Underrated Gems: The Iron Giant

 

        In the mid to late 90s, Warner Bros. was having a series of box office bombs for their film slates. The films that they were pumping out were not grossing enough box office revenue to match or pass their filming budget. With their animated film Quest for Camelot not making enough financially. Warner Bros. decided not give the same marketing budget for their next film The Iron Giant. It costed them a chance to have an animated money maker in one of the most embarrassing mistakes a movie studio has made. 

1. A Boy and His Robot

        Once more I will say this. The film is loosely based on the novel by Ted Hughes. Since there is no dragon that fights the metal colossus. Anyways, the film takes place during the 50s, at a time when the United States is paranoid with communism. Sputnik, the first space satellite is orbiting Earth. A meteor comes streaking down to the Maine coast. A fisherman spots the meteor and then spots a metal giant who he mistakes as a lighthouse. 

        We follow the young boy Hogarth, who has an active imagination. His mom Annie works in the diner and one day tells him she has to work late. As Hogarth stays up and watches a B-Movie, the power goes out. He investigates and sees that a trail of trees has parted that looks ripped. He arrives at the electric grid. With the Giant behind him, it starts to eat the metal. Eventually, the Giant gets tangled, and Hogarth rescues him. 

        The next day, the boy sees the Giant and teaches him stuff. Since he realizes that the Giant’s memory has been erased. Meanwhile, the fisherman from earlier calls the Government and sends a weasel of an agent Kent Mansley to investigate. As the film goes on, Hogarth has a tough time trying to keep his new friend safe since the agent bothers and interrogates him on where the creature is. 

        This is obviously a diverging thing from an animated perspective. In those days, the animated film scene was littered with princesses and talking toys and such. Disney had their thing going on, as well as Pixar. There wasn’t a film that dealt with anything that was still in the public consciousness. Director Brad Bird was given the film to make his debut. Looking at his test footage for his work on The Spirit, most of the animated films has a very Brad Bird look to it. His film doesn’t have the Disney eyes or anything wacky, it’s mostly grounded with its approach.

        The Giant is the soul of the whole movie. We are inferred that he was sent from somewhere, possibly to wipe out civilization. As we later learn that when it spots a weapon, its eyes start to shrink and go red. What I like is that Hogarth teaches The Giant about what he knows. Such as being a hero, as we see when he shows him his stack of comic books. The creature is like a child just learning what’s right and wrong. I’ll give it to Brad Bird for not really going to the level of stooping to patronizing levels to the kids and adults. 

        It’s obvious to have the government agent be the bad guy. With E.T. coming out a decade ago during The Iron Giant’s release, it’s always a trope that the government would be the antagonist. As I mentioned earlier, Mansley is a real slime bucket. It’s no wonder that he’s voiced by Christopher McDonald who was also Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore. He even abuses his authority to threaten Hogarth by removing him from his mom. What makes him work is that he’s not just a one-note villain. In context, there was a level of paranoia that was going on at that time. Even his superior laughs at him and chewed his butt out when seeing that the Giant is friendly and unintentionally launching an atomic missile where they are. 

2. The Giant’s Humanity

        This is the definite highlight of the film. Some may criticize this moment as being anti-gun or what have you. Since the Giant is coming to grips with human ideas, Hogarth tells him of about the idea of dying. When he and the metal man see hunters shoot a deer, The Giant is perplexed at the deer corpse. Ultimately, Hogarth tells him that it’s not right for anyone to kill. 

        When he thinks that Hogarth dies, he goes mad and shows his true form against the Army. It’s not so much him looking cool, but him lashing out since he thinks that the military “killed” Hogarth. Just the idea of him deciding who he wants to be is refreshing, because it shows a misunderstanding between the two forces. And gives the robot on what he wants to do instead of being designed for a specific purpose.

3. Why Did It Bomb?

        Doing some research after watching the film, it seems that Warner Bros. has no one to blame but themselves. As I mentioned earlier, they slashed the marketing budget for The Iron Giant after Quest for Camelot not doing well financially. The teaser poster is the only poster the film has which is on the top of the post. The studio didn’t even have a release date in 1999. When they did, there wasn’t enough time to market the film for audiences to be aware of it. 

        When it came out, it was beloved by both audiences and critics. One problem is that it opened 9th in the box office, resulting in it being a financial failure. The film is one of those rare instances where its cult classic status doesn’t mean that it was bad from the start. It just wasn’t made aware by the people who were curious to even watch it. 

4. Legacy

        Eventually, with its release on home video, the film became an animation darling for animation enthusiasts, and it developed its own fans. I remember seeing the film when I was visiting family in Washington state, and I loved it. And of course, seeing it on Cartoon Network from time to time. The film is beloved since it has an emotional core that really resonated with the audience and had drama for the adults who find it endearing.

        I’m glad that it never got a sequel. Just a stand-alone film that is perfect in its own way. The film has been referenced in various media. Like appearing as a visual gag on Family Guy. The giant even appeared as a cameo in Brad Bird’s Disney film Tomorrowland. Even Spielberg put the lovable colossus in his adaptation of Ready Player One. 

5. Overall

        This is one of those films where it will always be remembered and shared with for every generation. It’s such a shame that Warner Bros. did not want to pull the trigger and give The Iron Giant its time to shine. 

        The Iron Giant gets a five out of five.