Based on, or inspired by, the 1968 children's book, The Iron Man: A Children's Story In Five Nights, by British Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, The Iron Giant was the result of Warner Brothers trying to compete with the success of Disney. Towards the end of the Disney Renaissance, the revival that started with films like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Warner Brothers had tried several times to keep up with their rival's animation success, delivering mediocre film after mediocre film. Finally, in 1999, Warners delivered The Iron Giant, a period piece steeped in Cold War era hysteria. It's a tribute to the Atomic Age that tells the story of friendship between Hogarth, a young kid from New England, and a mysterious, giant robot. Hogarth finds the mechanical monster while playing in the woods. In steps Kent Mansley (he works for the government) to spy on Hogarth and ultimately try to capture his new friend. Along the way, we meet Dean McCoppin, a beatnik sculpture artist, who helps hide the Giant when the authorities get too close. By the end of the film, the Giant saves the town of Rockwell from the military's missile assault and, at the very end, the Giant's pieces begin reassembling themselves. Whether or not there was setup for a sequel is a good question. Personally, I'm glad we never saw one. A sequel to such a near-perfect film might only tarnish its legacy.
The movie had been in development, at least since 1991, when Don Bluth's studio had eyed adapting Ted Hughes novel, but ultimately turned it down. Brad Bird, who had been looking to do a feature saw The Iron Giant as a perfect opportunity. The director reworked the novel into a new concept, pitched it to Warners and the project was greenlit in 1997. However, by the time it was released, despite winning many awards and receiving widespread critical acclaim, The Iron Giant delivered a bomb at the box office. Virtually no marketing campaign existed for the movie. Apparently, the studio had pulled back on promotion after the dismal failure of other movies like Quest for Camelot. Of course, like all classics that don't perform well, The Iron Giant found its great success on home video.
Now, what makes this movie so great? Well, the story's highly engaging, and the animation is superb. But it's really the astounding voice cast that brings the characters and situations to life. Eli Marienthal plays Hogarth as a wide-eyed, enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky kid. Jennifer Anniston plays Hogarth's overworked and skeptical mom. Harry Connick Jr. plays Dean. Christopher McDonald plays Mansley to a T. John Mahoney is excellent as the annoyed General Rogard. Vin Diesel was an inspired choice for the giant. Even though he delivers few lines, Diesel's deep vocals deliver a naïve, innocent performance that makes you feel for the giant. Each character is so well conceived that its easy to forget that this is supposed to be a "family film."
