The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is a timeless movie that was directed by Brad Bird and scripted by Tim McCanlies and is based of the book The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. While the movie was a failure financially with it only raking in $1.3 million with a hefty budget between $50 and $70 million when it was released in early August of 1999, the tale it told won the hearts of everyone who watched it. It earned high critical praise and was also nominated for a few prestigious awards, such as the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. It has a great cast of voice actors with Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald, and John Mahoney bringing their respective characters to life and the story that is told will warm your heart every time.

Plot

It's 1957 and the height of the Cold War. In a little town named Rockwell, a young boy named Hogarth Hughes resides on the outskirts of town with his mother, Annie Hughes. In the diner that Hogarth's mother works at, he hears that a fishermen who's credibility is lacking saw a giant metal man fall from the sky. His claim is disregarded by other diners and he's mocked for making such a ridiculous claim, but Hogarth's new adult acquaintance, Dean McCoppin, sticks up for him though it doesn't do much.

When Hogarth returns home and his mother works overtime, he bends the rule and stays up watching scary movies on his family's television set. When the signal is lost, Hogarth goes up on the roof to fix the antenna, but finds the metal is gone and that there's a trail of slight destruction leading off into the woods not too far away. As any normal nine-year-old, he's intrigued and immediately sets off into the woods to investigate. There, chaos ensues when he arrives at the electrical station for Rockwell and the giant metal man is caught in the wires and cables. Hogarth saves the alien robot by shutting off the power, and when his mother frantically brings him home, the robot watches as Hogarth heads home.

Hogarth is still obsessed with finding out what exactly the giant is, and so he sets off again. After a shaky meeting, they find that they build a bond and start a brand new friendship. The Iron Giant follows Hogarth home, the young boy hiding him away in their family's barn, but little does he know that the United States government is starting an investigation of their own.

Kent Mansley, the worker sent to investigate what's going on, suspects Hogarth when he finds evidence at the electrical plant and sticks to the boy like glue. All the while, Hogarth tries to make sure that he or his new friend aren't found out and that the giant is taken care of. However, trouble brews in Rockwell and extreme measures are taken against the metal man. It's now up to Hogarth to show everyone that it doesn't matter what you are, but what you do that matters.

Overall

This is by far one of my favorite movies from my childhood. It always captures my attention and my heart completely. No matter what, the message it sends always resonates with me and the story always warms my heart. There's never a time where I don't cry while watching this movie. The Iron Giant is a movie that I would recommend that everyone see - no matter their age. It's a wonderful family movie that will, without a doubt, make you smile every time.