Warner Bros'. masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2018)

Only one and a half year prior to this heartfelt and passionate movie, WB released the bland and nonsensical Quest for camelot. That's a major improvement, because The Iron Giant delivers on every level!
First of all, the setting of a Cold War America creates a wide range of possibilities of making conflict and is used to the fullest with a government agent being on the search for an unidentified fallen object. The tense atmosphere increases every time he acts, because of the relatability created by the setting.
Speaking of the government agent, he is not the only character to add depth and dynamic to the movie, every character plays off of each other perfectly to add heart and soul to the movie's atmosphere. The relationship between the giant and the boy Hogarth is really heartfelt and well developed, what else could you desire but great main characters?
The story about paranoia and how we perceive the unknown makes you think it's a dark and serious movie all throughout, but it manages to give some hillarious comedy as well without damaging the overall tone. Hogarth and the giant are lovely to watch and the junkyard owner share some hilarious moments with them when he discovers the giant.
The animation has also taken a giant step upwards (no pun intended) since the underwhelming expirience in Quest for Camelot. The backgrounds are gorgeously detailed and mange to show the size of the giant's appearance in general and capture the even grander feel when he flies and especially in the epic climax. The design of the giant himself is also brilliantly done and how much emotion he is able to show despite the restraints of it.
The initial release was not kind towards this animated gem due to bad marketing and lack of confidence in the movie from WB thanks to the failure of Quest for Camelot. I'm glad to see that The Iron Giant has gained praise over time and today is considered a modern classic. One of the best animated movies ever made if you ask me.