The Iron Giant
is a
gentle and touching animated film from director Brad Bird (director of
The
Incredibes) released in 1999 to tremendous critical praise but
extremely low box office due to the criminal mishandling of this gem
from Warner Brothers. The Iron Giant is based on the book
The Iron Man from poet Ted Hughes. The film is set in the 1950s
in a small coastal town in Maine
and it captures this decade brilliantly, capturing the threat of
Communism, the nuclear bomb, and alien invaders that enveloped the
nation and created a mild paranoia and yet it also maintains that
sense of innocence and discovery during the time.
The story follows a
young boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) who spends most of the
time by himself, because his mother (Jennifer Aniston) is working late
most nights at the local diner and his father was recently killed in
the war. He spends most of his time catching “pets” like squirrels
and frogs or watching horror movies way past his bedtime. One night
while staying up too late, he hears a noise outside his home and goes
out into the woods to explore. To his horror, amazement, and (later)
glee he discovers something unbelievable. An iron giant (Vin Diesel)
has crash-landed in those woods.
The giant has a
childlike demeanor and it isn’t long before Hogarth has befriended the
giant and starts to teach him how to speak, how to hide himself, and
how to be good (by showing him Superman comic books). Hogarth tries
to keep the giant a secret from everyone because he knows the Army
would hunt the giant down if they knew he existed, but the giant can’t
help but get himself in trouble and the townspeople start talking
about sightings of this iron giant. Hogarth decides to share his
secret with one person, a scrap yard owner named Dean McCoppin (Harry
Connick Jr.), who helps Hogarth hide the giant. They discover that
the giant has a dark secret of his own and begins an inner conflict
about the choices one has in life of who they truly are. As Hogarth
and the giant grow closer, the secret is dangerously close to
unraveling with the arrival of Kent Mansley, a government agent who
embodies the paranoia and fear of the 50s, who will stop at nothing to
uncover and destroy the giant.
CRITIQUE
The Iron Giant
is a
poignant and touching tale about the strong bond of friendship and how
such friendships help us see our true selves and potential in the face
of insurmountable obstacles. The theme of the film, that we are who
we chose to be, is both universal and powerful. The Iron Giant
is told with so much care, passion and heart that you can’t help but
be moved.
The animation is
extraordinary, one of the last great 2D animated films, and one of the
best non-Disney 2D films of all time. Director Brad Bird brilliantly
captures the sense and feel of innocence and discovery during this
decade. The animation is simplistic yet detailed and done with a
sense of warmth and youth. The sprawling scenes with the giant
galloping through the outskirts of town are breathtaking and the
action scenes (the opening scene, the cannonball scene, and the
revealing of the giant’s secret scene) are just spectacular and
inventive.
The voice talent is
first rate. Eli Marienthal as Hogarth does an exceptionally great job
grounding the film in boyish discovery and innocence. Harry Connick
Jr. also does an impressive job as the hip yet earnest Dean who
befriends Hogarth and the giant and eventually fills the father figure
void the boy needs. Jennifer Aniston is also quite good as Hogarth’s
busy and earnest mother. But the best voice work is actually done by
the person with the least amount of dialogue, Vin Diesel as the iron
giant. He had to be both believable as the voice of this metal giant
and bring a sense of innocence and childlike discovery as well. And
Diesel does an exceptional job of this. The comic relief is embodied
in the character of Kent Mansely, voiced by Christopher MacDonald, and
is the only aspect of the film that feels a bit overdone and over the
top.
Besides the
extraordinary production values (the animation, direction, and music),
the perfect capturing of the 50s, and the extraordinary voice talent,
the reason The Iron Giant is a modern day classic is a simple
one: the story. The story is an absolute classic, timeless and
intelligent, and Brad Bird lets the story breathe and come to life
with passion and perfection. The theme is universal, the characters
are unforgettable and the story is all heart and soul.
THE VIDEO
The transfer is
nicely detailed and extremely sharp, with a bright and vivid color
palette. The film looks beautiful and the animation is amazingly
crisp.
THE AUDIO
The audio is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and the sound is nothing short of
dazzling. The voices are all clear and sharp, and the mixes are all
perfect. Just listen to the rumbles from the giant’s footsteps; they
are amazing on the right systems.
THE EXTRAS
Commentary by
Director Brad Bird and animation crew – Bird is a very entertaining and well-spoken guy and
he conveys a great deal of information on the production and what
really goes into an animated feature. Bird is joined by the heads of
his animation departments, and they all chime in from time to time
with some interesting stories and experiences in making this film.
They all convey a true sense of pride and passion for The Iron
Giant.
Additional Scenes –
There
are 18 minutes of deleted scenes included, all with an introduction by
Bird, and they are presented in various forms (mostly in pencil
animation or in storyboard form). Some of the scenes were never
included due to budgetary constraints but would have been if Bird had
a larger budget and you can see that some of these scenes would have
been spectacular (especially an alternate opening scene). Although
one of these scenes, the giant’s dream sequence, is tonally different
from the film and would be strange and awkward if included.
The X Factor
– The “X factor” is really Creative Consultant Teddy Newton who has a
unique and wild imagination and was supposed to storyboard the project
originally but after his outrageous original storyboard that he turned
in, as presented in its entirety here, he was no longer needed. Very
funny extra with Newton
and Bird.
Duck and Cover
Sequence – The “duck and
cover” sequence in the film is a film that Hogarth’s class is watching
in school and is just briefly shown, but is a very funny joke on 50s
nuclear paranoia. Here it is shown in full length as created by wild
man Teddy Newton.
The Voice of the
Iron Giant – This is an extra with Vin Diesel and Brad Bird discussing Diesel’s
vocal performance and challenges he faced in bringing the giant to
life. A short but interesting extra with a well-spoken and
intelligent Diesel (the guy really needs to get the right material and
I think he could actually be great).
Behind the Armor
– This is a series of thirteen featurettes discussing various aspects
of the production of the film that you can access by clicking on a
nuts and bolts icon that shows up periodically throughout the film.
Includes interviews with a large amount of the crew and Bird.
Informative but very brief extras.
The Motion Gallery
– This is an animated sequence of rough drawings, sketches in pencil,
and final animation set to 50s music.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Iron Giant
is a
modern classic of animation with exceptional production values
(animation, direction, music, etc.), amazing voice work, and, most
importantly, a heartwarming and beautiful story about the bonds of
friendship, the power of innocence, and that we all chose who we want
to be. This film is more than worthy of the special edition
treatment, and this special edition doesn’t disappoint.
