Force the Sherman I: A Different Kind of Iron Man

What a refreshing, animated treat “The Iron Giant” is! Here we have another animated feature that realizes kids are much smarter than what we give them credit for. Usually, non-Disney features (excluding Pixar) such as this leave a sugary and hollow taste behind. Yet here, Warner Bros. has given us a respectable voice cast, a lusciously simple animation style and a smörgåsbord of existential themes to deal with.

Taking place in the fifties and set in the picturesque town of Rockwell (surely a nod to the painter), "The Iron Giant" tells the story of Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) and his young mother Annie(Jennifer Aniston), a waitress at the local soda shoppe. Hogarth enjoys staying up late and watching bad science-fiction movies while attempting to eat his weight in Twinkies, as all children -- and adults -- ought to.

It's on one such night that a meteor falls from the sky and lands just off the Rockwell shore. Out of the sea rises the titular Iron Giant (Vin Diesel). A sailor, Earl (M. Emmet Walsh), crashes into it and, of course, nobody believes the crazy fisherman.

Meanwhile, Hogarth is drawn outside when his television looses reception. Noticing something going on at the power plant, he rushes over to investigate and finds the Giant. From there on in, it is an adventure exploring everything from the idea of souls, and their immortality, to the violence caused by guns, with a small detour to examine the uber-American propagandizing going on in that period.

Hogarth decides to hide the Giant in the local junkyard, which is owned by a beatnik artist named Dean (Harry Connick, Jr.). There, they have discussions about death and the possibility of life after death. We learn that the Giant is actually a giant gun, this and another situation prompts the discussion about violence and that idea that, “You are who you choose to be.”

The Government sends an agent (and all that that implies) after the fisherman calls and reports his story. The agent, Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald), is skeptical at first, but becomes convinced after seeing the evidence firsthand. Mansley is not the villain necessarily, just someone who has been drinking heavily from the kool-aid, as they say.

There is an inspired monologue where he spouts out “red scare” propaganda about the dangers of the “giant metal man,” even going so far as saying: “All I know is that we didn't build it, and that's reason enough to assume the worst and blow it to kingdom come!”

Eventually, the army is called in to deal with the metal-plated visitor. The operation is headed by General Rogard (John Mahoney), a man who loves his country and thinks Mansley is a loon. To say more would ruin the movie and a climax that has, even through repeated viewings, left me shedding a tear or two.

The movie has a simple, lustrous look to it -- it seems almost to have been done in water color. The story handles subject matters much more complicated than is typical for the audience animated movies are aimed at, but it is done shrewdly and thoughtfully. Any youngster who sees this is bound to walk away with some pretty big questions.

“The Iron Giant” is a marvel. Animated movies, even Disney ones, are not usually this well executed. The voice talent is filled with great character actors (fricking M. Emmett Walsh!) and the story is more than sound. I asked a friend of mine what made “Giant” so good, and he replied without missing a beat, “The director, Brad Bird (see also: The Incredibles).”

Bird is an absolute genius when it comes to animated storytelling. My research tells me that he spent 8 years as the second-tier of command on “The Simpsons,” and his experience shows. “The Iron Giant,” is, quite frankly, an underrated masterpiece. I have watched it several times, and I am amazed by how much I still enjoy it. My hat is off to Bird and Co. for making a lastingly enjoyable, moving and thought-provoking animated film.


/ 5


Yours Until Hell Freezes Over,

Jeremiah