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Like all decent fairy-stories The Iron Giant rests upon a foundation that is both spare and open to identification. Based upon a similarly titled novel (The Iron Man) by poet Ted Hughes, the theme here is of self; the ability to believe in oneself, the chance to be true to oneself, the insight to understand oneself. Who hasn't been struck dumb by the thought that no one truly knows you, not even your natural mother, or come to the conclusion that perhaps everyone is against you. Even if only for an instant, these are ideas that must cross every child's consciousness. As adapter-director Brad Bird realises, such moments are mental health pills. Without absorbing these elements, one cannot progress towards becoming an adult, surely the right of every new-born.
At the heart of this parable looms a big metal machine, creatively voiced by Vin Diesel. This automaton, built by unseen hands in an unknowable place, arrives on Earth in a shower of flame. Like a baby, progeny of the only just started Space Race, the robot knows nothing except that it's willing to learn. Maybe it could have chosen a better teacher than young Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) but a more loving one? Unlikely. Hogarth is a fairly typical only child, doing homework because to do so causes less trouble, adept at amusing himself and forever finding animals to adopt. His chance discovery of the robot does however create a dilemma; Hogarth's hard-pressed mother Annie (Jennifer Aniston) is unlikely to react positively to the visitor yet how can he possibly let the opportunity lapse?
From here The Iron Giant elegantly leads us into fear and acceptance, through danger, sacrifice and onto philosophical soul-searching. That these emotions convince is testament to how, in the right hands, line and colour can combine to create life. The robot, though tall as a building and moulded from featureless metal, has mannerisms and body language distinctive enough to allow no misunderstanding. His integration into the dappled background of Maine is seamless, particularly so when darkness parts for the beam of a wildly sweeping torch. Elsewhere in The Iron Giant, a shift to defence mode demonstrates both the imagination and quality of the animators; the change is as fascinating as the workings of a watch, silky smooth even in detail and thoroughly non-gratuitous.
Sure there are similarities to E.T. but so what? Not only are the great stories endlessly recycled, but The Iron Giant ploughs another furrow. Bird makes it play less for laughs, more serious in intention yet no less entertaining for that. Yes, it's not as clever as Toy Story but that's because the film operates at a simpler (though never childish) level. It really is about a boy and a robot. Still, the '50s setting allows Bird to riff off apocalyptic paranoia, sending up the ludicrous "Duck and Cover" mentality while hinting at underlying unease. There are non-pejorative and anti-killing messages scattered about but never to the extent that they distract; really they emphasise the humanity of Hogarth's odd friend rather than remind us of ours.
Unusually, though sensibly, The Iron Giant doesn't rush along at a million miles an hour, except when it has to. Bird allows you to become comfortable with the characters, to appreciate their tender story. Concerned with real human issues and real human feelings, the film both communicates and captivates. The characters are a lot of fun, if guilty of caricature at times; Harry Connick Jr. is a standout as beatnik artist Dean McCoppin. Fortunately this charming yet sad tale of overcoming prejudice contains no big musical numbers; Michael Kamen's score delivers all of the necessary notes. The Iron Giant may not be groundbreaking but it is graphically fluid and a joy to watch.
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