The Iron Giant (1999) Revisited: Animated Movie Review

The Warner Bros. animated classic The Iron Giant is considered a masterpiece now, but at one point it came very close to being dumped direct-to-video. Released in 1999 by Brad Bird in his directorial debut, The Iron Giant explores the relationship between a lonely nine-year-old boy and his 50-foot, metal munching companion from beyond the stars, The Iron Giant. In addition to learning about how the film is associated with notable figures like Sylvia Plath and The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, we’ll also travel to the 1950s, a time defined by paranoia, good manners, and conflict on the brink. We’ll make our way to Prague where the Czech Philharmonic makes masterpieces, delve deep into the film’s characters, and investigate an animation process that seamlessly blends 2-D animation with CGI technology. Do you want to know why The Iron Giant is considered more of a cult classic than a box office smash? We’ll investigate that too, and much more!

Animated Movies Revisited is written and narrated by Steve Seigh, and was edited by Jasmyn Evans-Samuels. Chris Bumbray produces, and Berge Garabedian is the executive producer. Check out more episodes from our Revisited series below! Do you think The Iron Giant holds up? Let us know in the comments!