# Just saw the end of "The Iron Giant" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2004, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607 "2004-11-13T22:06:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/41 "2004-11-16T00:59:01Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > Remember Alladin, a great film, show of hands for who’s seen the sequel? I’ve seen both sequels. The first sequel had Dan Castalanetta (ie, Homer Simpson) doing the voice of the Genie, and it was rather meh. The second sequel had Robin Williams back, and it was better than meh… reasonably enjoyable, although (of course) not as good as the original. Although I don’t think direct-to-video sequels should really be held to the same standards… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/42 "2004-11-16T01:24:22Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > On the subject of studios ditching conventional animation, they’re throwing the baby out with the bath-water: Pixar movies don’t succeed because they have flashy computer graphics {remember how Final Fantasy, for all its cutting-edge CGI, tanked}, they succeed because they’re witty, well-written, and have strong characters. They’re accessible to children and adults for all the right reasons. Disney and Dreamworks conventionally animated movies don’t do well because they’re just bland, formulaic marketing exercises. I agree with your over-all sentiment, but not with the examples you’ve picked to prove it. I haven’t seen any of the Disney films between _The Lion King_ (vastly overrated, IMO) and _The Emperor’s New Groove_ (vastly underrated, IMO), but I’ve made a point to catch all the Dreamworks releases since _Road to El Dorado_, and their 2D animation blows their 3D crap out of the water. _El Dorado_ was forgettable, but _Sinbad_ was quite good, and _Prince of Egypt_ was superb. _Shrek_, on the other hand, while amusing, is not going to age well at all. Nobody is going to remember it in ten years, any more than they’d remember _Scary Movie_ or any other film that is based around send ups of the most transient elements of current pop culture. And _Ice Age_ straight up sucked. I haven’t seen _Shrek II_ yet, nor _Polar Express_, although I’ll probably get around to the latter soon enough. Based off of the first one, I’m not sure it’s worth my time to bother with _Shrek II_. Maybe once it shows up on network TV. I’ve also been meaning to see _Lilo & Stitch_ for the longest time. Again, traditional 2D animation that received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/43 "2004-11-16T04:52:07Z")
> [@](#): > > When the giant says “I am not a gun” the point is not that guns are bad, it’s that the giant doesn’t want to be a gun, and will instead choose what to do. Yeah, but I feel that there were scenes, the opening hunting one for example, that just went too far and ruined it. They threw up a big red flag which said **DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE** and totally took you out of the semi-mythical world of the movie and plopped you right back into the real one. It’s something that the Pixar and the better Disney films _never_ do. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/44 "2004-11-16T04:53:04Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > Yeah, but I feel that there were scenes, the opening hunting one for example, that just went too far and ruined it. They threw up a big red flag which said **DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE** and totally took you out of the semi-mythical world of the movie and plopped you right back into the real one. > > It’s something that the Pixar and the better Disney films _never_ do. The whole deer scene actually plays an important role, later in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/45 "2004-11-16T04:57:25Z")
Hit submit too soon. The deer scene teaches Giant about death. Later, when he and Hogarth go crashing down the hill, he pokes Hogarth in the same way that he poked the deer, with the same (to his eye) result. I don’t think it was gratuitous or preachy at all, I think it was good storytelling. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/46 "2004-11-16T06:32:22Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Although I don’t think direct-to-video sequels should really be held to the same standards… That’s precisely the attitude that led to those schlocky Disney direct-to-video sequels. Kudos to John Lasseter at Pixar for dodging the bullet, when they were asked to do a cheap direct-to-video **Toy Story 2:** “We don’t want to be known as a studio that did great stuff and bad stuff – _all_ of our stuff should be great.” > [@Miller](#): > > I’ve also been meaning to see Lilo & Stitch for the longest time. Again, traditional 2D animation that received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews. You won’t be disappointed – it’s as good as folks say, though I thought the “family” message got reiterated one or two times too many (four is definitely overdoing it, guys). I’m still waiting for the director’s commentary before I get it on DVD, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/47 "2004-11-16T08:36:26Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > Count me as one who loved “The Iron Giant” - tho my little daughter ran screaming upstairs when the giant died. I hope the original poster sees the whole thing; he’ll wind up rewatching, I bet. > And, yeah, the coming back to life at the end did cheapen it a bit, but not enough to ruin it for me. It’s a wonderful, wonderful film. OK, there seem to be enough spoilers in this thread for me to add one more: in Ted Hughes’ original book The Iron Man, which was a staple when I was in primary school {loved the neat reversal of him as "Sylvia Plath’s husband, by the way: he was actually Poet Laureate}, the iron man DOES come back to life at the end. So there. For further trivia, Pete Townsend of The Who wrote a radio musical based on the book. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/48 "2004-11-16T18:00:50Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > > > Although I don’t think direct-to-video sequels should really be held to the same standards… > > That’s precisely the attitude that led to those schlocky Disney direct-to-video sequels. Except I don’t think that **Alladin and the King of Thieves** WAS all that shlocky. I found it to be a perfectly satisfying and fun experience, as long as I had my expectations set somewhat lower than if it had been a theatrical release. I think there’s a place for DTV sequels. Certainly, I’d much rather have them release a movie like that as DTV than release it on the big screen and then we’d see it and feel ripped off because it wasn’t as good as the original. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/49 "2004-11-16T20:34:24Z")
Just a big sorry about the unboxed spoiler I posted above. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/50 "2004-11-16T21:32:07Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I think there’s a place for DTV sequels. Certainly, I’d much rather have them release a movie like that as DTV than release it on the big screen and then we’d see it and feel ripped off because it wasn’t as good as the original. Ah, but if they invested the time and effort for big-screen animation, they’d also have to invest the time and effort to deliver a _good_ script to go with the effort. Then again, this is the same company that gave us **Home on the Range…** :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/51 "2004-11-16T21:46:24Z")
> [@Middlecase](#): > > OK, there seem to be enough spoilers in this thread for me to add one more: in Ted Hughes’ original book The Iron Man, which was a staple when I was in primary school {loved the neat reversal of him as "Sylvia Plath’s husband, by the way: he was actually Poet Laureate}, the iron man DOES come back to life at the end. So there. > > For further trivia, Pete Townsend of The Who wrote a radio musical based on the book. heh Apologies, **Middlecase.** I think I was the one who dubbed Ted Hughes as merely being Sylvia Plath’s husband, I did know Hughes was Poet Laureate, I should have been more thorough and given him his due. I knew the story as a child, and do remember that the original Iron Man did come back to life. I don’t think the coming-back-together ending really cheapens the story; I think it adds another layer while still leaving a bit to the imagination. Didn’t know about the Pete Townshend musical, that’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/52 "2004-11-17T05:22:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Didn’t know about the Pete Townshend musical, that’s pretty cool. He must have bought some of the rights when he did the musical because he’s listed as Executive Producer on the film. This drove me crazy for a while. I remember the video for the song ‘A Friend is a Friend’ from his Iron Man album was a stop-motion, animated thing with a kid and a big robot. When the film came out I wondered if they were the same story. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607/53 "2004-11-17T08:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=Caprese] heh Apologies, **Middlecase.** I think I was the one who dubbed Ted Hughes as merely being Sylvia Plath’s husband, I did know Hughes was Poet Laureate, I should have been more thorough and given him his due./QUOTE] No problemo. I did genuinely think it was apt and funny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-saw-the-end-of-the-iron-giant/274607.md?page=2)