The Iron Giant (1999)

Director:

Brad Bird

Writers:

Ted Hughes (book)
Tim McCanlies (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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.

Plot Keywords:

Government Agent | Prejudice | Fear | Robot | Metal

Awards:

19 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

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)

MPAA:

Rated PG for fantasy action and mild language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Hong Kong:I | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #36640) | South Korea:All | Germany:6 | Taiwan:GP | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U

Company:

Warner Bros. Animation

Trivia:

The freight train that runs into the giant is being pulled by an Alco 4-6-4 Streamlined Hudson passenger loco.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the jeep pulls up to shoot at the Iron Giant in the intersection, the ammo box on its machine gun is on the gun's right side. When the gunner shoots at the Iron Giant, the ammo box is on the gun's left side.

Quotes:

[as the Giant flies toward the missle]
Hogarth Hughes: [in the Giant's mind] You are who you choose to be.
The Iron Giant: Superman.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Duck Dodgers: Till Doom Do Us Part (#3.1)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Duck and Cover

a masterpiece, plain and simple

I'm 25 years old. I have no children. So why am I praising a 'kid's movie' which nobody saw? Because I have never seen a film pack the emotional wallop 'The Iron Giant' provided.

The film's plot is similar to 'E.T.' - a young boy meets an alien robot from outer space, who is stranded on earth, and runs afoul of paranoid government agents. Not to knock the Spielberg film, but what makes 'The Iron Giant' the better film is that the young boy is the teacher. It is he who has to teach the Giant about the beauty of life, the difference between good and evil, and choices we have to make. The Iron Giant, it turns out, is a weapon, who has to struggle against his own nature. The film has an obvious (and timely) gun control message, but its real message is about the choice we make when dealing with other people. We can use our powers for good or lash out at everyone around us.

I dare not give away the climax. All I will say is that it features a sacrifice absolutely breaktaking and emotionally shattering (albeit somewhat blunted by the ending). The animation is gorgeous, Michael Kamen's score is perfect, and the film beautifully evokes the 1950s.

Sadly, poor marketing kept audiences away in droves. All I can say is, to heck with the box office gross. Despite Warner's appearant desire to pretend the film never existed, the word is getting around about what a magical film this is, and I have no doubt it will join 'It's a Wonderful Life' as a film which bombed in theatres but became a classic over the years. See it now, so you can say you discovered it before everyone else did.