Despite dominating the animated short genre for many decades, the recent full length efforts from the studio best known for Bugs, Daffy, Porky and their pals have been neither successful nor particularly satisfactory. With subpar animation and the inability to fully engage their target audience, both "Quest For Camelot" and the animated remake of "The King and I," were critical, artistic and box office disappointments.
Although the former was Warner Bros. first full length animated attempt after the success of the hybrid "Space Jam," and the latter was only distributed by them (and made by another studio), both efforts raised serious doubts about whether Warner could seriously compete with the likes of Disney in this realm.
Fortunately, we're happy to report that the third time is the charm for the WB and their release of "The Iron Giant." Based on the children's book, "The Iron Man," by British author Ted Hughes (and renamed "The Iron Giant" for U.S. release), this rousing piece of kid-oriented escapism might not match Disney's greatest or even recent releases in overall visual quality. Some may also even complain that the story is too predictably simple or that it gets a bit too hokey during its somewhat preachy third act.
While there's some merit to those arguments from a jaded adult perspective, for most everyone else the film offers a fun, entertaining and occasionally heartfelt, eighty-some minute diversion from the trials and tribulations of being a kid. For that matter, that also applies if you're an adult with some kid still left in you -- and as such, the picture should please audiences of all ages.
Effectively mixing several volatile elements from the late 1950s -- most notably the paranoia inspired by Sputnik, the nuclear age and an increase in "it came from outer space" worries -- the film offers a fun look at what now's considered a quaint time that few who didn't live through the period believe could ever have really existed.
Well, it did, and the film offers some fun moments concerning such matters including an amusing sendup of the old "duck and cover" training films that were once obligatory viewing in schools. While it's surprising and just a little disappointing that more similar moments aren't present -- especially considering that director Brad Bird comes from the TV shows "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill" -- the filmmakers, including screenwriter Tim McCanlies (who directed "Dancer, Texas Pop. 81") seem more intent on telling an old-fashioned type story than a satirical look at the era.
In fact, they've mixed elements from stories and films that have delighted audiences for generations. There's the "Lassie" element of a boy and his dog -- er -- robot where the latter becomes his faithful companion and best friend. That's then mixed in with the old King Kong plot (that similarly inspired the "military must kill the beast" plots of all those 1950s monster movies) as well as an obvious homage to the sci-fi classic, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with its large robot, Gort, and a similar anti-violence message.
Some may also compare this picture to 1998's "Star Kid" and its somewhat similar "boy befriends and teaches a robot from outer space" plot (possibly inspired by this film's source), but this movie is clearly a great deal better. Not only does it avoid the standard element of the boy being in trouble and his new, bulky friend taking care of such matters, but it puts some heart and soul into the proceedings that were all too obviously missing from that live-action cousin.
It's also easier to believe and thus be swept away into the proceedings since it takes place in an animated world where anything is possible and far easier to accept then in the "real" world. As such, many are probably curious about how the animation stacks up against that offered by Disney. Although it's not as good as what the Big Mouse has recently delivered, the animators here took a bit of a different approach in how the film would look, and thus straightforward comparisons are somewhat unfair.
While there's the standard mix of hand-drawn and computer generated animation, a great deal of the film harkens back to the look and feel of the visually distinctive Warner Bros. shorts from the 1950's. Of course, that's appropriate since the story is set in that error, but the visual style gives the film a fun, retro-hip look that sets it apart from other recent entries in the genre.
Although the animation is occasionally at times a bit rough and the characters don't always have that "realistic" look to them, the overall impression one gets from watching the film is that it looks quite good. For an animated flick, it also has some of the best sound I've ever heard in a "cartoon," and the multitude of aural effects, mixed with a fun 1950s rock n' roll soundtrack, are both realistic and quite effective.
It's the general story, however, and the way in which it involves the characters that makes the film so much fun. While there's nothing particularly novel about the plot or any of the characters that appear in it (even the voicing -- while good -- doesn't particularly stand out, but instead seems quite natural sounding), Bird has nicely assembled all of the necessary elements into an audience- pleasing concoction. The result more than satisfactorily keeps things moving along at an always enjoyable and entertaining pace, although little of it will surprise viewers over the age of ten.
Nonetheless, the old-fashioned charm and solid storytelling is what makes it work. While the kids will enjoy some fun set pieces such as Hogarth having to deal with a detached, but very alive robot hand in his house that's the size of a Saint Bernard and moving around like a giant spider, as well as a fun, "Goofy at the beach" style tidal wave sequence, adults will similarly enjoy the return to a more quaint period when young boys were intrigued by their fertile imagination instead of video games or the Internet.
Simply put, "The Iron Giant" is a fun and engaging family film that should entertain adults as much as kids, the latter of whom will probably turn this into a hit, whether in theaters or later on video. As such, we give the film a 7.5 out of 10.
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