I love love love this movie. Wonderful 50s-throwback animation, a kid who isn't terribly irritating, an artist with a titty beard, the voice of Jennifer Aniston, and a sinister Government agent with the scariest chin in Cinema history. The fact that, until the space-monster bit, it bears almost no relation at all to the book, is totally unimportant - which is as good an indicator of the film's quality as any.… Expand

A masterpiece in animation. Any animation student should admire this.

The worst movie i've ever seen.

This movie not only has a good story; but it has heart. Along with a couple of comedic moments, there are morals that almost anyone can relate to.

This film had fantastic animation and a heartwarming story. This movie gives disney a run for their money!!!!

A great blend of humor, tradgedy and rightousnous. A lesson to all.

This movie was great.. I liked the giant robot learning not to kill, and about the boy teaching him, and being his friend... This movie has a good moral, i expected less excitement, but it gave me soo much excitement!!!!!

The movie is great and vin makes it even better.

My new favorite animated feature! Great story, beautiful animation, and a tear-jerking ending. If you haven't seen this movie, get it now.

Take that Pixar. As close to animated perfection as you can come and not be Miyazaki. Absolutely brilliant.

Nostalgic animation at its best. Its outdated politics are shielded by that same sense of nostalgia. Its underpinnings are all strong, with a great voice cast and top notch animation. Its overall quality earns it all its conceits, creating a heartwarming and silly adventure for children and adults who still have a child at heart.

This is one of the most underrated animations ever made. By far one of the best. You will not be disappointed.

By far one of the greatest animations ever made. Very underrated, but it's finally starting to get the recognition of critics and public alike, and it's great when a family-friendly cartoon is fantastic and intelligent entertainment for both kids, teens and adults. I really mean it - this is a rare thing, the type of wonderful movie they won't make anymore... Watch it and LOVE it.

Very exciting, very entertaining, and very funny.

I watched this near the time of it's release, when I was eleven. I loved it then, as any science fiction-reading child would. But, what I did not expect was to come across it at twenty one, and cry like a baby throughout the last half.

This movie was awesome and if there was a double-feature at the theaters, they should play The Iron Giant and The Powerpuff Girls Movie! I think everybody should see this FUNtastic feature WB film!

Touching story and superb animation! 2-D animation is NOT dead!

This is my favorite animated movie of all time-mainly because of the great story. Highly recommended.

Corny and boring.

Not only a perfect cartoon, but a perfect movie. Great message, great story, great artistry.

One of the best and most moving movies -- animated or otherwise -- of all time.

This is a timeless movie that really goes out and touches peoples hearts. This is probably one of the best non-Disney animated films ever. This film really is something special that I recommend for the family to watch.

This is the best animated movie I've ever seen in my life, I so loved it the first time I watched it! It was so moving, the story was great and the voice over was perfect. Spectacular and unforgettable this movie stands as one of the best animated movies ever.

