IMDb > The Iron Giant (1999)
The Iron Giant
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The Iron Giant (1999) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   35,476 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Writers:
Ted Hughes (book)
Tim McCanlies (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Iron Giant on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 August 1999 (USA) more
Tagline:
It came from outer space!
Plot:
A boy makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
19 wins & 14 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(37 articles)
Directors of the Decade: Brad Bird
 (From FilmExperience. 19 November 2009, 5:07 PM, PST)

Aff Review: Alabama Moon
 (From Slackerwood. 15 November 2009, 6:00 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Surprisingly Good Fun For Anyone more (448 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jennifer Aniston ... Annie Hughes (voice)

Harry Connick Jr. ... Dean McCoppin (voice)

Vin Diesel ... The Iron Giant (voice)

James Gammon ... Marv Loach / Floyd Turbeaux / General Sudokoff (voice)

Cloris Leachman ... Mrs. Lynley Tensedge (voice)

Christopher McDonald ... Kent Mansley (voice) (as Christopher MacDonald)

John Mahoney ... General Rogard (voice)
Eli Marienthal ... Hogarth Hughes (voice)

M. Emmet Walsh ... Earl Stutz (voice)
Mary Kay Bergman ... Additional Voices (voice)
Ollie Johnston ... Train Engineer #1 (voice)
Jack Angel ... Additional Voices (voice)
Michael Bird ... Additional Voices (voice)
Devon Cole Borisoff ... Additional Voices (voice) (as Devon Borisoff)
Rodger Bumpass ... Additional Voices (voice)
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG for fantasy action and mild language.
Runtime:
86 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
"Frank" and "Ollie", the two trainmen that Kent interviews after the derailment, are caricatures of Disney classic animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. They also perform the voices for the characters. Animation writer Earl Kress has said "that Frank and Ollie are also life-long train enthusiasts and have extensive scale model railroads in their backyards like Walt Disney used to have." more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) is depicted as a fleet ballistic missile (FBM) submarine. However, the Nautilus was a torpedo-carrying attack submarine. Also, the Polaris FBM program was not operational until autumn 1960. Furthermore, the missile being fired is reminiscent of a UGM-73 Poseidon C3 missile, not fielded until 1972 on the Lafayette and James Madison-class SSBNs. more
Quotes:
Annie Hughes: Strange. He's so tight-lipped now, and yesterday he wouldn't stop talking. I mean, hundred-foot robots and whatnot.
Kent Mansley: Hundred-foot robot? He, he. That's nutty.
[they both laugh]
Kent Mansley: What else did he say?
more
Soundtrack:
Blue Rumba more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
35 out of 47 people found the following comment useful.
Surprisingly Good Fun For Anyone, 12 August 1999
Author: Soujiro from Gaithersburg, MD

It's nice to see an elegantly crafted piece of animation come out of America. How did they manage it? The writing is great the animation is excellent and the voice acting is superb. I don't think I've liked an English animated film this much since The Plague Dogs. The film doesn't talk down to it's audience, and instead tells a simple story very well. My only complaint would be that Hogarth is somewhat of a smart-alec at times, but I guess this is the era of Leave it To Beaver.

Many of the situations are standard movie-fare, the ex-lax in the food, the helmet on the bed, but it's nice to see them in an animated film for a change. As an anime fan, the realism of the movie didn't impress me as much as the quality of the writing, voice acting, and the music and sound effects. I particularly remember the sound of the power lines snapping and the musical score building up to the climax of the film.

The character design for the giant is excellent, it's amazing how they could draw out very subtle emotions without noticeably distorting the face. I bawled like a baby near the end.

Finally, most importantly for me, there are NO CHEAP LAUGHS in the movie. One of the best moments in the movie for me was when Hogarth is running through the woods and he slams his face into a low branch. The theater full of kids raised on recent Disney crap bursts into laughter, but wait, there's no stupid sound effect, he's not hopping back up to his feet instantly with a ridiculous lump or distorted face or little birds flying around his head, he's still on the ground ... and what's that coming out of his nose.. it CAN'T BE.. it IS, a trickle of BLOOD. The kids (and parents) quickly cease their laughter. I couldn't stop smiling because I knew then that like me, they actually cared about the character on the screen and frankly that doesn't happen very often.

Tarzan was a small step in the right direction, and near the end of the long path beginning with that step is The Iron Giant.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Iron Giant (1999)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Bawling like a baby scoey22
Live Action Remake? MrPink08
How well do you really know Iron Giant? grammarbitch
Is the Epilogue unnecesary? (Beware, spoilers all over the place) HaveAPinch
Very Funny Scenes! *Spoilers* Madness832
If you loved The Iron Giant .......... fortean2
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