Animation the Old-Fashioned Way

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2007)

'The Iron Giant' is a very loose adaptation of Ted Hughes' 1968 children's classic 'The Iron Man'. Whereas the original novel was a poetic and lyrical fairytale that read like modern mythology, Brad Bird's movie is a straight up sci-fi movie in the vein of 'E.T.' Set during the era of the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 and the ensuing Cold War panic, the whole thing looks like the kind of movie that Disney used to make at the time, all beautifully painted backdrops and hand-drawn characters. The evocation of the era is very well done, with a careful and detailed eye for period ephemera and styling. It's a gentle and affectionate movie with a distinct lack of the knowing, adult-oriented, pop-culture referencing attitude of most recent animation. But this back-to-basics approach, while refreshing, seems a little too simple, too naÃ¯ve, and too superficial. It's a good movie, and one I would encourage children to see, but a lot of rich potential was sorely missed.