Steamboy

Steamboy (2004) is Katsuhiro Otomo's steampunk anime, available to watch online on iFILM. In 1860s England, young inventor Ray Steam receives a package from his grandfather that could rewrite what steam power is capable of.

Inside sits a Steam Ball, a compact core holding impossible amounts of energy. The powerful O'Hara Foundation wants it, and Ray is soon running through an industrial London bracing for the Great Exhibition. His grandfather and father stand on opposite sides of a bitter question: is science a gift to humanity or a weapon for sale? The finale turns an exhibition hall into a roaring steam-powered fortress.

Otomo, the mind behind Akira, spent nearly a decade on this, making it one of the most expensive hand-drawn films Japan had produced. The story is secondary to the sheer density of the machinery. Every gear, valve and pipe is rendered with obsessive care. It's one for fans of traditional animation and retro-futurism willing to forgive a saggy stretch or two of pacing. Stream Steamboy (2004) online on iFILM.