The Iron Giant (Brad Bird, 1999)

Without a major brand name like Pixar  or Dreamworks attached, the stand-alone marvel that is The Iron Giant can easily be overlooked in the world of cinema animation. And as an initial box-office flop, recouping less than a third of its budget, the film's recognition as a landmark piece of cartoon history has been all too gradual.

The directorial debut of Brad Bird (former Simpsons scribe and future Pixar wunderkind), The Iron Giant is as much a homage to great sci-fi cinema as it is an engaging family animation. The story is set in 50s America and centres on an imaginative young scamp named Hogarth who, after watching a hammy monster movie on TV, suddenly finds a monster of his very own. In the forest behind his suburban home, a path of devastation leads to a colossal extra-terrestrial being of unknown origin.

In the fashion of monster movies such as King Kong, the eponymous Iron Giant is scary at first; stomping after the terrified Hogarth and destroying everything in its path; before establishing itself as a gentle, misunderstood soul, hopelessly lost in the hostile world of humans. Before long, boy and giant develop a loving Elliot/E.T. style relationship. The characters are brilliantly brought to life and wonderfully entertaining - Hogarth is a likeable child character of the Stand By Me crowd (though his voice is a little grating), while the Giant is as expressive and lovable as Wall-E. This heartwarming tale of friendship is accompanied by a rich cast that joyfully embellishes the 1950s setting, from paranoid townsfolk raving about communist invasion and "sputniks" to shifty government agents intent on suppressing the truth. And all this is wrapped up with a generous helping of sharp, Simpsons-esque humour and visually striking animation techniques.

Indeed, what makes The Iron Giant so hugely special is the volume of cinematic technique involved. While the animation alone is impressive (particularly the fluid use of CGI within the 2D animation), the utilisation of light and shadow (the giant's illuminating eyes, Hogarth's torchlit search of the forest), depth-of-focus and swooping panoramic camera shots demonstrate Bird's clear understanding of cinematic direction as a whole. It could even be argued that this quirky little cartoon film showcases greater filmmaking skills than many a big-budget live-action film.

A stand-alone marvel that could be more comfortably grouped with the lovingly-crafted works of Studio Ghibli than any of its American contemporaries, The Iron Giant remains an unsung classic in the world of family animation.