The first time I saw this, I was only six years old, but I remember it so vividly. It was one of the earliest movies I saw in a theater. We came in a few minutes late, during the diner scene when Hogarth is trying to convince his mom to let him keep a pet squirrel. I remember Mansley getting his face squished in the door was one of the funniest things ever. I remember memorizing the scene of him pestering Hogarth with constant questions, after he rents the empty room in his house. The exchange of Mansley asking "Where ya going, champ, chief, slugger? Where ya going? Where ya going?" and Hogarth screeching back, "I'm going out!!!!" is something my siblings and I still quote to this day. But mainly I remember being absolutely flabbergasted when the Giant sacrifices himself to save Hogarth and the town. Growing up in a a Christian household, going to church twice a week, a story that ended with someone giving up their life for everyone else, was, well...biblical. I remember sitting in the theater and having the thought, "He gave up his life so all those people could live", running through my brain over and over. I couldn't comprehend it. I was too shocked to cry. Watching it for the first time as an adult? I sobbed. The tears started when the Giant realizes he can fly, and Hogarth gleefully tells him, "Try holding out your arms in front of you, like Superman!" and they didn't stop because I knew what was coming. When I was a six year old child I was too young to understand the themes of xenophobia, patriotism, choosing a different path than the one given to you, etc. All I knew was that the Iron Giant "gave up this life so those people could live." Superman, indeed.

This movie is all about the classic 50's comic book story line. The big, misunderstood killer robot sent from who knows where comes to earth for who knows why and meets a young boy interested in scary movies and superhero comics. Im not going to write out the plot, so all someone who hasnt seen this movie needs to know is that it is near perfect, and is timeless beyond its years. 10/10

With the story's setting in 1957, my best takeaway from the film was the nostalgia associated with the era's fascination with the threat of an atomic attack and it's attendant duck n' cover drills and underground shelters. The movie itself had the feel of one of those 1950's Warner Brothers cartoons and one of the principal characters, Dean the scrap metal guy, was even called a beatnik at one point. The kid Hogarth (I agree with Kent Mansley, who names their kid Hogarth?) enjoys Superman and sci-fi comic books and there's even a Maypo TV commercial thrown in for good measure. Yessiree, those were the good old days.What's not so 1950-ish though is the representation of a family with no male figurehead, that's a decidedly modern day construct that probably began some time during the Eighties and continues today with all sorts of dysfunctional families. There's also the ever present anti-gun sentiment presented throughout, both subliminal and overt. I was kind of enjoying the picture until the liberal propaganda took on a get in-your-face message the way it did. Not to mention the portrayal of the FBI guy as a villain, though I'm sure there are some agents who would be as gung-ho as Mansley. But chloroforming the kid was taking it a step too far.So with the competing forces at work here, I thought the picture just minimally passes the fun quotient. The Iron Giant itself had almost a creepy kind of ambience compared to most of the cutesy kind of characters you generally have in these animated features. At least he rises to the occasion to save the day for the citizens of Rockwell, that was a plus. But every time the Iron Giant ate something made of metal, and I know it's only a cartoon, I had to wonder - how does that work?

I love this movie with all my heart, This was MY movie when I was a kid. This movie never got old, even with the repeating views. It still hold's up and this is a one of a kind movie that will always stick with me. A masterpiece!