delightful

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2016)

A young boy befriends a metal-eating giant from outer space. With the help of a beatnik scrapyard owner, he takes on a government agent filled with Cold War paranoia in order to save their iron friend. The Iron Giant is funny, thoughtful and has heart. The script respects the intelligence of young and old, and the under-90 minutes running time attests to the brisk pace and judicious lack of exposition. Our hero Hogarth has a child-like curiosity about his new friend, and a fierce loyalty, all the while keeping sentimentality in check. A quasi-religious theme is lightly threaded through, and an anti-war message is more more strongly foregrounded. But none of these elements detract from an engaging tale of a young boy who is bullied at school looking out for his new-found friend. A good example of what animation can achieve when the screenplay is considerate of its audience.