iron giant iron giant american animated science fiction comedy drama film traditional animation computer animation produced feature animation directed directorial debut based novel iron man published united_states iron giant scripted film stars set cold war film young boy named discovers giant metallic robot fell space help artist named stop military paranoid federal agent named finding destroying giant film development phase began musical involvement pete project took root bird signed director hired write screenplay film created traditionally computer generated imagery title character effects crew film completed half time budget animated features produced film score recorded release film saw wide critical acclaim critics audiences nominated awards winning despite acclaim film significantly performed box office making million worldwide budget million blamed unusually poor marketing campaign home video releases television syndication film gathered cult following widely regarded modern animated classic extended remastered version film released theatrically plot october shortly russian satellite orbit enormous robot outer space crashes ocean near maine robot makes way inland forest year old discovers robot night begins eating electrical power saving robot returns home days later makes mission find robot picture hours waiting robot surprises soon befriends suffering amnesia accompanies goes come railroad giant starts eating rails hearing oncoming train tells giant repair tracks train breaking pieces giant parts start hides damaged robot house barn parts repair later dinner widowed mother annie reads comic books giant giant impressed superman discovers comic metal menace giant choose meantime government agent arrives discovering possible evidence giant finding gun near takes room rent home follows boy hoping learn takes giant earlier befriended shelter soon discuss death giant witness hunters shoot forest paranoid alien invasion presence giant general backed army troops force investigation dean reveals robot disguised scrap metal artwork leaves later plays giant toy gun automatically giant weaponry dean saves demands giant leave thinking giant meant harm runs dean finds toy gun realizes giant reacting defensively catches giant reaches town giant saves boys falling death witnesses army troops giant return attack requesting navy air_force support giant flies away attacked giant kept original programming taking shot giant mistakenly believes unconscious dead giant enraged death energy weapons battles completely army lies giant killed suggests destroyed sea nuclear missile uss wakes giant causing weapons keeps telling attack dean says giant harmed seeing alive army stand tell thing panicked grabs orders missile launch thinking furious reminds missile currently targeted giant kill attempts flee giant stops army forces stay die tells giant impending fate giant makes decision fly smiling chooses superman giant missile causing massive explosion high atmosphere townspeople soldiers relieved survived giant apparent sacrifice later annie dean dating dean built statue park honor giant receives package small bolt piece giant found night hears familiar coming bolt trying window opens window let bolt iceland parts giant approach head rests giant wakes voice cast energetic curious boy active imagination performances given animators work helped develop expressions acting character government agent sent investigate sightings logo official government car says phenomena artist owner bird felt appropriate character member beat generation viewed mildly threatening small town values time outsider recognize giant threat widow military pilot widow mother foot metal eating robot created unknown purpose giant defensively recognizes weapon immediately attempting destroy giant voice originally filmmakers decided needed deep expressive voice start hire history voice acting robot characters time hired instead general military leader washington strongly sailor man robot follows robot trail destroys power station train engineers thomas animators members disney bird cited inspirations career incorporated voices film production development origins film lie book iron man poet wrote novel children 1980s rock musician chose adopt book concept album released iron man musical later film lead animator pitched version iron man working studio ireland created story outline character designs passed project stage musical mounted london adapted tommy stage believed iron man translate screen project ultimately acquired late developing project way studio saw film perfect vehicle time working developing recently merged parent company bird allowed transfer studio direct iron giant reading original book hughes bird impressed mythology story addition given unusual creative control creative control involved introducing new characters present original book dean kent setting film america musical ambitions care way reportedly remarking got paid bird pitch based idea gun soul expanded desire set film america 1950s later interview original story author died film release daughter finished film behalf loved project originally started enjoyed final film writing direction hired write script bird somewhat displeased having writer board wanted write screenplay later changed mind reading screenplay bird original story treatment america ussr war end giant dying decided brief scene displaying survival stating kill bring finished script months given month schedule complete script way film tight schedule didn time mess said question giant backstory ignored story focused relationship bird considered story difficult develop combination unusual elements paranoid fifties sci movies innocence like hughes sent copy script sent letter saying pleased version letter hughes stated want tell like piece terrific