The Iron Giant
We Read This Review to Caleb, Age Two,
& He Agreed Wholeheartedly...

Have you watched The Iron Giant with your kids lately? How about ever? If not, you're committing an egregious act of abuse by neglect, because The Iron Giant may be one of the finest films Warner Brothers has made in years. Not only is the animation stylish and cool enough for big kids, the story is solid and unpretentious. This movie has so many things going for it that it is hard to pick just a few, but I will try. Topping the list is, as mentioned, the story, with one of the best anti-violence messages in modern times. The voice work by Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr. and Vin Diesel is so good you probably won't notice that big names are doing the voice-overs. (I often find well-known actors' voices distracting in animated movies.) At a lean 87 minutes, The Iron Giant is a well-spent movie experience. The kids will enjoy the story of a little boy in the fifties who finds his own robot from outer space, and the adults will appreciate the movie's intelligence, as well as how it captures days gone by without seeming trite or contrived. Stop abusing your kids by not letting them watch this movie.

Terry Osterhout
October 2002