It's a shame this enchanting animated film never found a bigger audience

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2012)

While the story is familiar (kid meets alien/ monster/ outsider, and befriends them, understanding they're not the threat the grown up world thinks), Brad Bird brings humor, freshness and heart to the sub-genre that lets this transcend into a terrific movie.
Set in a cold-war paranoid America of 1957, the titular creature cash lands from outer- space, with a knock on his giant metal head leaving him with amnesia about his purpose or history. After being saved by a 9 year old boy, a series of at first comic, then later more serious adventures begin.
There's some very funny jabs at the cold war mentality, and some terrific, unusual supporting characters, including a mom more interesting and complex than you find in most cartoons, and a local wanna-be beatnik artist who joins in to take the giant iron man's cause.
I love the look they designed for the Iron Giant himself, there's something wonderfully retro and almost art deco about him, and they do a great job of bringing heart and emotion to this gigantic metal creature.
By the end I was shocked at how moved I found myself. A lovely, well told, fun fairy tale that is as much for adults as for kids.