Plot
A boy makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy.
Release Year: 1999
Rating: 7.9/10 (55,730 voted)
Critic's Score: 85/100
Director:
Brad Bird
Stars: Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston
Storyline This is the story a nine-year-old boy named Hogarth Hughes who makes friends with an innocent alien giant robot that came from outer space. Meanwhile, a paranoid U.S. Government agent named Kent Mansley arrives in town, determined to destroy the giant at all costs. It's up to Hogarth to protect him by keeping him at Dean McCoppin's place in the junkyard.
Writers: Tim McCanlies, Brad Bird
Cast: Jennifer Aniston
-
Annie Hughes
(voice)
Harry Connick Jr.
-
Dean McCoppin
(voice)
Vin Diesel
-
The Iron Giant
(voice)
James Gammon
-
Foreman Marv Loach
/
Floyd Turbeaux
(voice)
Cloris Leachman
-
Mrs. Tensedge
(voice)
Christopher McDonald
-
Kent Mansley
(voice)
John Mahoney
-
General Rogard
(voice)
Eli Marienthal
-
Hogarth Hughes
(voice)
M. Emmet Walsh
-
Earl Stutz
(voice)
Jack Angel
-
Additional Voices
(voice)
Bob Bergen
-
Additional Voices
(as Robert Bergen)
Mary Kay Bergman
-
Additional Voices
(voice)
Michael Bird
-
Additional Voices
(voice)
Devon Cole Borisoff
-
Additional Voices
(voice)
(as Devon Borisoff)
Rodger Bumpass
-
Additional Voices
(voice)
Opening Weekend: $5,732,614
(USA)
(8 August 1999)
(2179 Screens)
Gross: $80,000,000
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The three tendrils emanating from the Iron Giant in battle form are inspired by
The War of the Worlds.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
At the end of the movie, the Giant is seen as he "comes to life" again on a glacier in Iceland. The name of the glacier, typed in large letters across the screen, is misspelled "Langjoküll" instead of the correct "Langjökull".
Quotes: Hogarth Hughes:
[to the Giant, in battle mode]
It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.
User Review
a masterpiece, plain and simple
Rating: 10/10
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.
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