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#16 - The Iron Giant
Brad Bird, 1999
In 1957, a young boy discovers and befriends a large metallic creature whose presence draws the attention of military investigators.
I haven't watched The Iron Giant in far too long, which makes the experience of re-watching it feel surprisingly fresh. This is especially impressive considering how much traditional animation in feature films has fallen by the wayside with the advent of computer animation. The story works as affectionate parody of 1950s sci-fi with its tale of a young boy named Hogarth having his small-town life be turned upside down by the arrival of a tall metal robot - which he naturally befriends. As a result, The Iron Giant seems to run down a check-list of tropes not only as far as family films go but also those involving the era's own sci-fi stories, often making explicit the themes that were implied by the films it references. Under the supervision of a director like Bird, the familiar elements are remade anew with just enough creativity to make the references feel inventive more so than lazy. This also extends to the visual style, which balances the traditional animation of the human world against the hybrid of CGI and line-drawing used to bring the eponymous giant to life in a way that really stands out.
Another thing that stands out about The Iron Giant is how lean it feels. Clocking in under the ninety-minute mark, it doesn't waste a minute as it powers through its admittedly standard narrative that is packed through with enough humour, pathos, and sheer character to carry the proceedings. It parcels out exposition at an incredibly economic but efficient rate, involves a smooth visual style that showcases its own personality underneath its conventional Disney appearance, and it grants considerable depth to its outwardly stereotypical characters. This allows it to not only get away with all sorts of broad but family-friendly comedy but also manages to make some seemingly hokey moments of sentimentality have significant emotional pay-offs, especially as the Giant starts to learn about what life is like on Earth. Anytime I entertain the thought of re-visiting a family film that I haven't seen since I was a child, I worry about whether or not it will actually hold up. In the case of The Iron Giant, it's good to see that I didn't need to worry.
Brad Bird, 1999
In 1957, a young boy discovers and befriends a large metallic creature whose presence draws the attention of military investigators.
I haven't watched The Iron Giant in far too long, which makes the experience of re-watching it feel surprisingly fresh. This is especially impressive considering how much traditional animation in feature films has fallen by the wayside with the advent of computer animation. The story works as affectionate parody of 1950s sci-fi with its tale of a young boy named Hogarth having his small-town life be turned upside down by the arrival of a tall metal robot - which he naturally befriends. As a result, The Iron Giant seems to run down a check-list of tropes not only as far as family films go but also those involving the era's own sci-fi stories, often making explicit the themes that were implied by the films it references. Under the supervision of a director like Bird, the familiar elements are remade anew with just enough creativity to make the references feel inventive more so than lazy. This also extends to the visual style, which balances the traditional animation of the human world against the hybrid of CGI and line-drawing used to bring the eponymous giant to life in a way that really stands out.
Another thing that stands out about The Iron Giant is how lean it feels. Clocking in under the ninety-minute mark, it doesn't waste a minute as it powers through its admittedly standard narrative that is packed through with enough humour, pathos, and sheer character to carry the proceedings. It parcels out exposition at an incredibly economic but efficient rate, involves a smooth visual style that showcases its own personality underneath its conventional Disney appearance, and it grants considerable depth to its outwardly stereotypical characters. This allows it to not only get away with all sorts of broad but family-friendly comedy but also manages to make some seemingly hokey moments of sentimentality have significant emotional pay-offs, especially as the Giant starts to learn about what life is like on Earth. Anytime I entertain the thought of re-visiting a family film that I haven't seen since I was a child, I worry about whether or not it will actually hold up. In the case of The Iron Giant, it's good to see that I didn't need to worry.