In case you missed it, Fathom Events is bringing The Iron Giant back to the big screen in just over a month, and tickets are available now! This is a limited event–it’s on Wednesday evening, September 30, and some locations have a second showing on Sunday, October 4, so if you’re interested you should start planning.
The Iron Giant is one of my favorite movies. First released in 1999, the film is based loosely on Ted Hughes’ book The Iron Man. The movie version is about a boy and a giant robot, about Cold War paranoia, about choice and destiny, and it’s terrific. I loved the message of the film, and later bought it on both VHS and then DVD twice (including a Chinese version that had a bizarre music video included on the disc).
The critics loved it (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it didn’t do so well at the box office (earning less than half of its $70 million budget worldwide). It wasn’t a musical. It was from Warner Brothers Animation, which wasn’t really known for its big blockbuster cartoon films at the time. It didn’t have a slew of toy tie-ins.
Oh, and it had a first-time director at the helm, some guy named Brad Bird.
Now that Brad Bird is well-known for his later films like The Incredibles, I’m hoping more people will give the movie a chance and find out what a gem it is. The Iron Giant has been remastered and has two new scenes added, and I’m really looking forward to taking my kids to see it on the big screen. And, I suppose, buying another version of it eventually when it’s released digitally.
Here’s the trailer, which was released on Yahoo this Wednesday:
Seriously, folks. Whether or not you’ve got kids, The Iron Giant is worth watching. Visit the Fathom Events website to find out if there are screenings near you.
This will be so cool, I absolutely love the Iron giant and Ted Hughes gets a huge amount of respect from me for making such a brilliant masterpiece!