TIL that the trend of anime’s signature large eyes started from mangaka Osamu Tezuka’s works, who himself was influenced by Disney and Betty Boop cartoons, and fashion designer Jun’ichi Nakahara’s works. Other factor such as a proverb involving eyes also played a part.
I used to watch Astroboy in the 80s on TV in Canada lol. It had to be one of the earliest shows that talked about rights for artificial intelligence.