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The Iron Giant review

We review The Iron Giant - a cracking sci-fi animated adventure based on poet laureate Ted Hughes’s novella

The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant

Certificate: U

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr, Vin Diesel

Release date: 1999

4 out of 5

4

The Iron Giant is a cracking sci-fi animated adventure based on poet laureate Ted Hughes’s novella, this was directed by Brad Bird, who went on to make The Incredibles. Like that film, this is just as entertaining for adults as for the kids it is aimed at, thanks to the quirky animation, a spirited and even moving script and great vocal performances.

It’s the story of young Hogarth (Eli Marienthal), who befriends a massive robot he finds near his home (voiced by Diesel) after the being has crashed down from outer space. Keeping his discovery secret from his mum (Aniston) with the help of a local scrap dealer (Connick Jr), Hogarth also has to hide the metal creature from a paranoid government agent (Christopher McDonald) who is on their trail. It’s like ET but with many metal appendages, as boy and robot bond, and it’s surprisingly tear-jerking too. A must-see for all ages.

Is The Iron Giant suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...

Very young viewers may be upset during the final scenes when the giant battles the army and Hogarth is put in danger.

If you like this, why not try: ET: The Extra Terrestrial, Wall.E, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Star Kid, Robots,