Brad Bird's The Iron Giant mixes adult themes about overencroaching governments and biting political commentary with humor, heart, and a true soul. To say this film is anything less than one of the preeminent animated films of our time is to do it injustice. I do not believe any movie has been able to so deftly weave in a message as powerful as this one with a kid-friendly animated story. For a film about a "giant metal man," The Iron Giant is anything but mechanical. This film, interestingly enough, explores topics very relevant to modern American foreign policy, despite its setting in 1958 during the Cold War when tensions were high with the Soviets. The Iron Giant portrays the US as a highly expansionistic, militaristic nation with interventionist tendencies, playing off of the common beliefs about nuclear war at the time. However, it manages to do so subtly enough that it never feels like it is preaching to its audience- while there is a powerful anti-war sentiment towards the end of the film, it doesn't go so far as to insult the military or degrade the nation as movies tackling this issue tend to do. And then, it even works as a sci-fi film, grabbing the attention of the audience from the get-go with an exciting, mysterious opening scene. Sci-fi? Politics? Family values? This movie has got it all. Hogarth (Marienthal), the protagonist, is an eleven-year-old child with a widow for a mother who has no real friends from school, and often entertains himself outdoors as his mother (Aniston) tries to earn a living. At first, the character almost seems annoying due to his mannerisms and chatty personality, but over time, it becomes apparent that he is absolutely a realistic portrayal of a child who has been left to his own devices, but is undeniably kind and gregarious in nature and who is only looking for companionship (and a father). Throughout the film, the audience is given more backstory to who he is and this allows us to empathisize with him, making the climax that much more gripping. The giant also manages to become an endearing character as the movie progresses, with subtle voice acting talent from Vin Diesel himself. I belive it is safe to say that this is the best thing Vin Diesel has ever done. That goes without saying- in fact, picking him to play the giant with a limited vocabulary ironically gave him the opportunity to be the most affecting. The Iron Giant's incredible relationship with Hogarth evolves as a classic story of friendship that is both organic and believable. A brilliant edition to the cast comes from Harry Connick, Jr., who plays the beat generation hipster Dean. His role is the shining star of the film. He could easily have been underplayed or overly clichéd, as his character description would allow for either scenario, but fortunately his dialogue, delivery, and place in the story are so well thought-out that he never has the chance to flounder. Equal parts emotional and hiarious, Dean completes the triangle between Hogarth, the giant, and himself. The last character to finish off the cast is the wonderfully headstrong, slightly crazy and progressively aggressive government agent Kent Mansley (McDonald) whose choices throught the story ultimately lead to the powerful climax. Dislikable in the best way, Mansley represents everything that was bad about the McCarthy/Red Scare era in US history. I keep mentioning the movie's climax, but it's for good reason. At first the conclusion seems contrived, but the brilliance of its execution helps overcome this fact. The last 20 minutes will stick with you for days afterward. Of course, the animation is top-knotch as well. The hand-drawn environments and character movement, as well as voice-to-mouth alignment, make this a visual spectacle that can be referred to as nothing less than art. The sountrack compliments the visuals as well, rounding out the AV experience. In conclusion, I believe that this remains Brad Bird's genre-defining masterwork to date and will remain his best piece unless he somehow outdoes what is essentially perfection. Ratatouille and The Incredibles were fun, but they can't possibly measure up. In fact, I'd say most Pixar films would even find it difficult to compare themselves, mostly because, aside from Up, none deal with adult themes like The Iron Giant. Your biggest competition remains Miyazaki's epic, Spirited Away- and for that, I applaud you, Mr. Bird. You should be honored to be in such impressive company. You've got the Western front covered. Verdict: Movie Win… Expand

"The Iron Giant" is a soft-hearted and whimsical take on period movies (I've rarely seen a better take on Communist-era America) that is an absolute joy to behold. The combination of great animation and satirical dialogue makes every character memorable and fun and the finale is as gripping as animated films come.

any kid who likes animation should like this. it has heart, comedy, and adventure. the right family movie for kids and adults.

A truly great movie about a boy and his giant destructive robot. Also, a great story about friendship and sacrifice. The reason I probably find this a great movie is that I had to watch it more than ten times because of my brother.

This is a great movie with much feeling, drama, and action. I loved this movie when i was a young child, and i still do today, the only problem is that they haven't made an iron giant 2!

