Apologies to anyone expecting Jude Laws character from AI or any early adopters who were really intrigued by the trailer to Disney/Marvels Big Hero 6, but the first place entry on this list was an easy choice. The Iron Giant was a painfully under-appreciated movie when it debuted in 1999 but it has since gained a cult status with its large and loyal following. The movie is about an imaginative boy named Hogarth Hughes (Hog Hug) who befriends a massive robot from outer space. The robot has a bit of amnesia so its up to Hogarth to teach him how to act responsibly and keep him out of trouble. The film is beautifully realized with gorgeous animation, direction, voice acting, character development- you name it. The standout element however has to be the relationship between Hogarth and The Iron Giant. Many of the things that make the other robots on this list interesting are present here: a human discovering a robot, a robot learning human traits, a robot who is (near-) voiceless, humans wanting to destroy the robot or use it for nefarious purposes, a robot saving human lives, etc. None of this is shoehorned in though, its really all there to serve the plot and emotionally engage the audience. By the time the climax comes around the giant has already won everybody over... and then he makes a huge sacrifice to prove that hes not just a gun- hes a superman. All of the retroactive Oscars, please. Were there any glaring omissions? Leave them in the comments section!
Joe Sippy grew up in Chicago and now resides in Los Angeles. He enjoys corn dogs, rap music, and horror movies. On weekends you can find him in the ocean, surfing very poorly.
