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This is a much bigger story (pun not intended) than I originally thought.
It's animated and a story about a young boy who befriends a giant robot. Seems safe, right? Not too emotionally rough? Don't. You. Believe it. I won't spoil it more than that may have, but since it looks like a kids' movie I will say: it should have a warning on the box. I wouldn't show it to kids under age 10 unless you're willing to hang around and talk to them about it, after. That said, this movie is positively wonderful.
The Iron Giant is set in 1957, the year of Sputnik and the growing Cold War. Pride in the country vies against paranoia of things "foreign". The film looks at the propaganda of a byegone age with modern eyes, but the viewer can't help but notice that those old issues are our issues, today. Though not a traditional "war movie" in that there aren't armies battling, it definately makes statements about the cold war, and the assault of propaganda on what was once an unsuspecting public.
The story is a weaving together of several familiar stories: Frankenstein, The Elephant Man, Superman, Osiris, King Kong... not new material, but they're combined with such grace and skill that we get sucked in, anyway. Directed by Brad Bird, the animation itself is lovely - particularly the gestures, which made the more emotional scenes incredibly touching. The comedy is timed to perfection.
The voice work is spot on, in every role; totally honest, invested and compelling. Hogarth, the young boy who finds the Giant, is voiced by a young theater talent from San Fransisco, Eli Marienthal. Opposite him is none other than Vin Diesel as the Giant, in a brilliant use of his talent. Jennifer Anniston is the voice of Hogarth's mom, and Harry Connick, Jr. is the local beatnik artist with a good heart. The military men are voiced by John Mahoney and Chris McDonald, who is awesome as the meddling FBI agent.
Underscoring by Michael Kamen, and the Czech Philharmonic, provide a darker-than-usual score that affirms the depth of the themes in tihis "kids' story".
The film is based on the novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, and was made into a concept album in the 80's by Pete Townshend, who's the exec producer on this animated film as well. Townshend's story featured a rangey plot riddled with Freudianism, and this story is considerably more cogent and a-sexual but I found it interesting that the story itself has been through so many incarnations. (Thanks, Tacitus for the info!)
Bird says he pitched the story to Warner Brothers with the tag line, "what if a gun had a soul?" He answers that question without a lot of sugary frip, but with huge emotional impact.
Rating: 5 kleenexes out of 5.
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The Iron Giant is set in 1957, the year of Sputnik and the growing Cold War. Pride in the country vies against paranoia of things "foreign". The film looks at the propaganda of a byegone age with modern eyes, but the viewer can't help but notice that those old issues are our issues, today. Though not a traditional "war movie" in that there aren't armies battling, it definately makes statements about the cold war, and the assault of propaganda on what was once an unsuspecting public.
The story is a weaving together of several familiar stories: Frankenstein, The Elephant Man, Superman, Osiris, King Kong... not new material, but they're combined with such grace and skill that we get sucked in, anyway. Directed by Brad Bird, the animation itself is lovely - particularly the gestures, which made the more emotional scenes incredibly touching. The comedy is timed to perfection.
The voice work is spot on, in every role; totally honest, invested and compelling. Hogarth, the young boy who finds the Giant, is voiced by a young theater talent from San Fransisco, Eli Marienthal. Opposite him is none other than Vin Diesel as the Giant, in a brilliant use of his talent. Jennifer Anniston is the voice of Hogarth's mom, and Harry Connick, Jr. is the local beatnik artist with a good heart. The military men are voiced by John Mahoney and Chris McDonald, who is awesome as the meddling FBI agent.
Underscoring by Michael Kamen, and the Czech Philharmonic, provide a darker-than-usual score that affirms the depth of the themes in tihis "kids' story".
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Bird says he pitched the story to Warner Brothers with the tag line, "what if a gun had a soul?" He answers that question without a lot of sugary frip, but with huge emotional impact.
Rating: 5 kleenexes out of 5.