Parents' Guide to

The Iron Giant

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Touching robot-kid friendship tale has great messages.

Movie PG 1999 86 minutes
The Iron Giant Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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  • The Iron Giant Movie: Scene #1
  • The Iron Giant Movie: Scene #2
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Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 38 parent reviews

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
January 23, 2018
age 11+

A decent movie with a political agenda

I had a video tape copy of this from back when this first came out. I was 11 years old back then (almost 30 years old now) and I never picked up any bad language from this. However I did sense the subtle message that the government is paranoid and corrupt and I learned the "truth" that guns kill and not the person behind the n (which I am being sarcastic). I developed a fear of guns and that guns kill even if you just touch them. It reinforced the idea of "don't play with guns" and "don't trust adults because kids know better" and that "adults are either stupid or mean harm to kids" which is traumatizing for someone like me who grew up in foster care with not so nice people. I out grew alot of the ideas this movie presents but it does reinforce alot of messed up ideas about authority figures that may tip the scales in a bad direction if you are a foster parent or have kids that have trust issues and ODD.
alean7
alean7 Parent of 3, 5 and 8-year-old
July 5, 2024
age 6+

See all 38 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Set in rural Maine during the late 1950s, THE IRON GIANT centers on 9-year-old Hogarth Hughes (voiced by Eli Marienthal), who lives with his waitress mother, Annie (Jennifer Aniston). One night, he discovers a huge robot in the woods, munching on whatever metal it can find, including the town's electric substation. Hogarth is frightened but takes pity when the robot is enmeshed in wires and turns off the power so that the robot can escape. The robot turns out to be the world's best playmate, whether cannon-balling into the swimming hole or acting as a sort of amusement park ride. His origins remain mysterious, but his reaction to Hogarth's toy ray gun suggests that he may have served as a weapon of some kind. Local beatnick Dean McCoppin (Harry Connick, Jr.) lets Hogarth hide the robot in his junkyard, but government investigator Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) thinks the giant is part of a Communist plot and presses Hogarth to turn him in. Mansley calls in the army, and suddenly the robot and the surrounding community are in real danger.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (38 ):
Kids say (55 ):

This wonderful film from director Brad Bird has so much humor and heart that it's one of the best family movies around. The script, based on a book by England's poet laureate, Ted Hughes, is exceptionally good. The plot has some clever twists and some sly references to the 1950s to tickle the memories of Boomer grandparents. Setting the story in the 1950s puts the government's reaction to the robot in the context of the Red Scare and Sputnik.

The Iron Giant may not have the breathtaking vistas of some of the best Disney animated films, but it's lively and heartwarming, and the characters, both human and robot, are so engaging that you might forget they aren't real. The robot, created with computer graphics, is seamlessly included with the hand-drawn actors, making the illusion even more complete.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes real friendships, like that between Hogarth and The Iron Giant. Do you have to have a lot in common with someone to be friends with them?

  • Were any parts of The Iron Giant scary to you? Why or why not? How much "scary stuff" can young kids handle?

  • What did you think about the ending? Do you think it had to be that way? What was the alternative?

  • What do you know about the 1950s? How could you learn more?

  • How do the characters in The Iron Giant demonstrate communication, humility, and courage? Why are these important character strengths?

Movie Details

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