The Iron Giant (1999)
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A young boy befriends a giant robot of extraterrestrial origin during the Cold War.
The story
Set during the Cold War in 1957, the film centers on a young boy named Hogarth Hughes, who discovers and befriends a giant robot of extraterrestrial origin. With the help of beatnik artist Dean McCoppin, Hogarth attempts to prevent the United States military from finding and vanquishing the Giant. The story explores the bond between the boy and the machine as they navigate the tensions of the era.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1957, a gigantic extraterrestrial robot crash-lands in Maine. Nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes finds the Giant and befriends him, teaching him about heroism and the difference between weapons and heroes. The Giant's presence attracts the attention of paranoid federal agent Kent Mansley, who views the robot as a national threat. Hogarth hides the Giant at a nearby wrecking yard owned by Dean McCoppin. As the military closes in, the Giant is forced into a defensive mode and flees into town. During a final confrontation, the military prepares to launch a nuclear missile at the Giant. To save the town and Hogarth, the Giant flies into the atmosphere to intercept and destroy the missile, sacrificing himself. Months later, Hogarth receives a piece of the Giant, and the robot's parts begin to reassemble in a remote location.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 87
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brad Bird
- Writers
- Tim McCanlies · screenplay; Brad Bird · screenplay; Brad Bird · story
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Aniston · Annie Hughes; Harry Connick Jr. · Dean McCoppin; Vin Diesel · The Iron Giant; James Gammon · Foreman Marv Loach, Floyd Turbeaux; Cloris Leachman · Lynley Tensedge
- Genres
- animated; science fiction
- Themes
- identity; friendship; humanity
- Tone and mood
- heartfelt; serious
- Setting
- Rockwell, Maine, 1957 during the Cold War.
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; sci-fi; robot
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Iron Man (1968) by Ted Hughes
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and is widely regarded as a modern animated classic, despite being a box-office failure due to poor marketing.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 96% · scale: percentage · review count: 144; Metacritic · score: 85 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Award · Music in an Animated Feature Production · 1999 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was initially conceived as a musical.; The production was completed with half the time and budget of other animated features.; The character Hogarth was named after author Ted Hughes and artist Burne Hogarth.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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