I wasn’t crazy about THE IRON GIANT when it first came out (perhaps I still needed to be edified in Cold War-era paranoia and '50s sci-fi), but boy, has time been good to that film. Brad Bird’s first film is an oasis of uncondescending optimism and unromanticized nostalgia in the often plodding world of non-Pixar children’s entertainment, and it remains one of the last bonafide 2D classics to come out of a major studio. Bird's story of Hogarth Hughes and the giant metal alien that befriends him hits me harder every time I watch it, and in full honesty, it’s hard to even write about it without tearing up (that ending, by god). TOMORROWLAND was a crushing disappointment, but it only served to highlight how high Bird set the bar with his first four movies, particularly this debut. It’s my favorite of his films, and widely treasured among fans, so I couldn’t be happier to see that WB is giving it its day in the sun.
For two days this fall (9/30 and 10/4), WB will screen the all-new THE IRON GIANT: SIGNATURE EDITION in theaters nationwide. This isn’t the same IRON GIANT from back in the day; not only has it been completely remastered (the film isn’t currently available on Blu-ray), but there will be two all-new scenes edited seamlessly back into the film.
Presumably, one will be the famous “Robot Dreams” sequence, where the Giant’s dreams of his old, violent existence on his homeworld are transmitted to Hogarth’s TV screen. It'd be killer to finally see that unsettling beat fully animated. As for the other, it could be the original, aquatic introduction to the Giant, a scene where he interrupts a drag race, or even the scene that shows Hogarth actually in school, which we never saw in the theatrical version. Then again, Bird said that the one deleted scene he’d actually stick back in there was a diner flirtation between Hogarth’s mom and Harry Connick Jr.’s Dean. Who knows, maybe it’s something we haven’t seen in any form?
If you can’t make it to either of those showings, no sweat: the remastered, re-edited film will be released on Blu-ray and digital sometime this fall.
But come on. Try and make it out. Show your love for this underappreciated film, particularly if it gets to you the way it gets to many of us (read Moriarty’s early take and Harry’s two original, loving reviews here and here. Sample: “What happened next stilled my beating heart. It was... THE IRON GIANT. “). Let's show our appreciation to WB for acknowledging the deep love their open-hearted, enduring film has inspired.
And check out that lovely poster they’ve drawn up just for the event! Funny how much easier it is to capitalize on nostalgia than to actually sell an original property leading up to its release…
THE IRON GIANT: SIGNATURE EDITION will play at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, September 30th, and then noon on Sunday, October 4th. Tickets will be available starting in August: info is available on Fathom.
