Beautiful (see http://movies.yahoo.com)

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 1999)

Awesome. Completely. Not just in the colloquial sense; this bit of cinematic art is truly jaw-dropping, eye-popping awe-inspiring. Although I am an avid fan of anime, I appreciate any well-crafted animated work.
Of course, all the wonderful drawings cannot make up for a poorly designed or implemented storyline. This was a wonderful script with a tear-jerking ending. Yah, it was predictable. But it still grabs your heart and shakes it.
For me, the tears came from beyond the storyline. For years I have waited for cartoon animation to meet and exceed the art shown in mags like "Heavy Metal" and the old Marvel and DC comics. For some years, anime was the closest thing to this reality for me. Disney, although beautiful and close to home, still does not ring with the intensity that "The Iron Giant" did for me last weekend.
The only flaws? Inappropriate language and the ever-present anti-gun message. My my four-year-old and seven-year-old kids are aware that both are not acceptable in our house and we discussed them on the way home. I was able to make the save and explain to them (again) that not everything they see on TV or in movies is okay to repeat or to believe.

It did give me the opportunity to repeat my message: "Guns are NOT bad. Guns DON'T kill. Have you ever seen a gun jump up and shoot someone dead? (giggles from the back seat) No. Someone holds the gun and fires it. People can act badly sometimes and people decide to use guns to kill. Got it?)"