real boy so that he can win back the affection of the human mother who abandoned him. Like Pinocchio, he goes on a long journey hoping to find his "Blue Fairy," who can make his dreams come true.
—jgp3553@excite.com
Synopsis
The story takes place in the future where the greenhouse gases have caused the polar icecaps to melt, flooding coastal cities. To combat over-population, people wishing to have children must apply for a license.
The film starts in the offices of a company called Cybertronics, where its owner, Professor Allen Hobby (William Hurt), wishes to push mecha (aka robotic) technology, to make a creation that can love. When his colleagues mention their 'love units' Hobby corrects them: he is not talking physical love, but emotional love, such as that of a child for its mother.
The narrative then moves 18 months into the future where the Swintons, whose son Martin (Jake Thomas) is currently in cryostasis until a cure can be found for a debilitating disease he is stricken with. His mother Monica (Frances O'Connor) has not held up well emotionally under the conditions that have taken her son from her. Hoping to help her cope, her husband Henry (Sam Robards), a Cybertronics employee, takes part in a test wherein they would be able to be a family to the company's newest mecha: David (Haley Joel Osment), the culmination of Hobby's research to make a robot that can 'love.'
At first, Monica is angry, believing her husband is trying to 'replace' Martin. However, Monica tries to adapt to David. Henry also informs her that if they choose to keep David that she must 'imprint' herself upon him. However, if there was ever to come a time that she chose not to want him, due to the imprinting being permanent, David would need to be sent back to Cybertronics to be destroyed. After some time, Monica decides to perform the imprinting process; she reads a list of words that will activate David's emotional simulation. When she does, David calls her "mommy" and begins to act like a real child. To provide David with another form of companionship, she gives him a robotic teddy bear called Teddy, which once belonged to Martin.