sinister gathering momentum ending came glorious piece terrific dramatic situation way developed iron giant stop thinking bird combined knowledge years television direct feature credited time working family dog essential team building tenure simpsons example working strict open staff help develop film ask crew members opinions scenes change things accordingly priorities emphasize softer character based moments opposed scenes bird thought problem modern filmmaking activity sound effects cuts music audience remote going change channels commented time storyboard artist played important role shaping film story newton assignment staff involved asked bird create film film reflect type movies saw bomb scare happening newton came conclusion musical number alternative duck cover sequence came crew members favorites film nicknamed factor story department head producers gave artistic freedom pieces film script animation financial failure warner previous animated effort quest studio reconsider animated films helped shape iron giant production considerably quarters animation team team helped craft iron giant time entered production informed staff smaller budget time frame film completed production watched closely bird commented leave kept control showed producing film getting time stuff good bird regarded trade having money disney film half production schedule having creative freedom describing film fully animation team don think studio level small team took research trip maine photographed small cities hoped accurately reflect culture shot store fronts forests homes home interiors detail including bark trees said production designer bird stuck elaborate scene planning detailed sure budgetary concerns team initially worked director software switching time bird eager use nascent software allowed storyboard contain indications camera moves software essential team dubbed early help studio grasp story film allowed bird better understand film required editing perspective end proud way film developed noting imagine pace film accurately relatively small expenditure resources group gather screening room view completed sequences bird offering suggestions drawing screen marker lead animator suggested led sense crew unified mission create good film bird cited favorite moment film production occurring editing room crew gathered test sequence giant learns soul people room spontaneously crying pivotal feeling tapping recalled opted film animators portions entirely standard process character throwback way disney features created exception responsible creating giant created computer generated imagery difficulty creating metal object fluid like manner additional trouble computer model express emotion giant designed filmmaker best known designing star wars trilogy refined production designer head animator giant software team giant frame frames second interacting characters obvious computer model bird brought students assist minor animation work film busy schedule sure spread work scenes experienced younger animators noting strongest people let talent best assignments designed film cgi props vehicles created variety software including alias modified version art inspired design colors evocative time period film set representative emotional tone example room designed reflect youth sense wonder blended style reminiscent 1950s illustration animators studied disney films era inspiration film animation music score film composed conducted bird original score collection cues sci films initially scared believing sound orchestra important feeling film decided eastern europe old fashioned sounding orchestra went prague hear conduct eventually orchestra film score bird describing symphony orchestra amazing collection musicians score iron giant recorded unconventional manner compared films recorded week prague music recorded conventional uses music method described interview able play music piece classical repertoire score iron giant won annie award music animated feature production november editing bird opted produce iron giant specifically wide aspect ratio warned advisers felt appropriate use format films late 1950s produced formats hoped include logo poster partially joke 20th century fox owner trademark refused bird later recalled clashed executives wished add characters sidekick dog set film present day include soundtrack hip hop concerns film bird responded interested telling story let wants film initially going feature logo beginning movie featuring mascot bird multitude reasons eventually got confirmation executives agreed instead bird team developed version logo resemble classic studio logo circle famously employed shorts credited executives helping achieve vision noting open opinion according report time release iron giant cost million produce additional million going marketing later calculated budget million regarded lower budget film comparison films distributed themes film set period cold war characterized tension united_states soviet_union launched raising possibility nuclear attack space anti communism potential threat nuclear destruction cultivated atmosphere fear paranoia led films alien invasion scene class seen watching animated film named based duck cover actual film offered advice survive ussr bombed usa film deals concepts sees deer killed hunters iron giant notices rifles discarded deer body iron giant eyes turn red showing hostility gun repeated film guns kill gun despite anti war anti gun themes film avoids military scene depicts picture late father fighter pilot wearing father flight helmet presents essentially rational sympathetic figure contrast power hungry civilian message giant choose played pivotal role film deleted scene robot dreams seeing robots like marching war zone alien world suggesting robot created weapon long ago war writer