The Iron Giant: An Appreciation

10/27/2005 15:16 Filed in: Movies and Television


Guest review by Andrew Wells 

Several nights ago, my mind somehow wandered around to The Incredibles. If you don’t know--and you probably do--it was a cartoon that came out last year about a family of superheroes who were forced into civilian life. A lot of people--myself included--thought it was the best movie of 2004. I’ve watched it four times, and my general rule is never watch a movie more than once.

So people know about The Incredibles. But they may not know about Brad Bird, the director, or another wonderful cartoon he made.

It's called The Iron Giant. It came out in 1999 and pretty much disappeared from movie screens. I think it has found a good life on video, but I’m not sure.

The story in brief: A lonely boy discovers a giant robot from outer space. The robot has lost its memory, so the boy adopts it and helps him get his memory back. But a government agent knows about the robot, and is trying to track it down...I won’t tell more from there.

I think the reason Iron Giant failed was that it’s not a Disney cartoon, in style or substance. Its look is very moody--the colors are drab, the characters have more angles to them than the rounded Disney characters. Everything feels, well, darker. When was the last time you saw darker in a Disney movie? The Black Cauldron, maybe?

But its substance and story that really elevates this movie for me above Disney movies (not including Pixar movies). Brad Bird (who directed and wrote the script) tackles issues that most cartoons never raise: are you destined to be something, or can you make a choice? Can someone grow a conscience? These things are addressed realistically and seriously because the answers have consequences for the boy and the robot and everyone else. I'll take that over a simple "be yourself" lesson delivered sappy and sweet any day.

A word of warning for parents: you may want to preview the movie before showing it to your kids, because it has some slightly risqué images--especially a scene involving a squirrel in a guy's pants--and some fairly intense ones involving destruction and the threat of death (which, again, is treated as very real--there is genuine suspense involved). [Rick's note: there's also some mild language that I found totally unnecessary for a movie primarily aimed at children.] Kids may not be completely satisfied with the ending either--it's a happy one, but not a traditional one.

As an adult, however, I find this movie wonderfully satisfying. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen in the last few years, one that made me genuinely feel something, which is pretty rare for me these days. If your heart doesn’t swell when the robot says "Superman" (and you’ll know the moment when you see it), you may not be human.

So go check out The Iron Giant. And then thank Brad Bird, and hope he keeps making great cartoons.

[Rick's note: This movie also has quite a few notables providing voices including Jennifer Anniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Vin Diesel (as the Giant).]

You can contact Andrew Wells at arwell012002@yahoo.com

Links of Interest:
Warner Bros. Iron Giant Site
IMDB Iron Giant Page
IMDB Brad Bird Page
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
 

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