So I believe that this is one of the first animated movies I have chosen, hand drawn anyways, and personally is one of my favorites. A small film that came out in 1999 about a boy and his robot friend, The Iron Giant is heartfelt story with a touching bond between the two main characters and had a lot of thematic depth to the movie. It is an earnest film where there is a deep message that is conveyed to the audience, which made it standout from the pack of generic animated films. While I love science fiction films, The Iron Giant had a wonderful story setting and engaging message that stuck with me even when the movie ended. Before I continue to gush about the movie, lets learn a bit about the story.
During the height of the Cold War, a young boy Hogarth Hughes, stumbles upon a giant, mechanical robot that fell from the sky one night. The robot is scared and misunderstood, but the boy, being young and inquisitive, befriends the robot. The Iron Giant is playful and friendly, but is also scared of being found by other people. Hogarth tries his best to hide the giant from the army, government agents and from his mother.
The story is a simple one, but such a simple story is very compelling since it has a sense of familiarity. This is, at its core, a story about a boy and his friend (substitute friend with dog, pet, favorite object) and the bond that young child has with something magical and unknown. I always enjoy these sort of stories, since I could see myself befriending a giant robot. I mean who the hell wouldn’t. While the story is a safe plot line to follow, it is the underlying messages that the movie conveyed that made it a deeper experience.
At it’s heart, the movie is about understanding and compassion. Throughout the movie we see the Iron Giant becoming scared at the sight of guns. He become angry and furious when he see’s guns because of an experience in the woods where he played with a deer, only to find it killed moments later by hunters. The message is clear in that the Giant is compassionate about life and sees guns as a means to end life. Given that the movie is set during the Cold War, tensions about a foreign enemy is high, thus hostility is strong against those we don’t understand.
Even watching this movie now, I still get teary eyed when it comes to the end of the movie. While people in the movie make the Giant out to be this villain, at any given time, the Giant could have become what they wanted him to be. The Giant could have destroyed the people, but decided not to go down that path. “You are who you choose to be” is the final line uttered by Hogarth. It has a resounding impact when the Giant makes an ultimate sacrifice. The Giant choose to be a good person, never wanting harm to come to Hogarth and the people of the town, even though they feared him. You are who you choose to be, one of the most important messages a kids movie could ever impart on a young mind.
If you have never seen the movie, please watch this. If you have children, sit them down and watch it. The maturity of this movie and the message it has to give is incredible and better than any other animated movie out there.
