Go Speed Racer Go!!! Speed Racer Photos & Trailer

I've never been a fan of 'Speed Racer', for me it's strictly 'Transformers', 'G.I. Joe', 'Silverhawks', 'M.A.S.K.' (remember that one? It's the one with the characters, when wears a mask, the vehicle that they have transforms into fighting machines!), and loads of other cartoons that I watch religiously, but never 'Speed Racer'. I guess it was the overly simple animation that was to blame. And the generation gap between this cartoon when it was popular and my childhood. Whatever. Anyway, Hollywood is making its version of this massively popular cartoon (surprise surprise) with the Wachowski Brothers attached to it (the 'Matrix Trilogy') and Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer and Chistina Ricci as the love interest. Other stars include John Goodman, Susan Surandon & Matthew Fox.

It is based on an iconic Japanese animated series called 'Mach GoGoGo' which made its original run in the 1960's, chronicling the ambitions of a young race car driver as he chases racing glory with his state-of-the-art car named 'Mach 5' which was created by his father.

According to Wikipedia:

" Along with 'Astro Boy', 'Space Ace' & 'Gigantor', 'Speed Racer' was one of the earliest anime to ever become popular outside of Japan, specifically the United States. With fast paced storylines, manga-like attributes, and distinct Japanese animation, it developed a substantial fanbase starting with its debut with the U.S.in 1968 and with Melbourne in 1969 (1). The series may seem outdated when compared to the sleeker, faster-paced anime produced today, but Speed Racer still contributes to the early foundation of Japanese animation. It is also the most steadfast anime in the racing genre, though other manga/anime series arose in the genre as well such as 'Initial D' and 'Wangan Midnight'."

Whoa. Anyway, the Hollywood version is almost finished with a scheduled 9th May 2008 release. Fans, hang on to your racing boots, it ain't that far away. Here are a bunch of exclusive photos released all over the net:

And here's the trailer:

Looks overly colorful to me and way too cartoon-ish. But it's the Warchowski Brothers we are talking about here. They can't suck, can they? (note: 'Matrix Revolutions'. Oh God.)