Do you want to see ‘The Iron Giant’?

The Iron Giant (1999)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 8/10
Reviews Counted: 114
Fresh: 111 | Rotten: 3

Engaging, endearing, affecting and charmingly retro, The Iron Giant tackles touchy subjects and complex relationships with a steady hand and beautiful animation direction from Brad Bird.

Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 1

Engaging, endearing, affecting and charmingly retro, The Iron Giant tackles touchy subjects and complex relationships with a steady hand and beautiful animation direction from Brad Bird.

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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 171,458

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Movie Info

A boy's best friend is his robot in this animated adventure from Brad Bird, best known for his TV work on such series as The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and The Critic. Set in 1957, The Iron Giant focuses on Hogarth (voice of Eli Marienthal), an imaginative nine-year-old boy who daydreams of alien invasions and doing battle with Communist agents. One day, Hogarth hears a local fisherman talk about something that surpasses anything he could dream up: a fifty-foot robot that fell from the sky into

PG, 1 hr. 26 min.

Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Brad Bird

Written By: Brad Bird, Tim McCanlies

In Theaters: Jul 1, 1999 Wide

On DVD: Nov 23, 1999

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Iron Giant Trailer & Photos

Cast

Eli Marienthal
Hogarth Hughes
Vin Diesel
The Iron Giant
Jennifer Aniston
Annie Hughes
Harry Connick Jr.
Dean McCoppen
Christopher McDonald
Kent Mansley
James Gammon
Marve Loach
Cloris Leachman
Mrs. Tensedge
John Mahoney
Shannon Rogard
M. Emmet Walsh
Earl Stutz
Mary Kay Bergman
Ollie Johnston
Train Engineer #1
Frank Thomas
Train Engineer #2

Critic Reviews for The Iron Giant

All Critics (115) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (119) | Rotten (3) | DVD (39)

A smart live-and-let-live parable, full of glancing, acute observations on all kinds of big subjects...that you can talk about with the kids for a long time to come.

August 31, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment (1)

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

This is enjoyable in part because of its flavorsome period ambience and its lively and satiric characters.

March 10, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment (1)

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

A cool, unique-looking animated feature (the Ike-era design elements make for great eye candy), director Brad Bird's tale of a small-town boy and his outer-space robot is hip and entertaining without pandering, or condescending, to the kiddie set.

January 11, 2007 Comment

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

One of those rare films that will hold the attention of children in the 6 to 12 age range without insulting the intelligence of the adults who accompany them.

March 22, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Doug Saunders

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

The Iron Giant is a solid, not to say ironclad, winner in the less than overcrowded family animation arena.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Jay Carr

Boston Globe

Top Critic

This will probably be the world's shortest, four-star review and could be encapsulated in simply one monosyllable -- Go.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee

| Comment

Joe Baltake

Sacramento Bee

Top Critic

a cool, charming uniquely American fable done in accessible yet intelligent mode, which makes it suitable for all members of the family.

August 5, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

The Iron Giant isn't a Cold War allegory so much as an Americana fairy tale.

December 20, 2010 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Joseph Jon Lanthier

Slant Magazine

Touching robot-kid friendship tale with great messages.

May 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Great animation, and a great title character will appeal to the kids, while the sharp wit, whacky antics, and kid-friendly messages will appeal to the adults.

April 29, 2009 Comment

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Gentle, poignant and affecting animation that succeeds through understatement and showcases some highly impressive visual sequences.

March 10, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

As entertaining as it's intelligent.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Wally Hammond

Time Out

Outstanding.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Un film qui pr�senta Brad Bird comme l'un des cin�astes de films d'animation pour enfants les plus talentueux et prometteurs des derni�res ann�es.

March 28, 2006 Full Review Source: Panorama

| Comment

Jean-Fran�ois Vandeuren

Panorama

GO SEE THIS FILM, NOW.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Ron Wells

Film Threat

Truly for kids of all ages.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews

| Comment

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Has never failed to bring a tear to my secretly-patriotic eye.

March 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

| Comment

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

It's the most solidly built, funny, and entertaining movie for kids of all ages that I've seen in a decade.

January 15, 2005 Comment

Jeffrey Overstreet

Looking Closer

This touching parable derives much of its strength from a striking visual design and a welcome pacifist stance that would leave NRA nuts foaming at the mouth.

November 19, 2004 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing

| Comments (4)

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Iron Giant

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The year 1999 produced an astounding of riches for feature-film animation. While that year's highest grossing animated flick "Toy Story 2" carried on the wizardry and rich storytelling of the original,while "South Park:Bigger,Longer,and Uncut" brought the taboo-busting hypocrisy-bashing hilarity of the TV show to the

April 26, 2012

Mister Caple

Super Reviewer

One of the final animated films that felt like it was made by the amazing disney writers. Beautifully drawn and greatly emotional The Iron Giant is compassionate, charming and an all time classic animated tale of friendship that must and will always be cherished.

November 5, 2011

Directors Cat

Super Reviewer

The Iron Giant Quotes

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1. Hogarth Hughes: You are who you choose to be.
2. The Iron Giant: Superman.
– Submitted by Victor V (2 months ago)
1. Hogarth Hughes: You are who you choose to be.
– Submitted by Rocky F (2 months ago)
1. Hogarth Hughes: I don't know, you're made of metal, but you have feelings...and that means you have a soul, and souls don't die...Mom's says it's something inside of all good things and that it goes on forever and ever..
– Submitted by Jorge T (4 months ago)
1. Kent Mansley: Hogarth? That's an embarrassing name. They might as well have called him Zeppo or something
– Submitted by Sara B (4 months ago)
1. Hogarth Hughes: So we can't call Ripley's Believe it or Not, because... they wouldn't believe it.
– Submitted by Sara B (4 months ago)

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