Fantastic Film!

Rating: 9/10 (6 December 2014)

The Iron Giant is an underrated animation film and is just plain excellent, more so than it ever has a right to be. On paper, it's practically an animated version of E.T, but the film works despite the non-original story. It is full of substance and style with an underlying political commentary that will appeal to the adults. The kids will love the gorgeous animation (very good for a 1999 film) and the story about an unlikely friendship. I haven't seen this in many, many years until recently, but it was always one of my childhood standouts.
Brad Bird's earliest theatrical film is about a kid named Hogarth befriends a giant robot from another world, during the height of the Cold War and the launch of Sputnik. Hogarth tries to protect the giant-sized robot not only from his mother, but also from a bunch of bureaucrats believing the giant is actually a spy for the Soviet Union.
The voice acting is not that bad. The robot does not speak English at first, but when he does, it was voiced by Vin Diesel who made the robot seem even more lifelike. We also have some solid voice acting from the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., and Eli Marienthal.
Overall, The Iron Giant is one of those rare gems that appeal to both adults and children. The story is executed well enough against the backdrop of political and historical issues and the film is also a visual spectacle with the animation way beyond its time. Who cannot resist a film among the veins of ET, especially one that is good as this. It's a beautiful, must-see film. I rate this film 9/10.