Brad Bird's big-screen directorial debut is a simply magical film. It preserves the central themes of the Ted Hughes novel on which it is based, but makes them far more hard-hitting by transporting the story to the USA in the 1950s. This period of extreme paranoia at the height of the Cold War, with the fear of nuclear attack ever on people's minds is the perfect setting for a story about the darker side of human nature and loss of innocence, and allows for a healthy amount of satirical humour and 1950s sci-fi references. The film is a real visual feast, with flawless animation that seamlessly blends hand-drawn characters and environments with CGI elements. The voice cast are superb, with Eli Marienthal emotionally grounding the story as Hogarth Hughes, the lonely, good-natured and endlessly curious young boy who discovers and befriends the titular giant when he crash lands on Earth. Vin Diesel, though voicing a character of few words, imbues the giant with a childlike innocence, and perfectly conveys the sense of sheer horror as he discovers his own origins. Jennifer Aniston probably gives the performance of her career as Hogarth's exasperated single mother Annie and John Mahoney is the perfect casting choice as the patriotic but highly moral General Rogard. The real cast highlights are Harry Connick Jr.'s beatnik scrapyard owner and wannabe artist Dean, who provides most of the comic relief, and Christopher McDonald's federal agent Kent Mansley, who makes an extremely entertaining antagonist. What really makes The Iron Giant work is the balance it manages to maintain between the comic and the serious. There are loads of great gags it's true, but there's also some extremely dark observations about the Cold War state of mind (then there are the scenes that are both funny and serious at the same time, such as the creepily cheerful instructional video telling school children what to do in the event of a nuclear holocaust). You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the film's finale, with Hogarth and the giant's relationship so well established, and with the addition of Michael Kamen's beautiful, highly emotive score, be prepared to shed the tears. The film feels equidistant between E.T. and King Kong, but is better than either. To dismiss it as simply a film for children would be moronic. The Iron Giant can speak to everyone, no matter your age or background because Brad Bird is a great storyteller and introduces you to characters you can relate to and actually care about, and the moral of his story is universal. The Iron Giant isn't just a brilliant animated film, it's a brilliant film, end of.… Expand

I've seen all of Brad Bird's movies, and I've liked all three. But this is his best!!!! I love it so much!!! It focuses on a kid and doesn't make the adults look like morons like The Simpsons does. God knows why anyone would hate this, it's one of the best animated films of all time. How did this fail at the box office domestically? It's awesome! The cold war setting makes it even better. It's better than Tarzan and The Lion King. Not as good as Toy Story, though, although it comes very, very close.… Expand

This was an amazing movie. Touching and masterful. I remember watching it when it first came out and thinking it was great but after seeing it again, it's still that way. Instant classic for all ages this is. Brad bird really did a spectacular job with this one. This movie not only had an awesome story line but had a great message. It was that anyone can be a hero, but also anyone can be a villain it's your choice. It wasn't about a kid who finds a giant robot, it was about friendship and what you'd do for a friend. It's an amazing tear jerker and I highly recommend it.… Expand

This movie is a classic. Simple yet complex, joyful yet saddening, exciting yet thoughtful, the Iron Giant weaves in real-life issues into it's plot in a way that's childish yet deep at the same time. The animation throughout the film is superb, and voice acting by Vin Diesel, Jennifer Aniston, and Harry Connick Jr add immensely to the story. Watch it.

Brad Bird has directed two Pixar films; The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Both of these are big favorites of mine. Browsing through films, The Iron Giant caught my eye. I could only hope that I enjoyed this film as much as I did Ratatouille or The Incredibles. The verdict is that the film wasn't was good as either Pixar films, but is more than exceptional entertainment. In fact, this is one of the best non-Pixar animated films I've ever seen. The film opens with a gorgeously animated sequence of a futuristic vehicle flying through space, until it lands in the middle of the ocean where a boat sails nearby. The captain of the boat stares curiously where he saw the flash of light...then a giant 50-foot robot emerges from the ocean. The film only gets better from there. A young boy named Hogarth is at the diner where his Mom works long hours. The boy overhears a conversation about the Iron Giant, and wonders if it truly exists. His question is later answered when he sees the robot near a power plant, and ends up saving the giant's life. The two become friends, though the boy has to hide the giant to avoid the government (and his Mom) from finding out (Think E.T.). The film is quite funny, and it's filled with stunning animation and memorable characters. The story matches up to Pixar quality, in both heart and substance. There are a lot of tricky issues that are discussed in this film; death namely. The Iron Giant is curious about Earth, and one of his experiences is a deer being shot by hunters. The Iron Giant is traumatized by the experience, and Hogarth explains death as well as he can. "Death isn't a bad thing," Hogarth says, "Everyone dies." "You die?" The Iron Giant asks. "Well, yeah, someday." Hogarth says. "...I die?" The Iron Giant ponders. "I...don't know. Maybe..." The film is very thought provoking, and in some of it's many humorous scenes, laugh provoking. It's even a little tear-jerking at times. If you understand or appreciate anything about movies, this film should be viewed as a must-see. Something you have to experience at least once.… Expand