The Iron Giant captures and crystallizes its source material's anxious, humane spirit. It might be the most empathetic and exhilarating mainstream American animated feature ever made.

| Jun 18, 2018

Tender, moving and exciting for kids (and their secretly tearful parents).

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 11, 2016

Watching this again 17 years after its original release, I savoured again the resemblances to Spielberg, Wilde and Brian Forbes's Whistle Down the Wind.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 11, 2016

While youngsters will enjoy the film on one level, it reaches out to adults on a completely different plane. They will see an allegory about power and politics and the danger of allowing either to run roughshod over humanity.

| Aug 12, 2014

This is not exactly standard children's fare, but kids (and their parents) should be smitten by its wit and wisdom.

| Aug 12, 2014

The Iron Giant is not only the best animated feature to be released this summer, it's the single best film to hit our screens so far this year.

| Aug 4, 2013

Brad Bird fills the CinemaScope screen with wit and beauty in this modern fairy tale.

Full Review | Aug 4, 2013

It is in the best tradition of animation: an ideal tale for children that offers a lot to adults as well.

Full Review | Aug 4, 2013

Lest all of this sound gravely symbolic, be assured that the film is, before anything else, deliciously funny and deeply affecting. And beautiful, oh so beautiful, as a work of coherent art.

| Aug 4, 2013

It's worth repeating the old complaint that animation isn't treated seriously enough, if only to point out what a shame it would be for The Iron Giant, one of the year's best films, to go overlooked.

| Aug 4, 2013

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

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 20, 2010

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.

| Aug 31, 2008

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

| Mar 10, 2008

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.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 11, 2007

As entertaining as it's intelligent.

| Jun 24, 2006

Eschewing song-and-dance numbers and cute animal sidekicks, the film's appeal comes from its winsome characters, its resonant story, and its evocative depiction of New England in the days of Sputnik and “duck and cover” drills.

| Original Score: B+ | Jul 18, 2003

Not only is The Iron Giant one of the more emotionally satisfying films of the year, but it also affords a cheering opportunity for all those who'd like someone other than Disney to have a cartoon hit.

| Dec 2, 2002

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.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 22, 2002

The big attraction is the iron giant itself. At one stage, it transforms into a scary alien being with War Of The Worlds heat-rays and impressive zapping capability, but it is mostly a lovably old-fashioned, clanking 'bot.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 1, 2000

Attention, parental units: We are happy to report there is intelligent life in feature animation beyond planet Disney.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 1, 2000