commented certain point deciding moments pick want plays rest life said movies provide viewers sense right wrong expressed wish movie feel like humanity need feel film critics compared film including roger_ebert response parallels bird said doesn kicking ass doesn army pay certainly risk having hip credentials taken away want evoke sad genuinely heartfelt marketing iron giant largely theatrical failure poor promotion largely reception release warner bird team release date film april wildly successful test screenings studio shocked response test scores highest film years according bird neglected prepare successful marketing strategy film fast food tie ins little time left scheduled release bird remembered studio produced teaser poster film eventual poster assigned role marketing film release noting studio commit planned toy plan interview ign bird stated marketing campaign epic proportions hands simply didn realize hands studio needed million opening ensure success unable properly promote preceding release nearly delayed film months better prepare said delay properly lead release said guys half years ready recalled bird press outlets took note absence marketing reporting studio spent money marketing intended summer blockbuster wild wild west instead potential blow scheduled sunday sneak preview screenings film prior release preview film online platform release box office iron giant premiered los_angeles july special ceremony preceding screening concrete slab bearing title character commemorated film opened los_angeles new_york august wider national release occurring august united_states opened theaters ranking number box office accumulating opening weekend quick drop fourth week accumulated million far reported million budget according weekend theater average average tickets showing leading theater owners quickly film time shaken executives making failure worse cited example media tie ins essential film success film went gross domestically internationally total worldwide analysts deemed victim poor timing severe attract audience president time explained people don family movies lesson time slaughtered critical response iron giant received widespread critical acclaim critics audiences based reviews collected review aggregate website rotten_tomatoes iron giant received overall approval rating average score consensus reads engaging endearing affecting retro iron giant tackles subjects complex relationships steady hand beautiful animation direction metacritic film achieved average score based reviews signifying universal acclaim addition response film critics reported audiences gave film grade reel source service calculated audiences attended recommended film rotten_tomatoes ranks acclaimed animated film 1990s los_angeles_times called straight arrow subversive simplicity writing feels like classic box roger_ebert chicago_sun-times compared story animation works japanese director film cute involving story new reviewer dubbed modern fairy tale writing movie provides master class use scale perspective power open viewer heart mind time deemed smart live let live acute observations kinds big subjects life death military industrial complex writing new_york_times deemed smooth skilled example animated filmmaking wall_street_journal felt beautiful beautiful work coherent art noting assured film funny deeply affecting hollywood trade publications positive predicted sleeper hit called outstanding variety called visually appealing crafted film success bruce entertainment_weekly commented long thought born gene allow emotionally drawn drawings saw iron giant san_francisco_chronicle agreed storytelling far superior animated films cited characters plausible noted moral themes houston_chronicle agreed basic techniques concluded voice cast excelled great script amid positive reviews negative review came washington_post opined movie beautifully drawn engaging annoyance incredible accolades hugo awards nominated iron giant best dramatic presentation honored nomination gave film children award best feature film addition iron giant won nominated categories nomination saturn awards ign ranked iron giant fifth favorite animated film time list published american_film_institute nominated iron giant animated films list home media television syndication criticism mounted ineffective marketing campaign theatrical release revamped advertising strategy video release film including tie ins aol secured backing awareness film increased february release pay view title increased traffic film web site iron giant released vhs dvd november laserdisc release following december vhs edition came versions pan scan pan scan giant toy case version initial home video releases incorrect aspect ratio film television rights film sold tnt million dollars networks marketed film overlooked acclaimed film showed film continuously consecutive hours early 2000s holidays fourth july thanksgiving special edition dvd released november went talk possibility releasing iron giant blu ray talking want bare bones disc want better bird said twitter account said fans log twitter accounts post twitter demanding collector edition blu ray film legacy film gathered cult following signature edition remastered extended cut film named signature edition released limited time september later october edition approximately minutes longer original cut features brief scene annie dean sequence giant dream aside additional scene showcases ideas weren able like nod disney commercial joke film shot cameras scenes bird production original film finished time budget constraints fully completed new version available deleted dvd bonus features animated employed animators worked original film film signature edition released dvd digital download february official blu ray release available september
The Iron Giant