The Iron Giant: Celebrating Ten Years

Not long ago, I created a custom poster for my studio office, as a tribute to one of my favorite films of all time, The Iron Giant. The fact that the inspirational story is animated is an added bonus for me, and as I was working toward re-imagining the source material's look and tone, I began to consider how influential this modern masterpiece has been in my life and career.

In many ways, The Iron Giant models the class of artist and storyteller I dream of becoming.

In contrast, I have been rather underwhelmed following the rolling credits of many movies over the past several years. In truth, I am still a supporter of substance within a story. I find no satisfaction in meaningless dialogue, exploitative sensuality, and pointless plot twists. It seems that this recipe, along with oversized guns, endless ammo, and slow-motion explosions are Hollywood's status quo formulas for passable entertainment. And why not? Mindless violence, sex, and weak stories apparently sell tickets. And in an age where profit trumps purpose, film lovers become casualties as tickets become box-office weapons, and stories lose their souls.

Now imagine a story that asks: "What if a weapon had a soul?"

That's the foundational, thematic question of the vastly underrated and beautifully animated film, The Iron Giant. The film opened ten years ago to empty theaters and absentee acclaim. Almost seamlessly combining early CGI and traditional hand-drawn animation, the acclaimed (yet often ignored) feature animation debut by Brad Bird pondered how a paranoid, post-war America might react to an overwhelmingly powerful interstellar invader.

Now, one decade later, the cult classic stands out as one of the most intellectually and emotionally moving science-fiction tales in recent history.

Although financially considered to be a box-office flop, The Iron Giant is anything but a failure. It's a humorous, moving, and fantastic analysis of paranoia on parade, and how it can be stopped if we decide to stop using our fists and start using our hearts and minds.

Ten years later, the quality and style of The Iron Giant still impresses, and its stature has only grown. Since then, Brad Bird has risen with a vengeance, writing and directing animated feature films like Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille. As much as I love these most recent achievements, in my opinion, The Iron Giant remains Bird's greatest triumph.

Happy 10th Anniversary, Iron Giant. Thank you for a beautiful story about a boy and his robot, and for reminding us that a heroic heart is not forged from power, but born from the soul.

Until next time…

JP