a brilliant alternative to Disney

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 1999)

In many respects, "The Iron Giant" has a lot in common with another excellent film that came out earlier this year, "October Sky." Both films are set in the same year and feature the beginnings of the space race and the dawn of the atomic age as their respective backdrops to the main action. Each movie features young protagonists who are dreamers and outsiders of their societies and present refreshingly peaceful resolutions to their respective conflicts.
"The Iron Giant" has a wonderful nostalgic, small-town atmosphere that is brought to life by the stunning animation that is on par with anything that Disney has produced recently. The attention to period detail, from the cheesy educational videos that Hogarth's class is forced to watch, to the way townspeople talk, is faithfully recreated and really goes a long way to drawing you into this engaging world. In some respects, the animation style of this film recalls the early, groundbreaking Fleischer brothers Superman cartoons of the 1940s with its depth of field, but without the German Expressionist influence.
The real strength of this film is the relationships between the characters -- something that is often overlooked in animated films for flashy visuals and epic musical numbers. "The Iron Giant" has the feel of a very intimate, character-driven film with the relationship between Hogarth and his robot friend as the emotional centre but with several other relationships (like the ones between Hogarth and his mother and between him and Dean) also featured prominently as well. This is no simple Saturday morning cartoon but a strong feature film that actually has something to say.
"The Iron Giant" is one of those rare animated films that appeals to both children and adults, that doesn't contain one annoying musical number a la Disney, and that isn't one long advertisement for a toy. In fact, this film is an entertaining, even touching, story about tolerance and compassion. "The Iron Giant" refuses to talk down to its audience (the usual tactic of most animated films) or spoonfeed them any answers. It also deals with real issues like death and bigotry -- pretty heavy topics for a children's animated film.
easily one of THE best animated films i've ever seen...