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"A 'Giant'
Heart"
by Scott Mantz
"The Iron Giant"
Voices by Jennifer Aniston, Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr.
Directed by Brad Bird
For the past
10 years, there's no question who's had a stranglehold on the animated
film market. "The Little Mermaid" began a resurgence for Disney
that has produced some of the most beloved animated movies in modern
times, peaking in 1993 with "The Lion King". Oh, there have been
a few contenders, such as Dreamwork's "The Price of Egypt" and 20th
Century Fox's "Anastasia", but Disney always came out on top. Well,
eat you heart out Michael Eisner! This year's animation crown goes
not to the "Mouse House", but to the "Hare's Lair" (that's Bugs
Bunny's home, folks!). Warner Bros' "The Iron Giant" is not only
the best animated film of the year, but it has my vote for the year's
best film period. Heartwarming and hilarious, this "Giant" is a
gem!
While "Giant"
is obviously for kids, it has tremendous adult appeal as well. Set
in 1957 in the fictional town of Rockwell, Maine, the locals could
easily have jumped right off of a Norman Rockwell painting. It was
an innocent time. People left their doors unlocked, and they let
complete strangers in their homes to use the phone. It was also
the atomic age. The cold war was off and running, and Sputnik was
flying overhead. Kids in school would watch corny propaganda films
about what to do in case of a nuclear blast. The paranoid US military
had itchy trigger-fingers and was looking for a reason to use them.
Director Brad Bird successfully balances both extremes without sacrificing
the film's kid appeal.
At the heart
of the film is Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), a wide-eyed comic
book-reading dreamer. While left alone one night by his hard-working
mother (Jennifer Aniston), he finds a giant robot of unknown origin
feasting on the local power station (hey, the big guy's gotta eat!).
He gets entangled in the wires and is in danger of being short-circuited
when Hogarth shuts the power down, saving his life. Indebted to
the boy, they form a strong bond. With the help of a local beatnik
(Harry Connick, Jr.), Hogarth teaches the Robot the facts of life.
When an agent from the National Security Agency (Christopher MacDonald)
starts snooping around town, Hogarth struggles to keep his newfound
friend a secret.
Originally written
in 1968 by Ted Hughes, "Giant's" animated adaptation has elements
of many modern films. The initial bond between Hogarth and the Robot
resembles that of Elliot and "E.T.". He teaches the Robot, who has
the mind of a child, about life and death in the same approach John
Conner took with "Terminator 2". With all the time spent these days
about doing the right thing, Hogarth makes it all sound so simple.
Whether it's "guns are bad" or "you are who you choose to be", we
could all learn something from this young boy.
What if a gun
had a soul and it didn't want to be a gun anymore? That's the question
asked here by Hughes. Ultimately, this is a story about the power
of love and friendship. Love sees no shape, size, or color, even
if it's from outer space. Hogarth has a heart of gold and passes
his wisdom and compassion to the outsider with the iron heart.
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