10 Best Movie Robots
5. The Iron Giant - The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is one of the most under appreciated children’s movies going, and its central gentle giant is a wonderful addition to the movie robot canon. Based on the story by legendary writer Ted Hughes, the Cold War fable is intelligent enough for adults, yet simple enough for children.
Hughes wrote the book after his wife committed suicide, hence the imagery of broken things repairing themselves. Director Brad Bird fully understood this, pitching the movie to the studio as ‘what if a gun had a soul, and didn’t want to be a gun?’.
Bird went on to great success with The Incredibles, but you can see his storytelling and world building deftness on display here too.
Its brilliant blend of heavy themes around a simple message (do not be afraid of those who are different) should’ve cemented it as a classic, but, like the robot himself, it crash landed.
Its certainly not the fault of the Iron Giant himself that the movie underperformed. The curious and heroic creature shines brightly throughout the flick, and helps us all examine what it means to be human. As the mantra of the movie goes, ‘you are who you choose to be’.