In 1999 I wasn’t a father, so an
animated film aimed squarely at children wasn’t something I went out of my way to
see. Three years later I have a son, and spend a lot of time trying to find something both
of us can watch without either of us dying of boredom. Shrek, Atlantis, Tarzan,
and The Iron Giant are the films we go to time and time again. But no matter how
many times I watch it, The Iron Giant never fails to entertain. It also
doesn’t dumb down its concept for the sake of appealing to children.
The story is set at the peak of the Cold War. The unknown origin of the Giant plays
into the trigger-happy climate of the time. Ignorance and fear are the antagonists, which
are personified to disturbing and near catastrophic effect, within the character of
special agent Kent Mansley. Christopher McDonald’s character is probably one of the
most innately evil and frightfully stupid individuals I’ve encountered in an animated
feature. The military figurehead is General Rogard -- an intelligent man who would defend
his country to the end, but isn’t naïve to the dangers and cost of war.
What I respect about this film is its creators’ balanced approach -- they are not
out to cast a blanket of blame or preach about how bad war is. They have their opinions,
but understand that the world isn’t perfect. The central theme of the story is simple
and arguably an admirable concept for a children’s film to convey: that we, as
individuals, have the power to be who we want to be.
An animated film works when you forget you’re looking at animation. Brad Bird and
company do a fantastic job mixing equal amounts of action and sublime humor with character
development. Every character is memorable; every personality trait is perfectly captured.
As a viewer, I became invested in the relationship between the Giant and Hogarth Hughes
because their bond was not only credible but also sweet without being saccharine.
The music is equally fantastic. Michael Kamen’s beautiful score bolsters the story
in a way that eclipses most of the insipid musicals that contaminate the majority of
animated films. Only Phil Collins and Mark Mancina’s original take on Disney’s Tarzan
comes close to the emotional punch of Kamen’s effort.
There is no information as to whether The Iron Giant was transferred from an
intermediate film print or straight from digital frames. But the images are sharp and
colorful. The Dolby Digital audio is powerful and clean, and though the effects
aren’t as realistic sounding as those in, say, Jurassic Park 3, the opening
storm sequence and the Giant’s footsteps have a pleasing amount of bass weight and
punch.
The DVD version I purchased had very few extras -- but in
all honesty, the quality of the film more than makes up for it. A 20-minute "Making
Of" was enjoyable and refreshing in its tone, though I would have liked to see more
about Michael Kamen and less of Vin Diesel trying to read cue cards.
Classic is a word I don’t use often -- especially for an animated
production. I don’t even think Shrek is a classic. It is a great movie with an
ingenious twist on some old ideas, but it isn’t emotionally fulfilling for me -- The
Iron Giant is. Every time I watch it I can’t help but feel good. It’s a film
that’s overloaded with humanity and good nature, but has an edge that will take you
off guard. And it’s the only animated film that has gotten me choked up. When
a film has this kind of emotional impact and brilliant storytelling, then it’s
a classic.
