Touching story of a boy and his giant outer-space robot

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 1999)

Yes, the boy-and-giant-robot theme has been done before (Gigantor, aka Tetsujin 28), but here the plot is new and well-constructed. It even has a message or two. It's pitched to the younger set, but adults will enjoy the cold war jokes (the film is set around 1960). Good characters, especially the robot; a very good mix of laughs, pathos, and explosions. The animation is Disney-like, blending in computerized effects seamlessly. The mix of art styles is interesting: the giant robot is art deco; one character (Dean the beatnik scrap dealer) looks like he came from Eightball; the rest look like they came from The Little Mermaid.