Otomo Katsuhiro’s acclaimed new animated movie “Steamboy” has received a special invitation to close the 61st Venice International Film Festival in September. It will mark the first time a Japanese anime has been chosen to open or close one of the major festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice). Otomo (50), director of the classic “Akira“, and main voice actress Suzuki Ann (17) both plan to attend the event. “Steamboy” was 9 years in the making and developed at a cost of ¥2.4 billion. Featuring 180,000 frames, it is set in England during the 19th-century industrial revolution. The movie opens in Japan on July 17.