# Iron Giant, The (1999)

### reviewed by
Scott Renshaw

    THE IRON GIANT
    (Warner Bros.)
    Voices:  Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald, Jennifer Aniston, Harry
    Connick Jr., Vin Diesel.
    Screenplay:  Tim McCanlies, based on the book _The Iron Man_ by Ted
    Hughes.
    Producers:  Allison Abbate and Des McAnuff.
    Director:  Brad Bird.
    MPAA Rating:  PG (mild profanity, adult themes)
    Running Time:  85 minutes.
    Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.

After flaming out spectacularly in its last few attempts at feature animation -- gems like QUEST FOR CAMELOT and THE KING AND I -- Warner Bros. finally figured out how to guarantee a decent story: they re-made E.T. as a cartoon. Technically, of course, that's not what THE IRON MAN is. It's a loose adaptation of poet Ted Hughes' story "The Iron Man," set here in coastal Maine circa 1957. The protagonist is 9-year-old Hogarth Hughes (voice of Eli Marienthal), imaginative only child of a single mother (Jennifer Aniston). In the tense wake of Sputnik's launch, Hogarth discovers a 50-foot-tall robot in the woods near his home. The metal-eating giant (Vin Diesel) has no memory of his origin or his purpose, leading Hogarth to act as his caretaker. Unfortunately, over-zealous government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) won't rest until he discovers the source of local rumors about a monster from places unknown...possibly the Communists.

On a fairly superficial level, THE IRON MAN is a Cold War allegory about paranoia turned against anything unfamiliar. Screenwriter Tim McCanlies and director Brad Bird drop in little tidbits of period detail -- Hogarth's fascination with radiation/mutation films, his friendship with a beatnik scrapyard owner/artist (Harry Connick Jr.) -- but they don't really take full advantage of their setting. The decision to set the film in 1957 Maine seems fairly arbitrary, especially since Hughes' book was not. A bit more successful is the thematic treatment of the giant as a weapon that learns how to be human. Some viewers may shift in their seats at the "guns kill" message-mongering, but it's intriguing to see a family film tackling the notion of a sentient being accepting responsibility for its own moral choices, and finding heroism in the process.

THE IRON GIANT ultimately does prove entertaining not because of its astute observations about 1950s America or gun control, but because it's a classic "boy and his dog" story -- E.T. seasoned with a generous dose of "Johnny Sokko and Giant Robot." The giant is given the personality of a curious child, and the relationship between Hogarth and the giant earns smiles from the lad's frustrations at "training" his mammoth companion. The set-ups are familiar, but familiarity doesn't have to mean laziness. Yes, there is a sinister government figure who wants the alien for his own purposes; Christopher McDonald also delivers a snappy vocal performance to spark Mansley's over-zealous patriotism. Yes, the alien causes an unexpected ruckus when he mimics some human activities; the scene in which the giant executes a perfect "cannonball" into a lake also delivers a big laugh. As directed by "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" veteran Bird, THE IRON GIANT has a slightly subversive sense of humor and a lively pace, giving the oft-told tale its own unique spice. It's E.T.-lite, to be sure, but it still pushes the right buttons.

On a technical level, THE IRON GIANT may not dazzle like some recent Disney features. While the integration of the digitally-created giant and the conventionally-drawn characters is seamless, the backgrounds come out a bit flat and the colors somewhat muted. Yet the toned-down animation may actually work to THE IRON GIANT's advantage. There's more innocence to the character design, more simple charm in the laid-back direction. I'm not sure THE IRON GIANT earns the big emotional crescendo it's looking for when Hogarth finally stares skyward at the giant and says "I love you," but the fundamental appeal of the relationship between a lonely boy and his alien puppy is always in effect. If it's true that there are no new stories to tell, the success of a film is always about the time the filmmakers invest in telling the old stories well. So E.T. is a 50-foot robot this time around. You'll still probably be pulling for him to turn on his heartlight.

         On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 giant robots:  7.

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