The Iron Giant (1999)

I remember seeing previews for The Iron Giant in theaters as a kid and not being too enthusiastic about a movie of a boy who makes friends with a robot. So I never saw it. Then over the years I'd hear things from friends, mostly guys, about how the Iron Giant was probably one of the last best animated films of its kind, before animated films as we know them today, 3D in the style of Pixar and/or obviously digitally rendered pictures. The thing about Pixar is that the films they create have a deeper meaning to them, on top of amazing visual effects and a solid story. The interesting thing about the Iron Giant is that it was one of Brad Bird's first pictures as a director, and it definitely falls into the more meaningful animated films category with the message 'You are who you choose to be.'

The story starts in the fictional town of Rockwell, Maine with Hogarth Hughes, an alienated nine year-old who lives with his widowed mother, who struggles to make ends meet, often working late nights at a restaurant. Hogarth finds the alien robot one night, who is confused and unsure of where he's from, but friendly and peaceful after Hogarth saves him from an entanglement of power lines. They learn to communicate, and take great pains to hide from government officials with the help of Dean McCoppin, the local beatnik and junkyard proprietor. The giant finds happiness in his newfound friendship with Hogarth, but soon learns of the uglier sides of humanity. After a gentle moment with a deer in the woods, minutes later it gets shot by hunters and dies. The giant learns of the gravity of guns, and death. Upon discovering that he essentially becomes a giant gun when provoked or attacked, the giant is torn with the existential question of if he is 'evil' or 'good.' I stop here now with the exposition for fear of giving everything away. The film deals with these heavy issues but still manages to be funny, hilarious at times and of course heartfelt. Absolutely a film I would force a kid I care about to watch instead of the kooky shit that's out there right now... I'm glad I watched this film, 12 years after its release because it's gold, and everyone ought to see it.