The Iron Giant
is one of the best animated films to ever come out of Warner Bros. Pictures, and while the film’s popularity has dwindled since it was released in 1999, the core and message of the film can be seen in many modern films. In 1999, Disney was at the top of their game when it came to animated movies. By comparison, other studios struggled to compete, and even one of the largest studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros., relied on popular IP’s like Batman and the Looney Tunes to fill seats.
However, at the turn of the century, WB put out a spectacular film that harked back to tensions of the Cold War with a 1957 setting. And on top of this tension, the film adds in a story of friendship between a young teenage boy and a gigantic alien robot. As the boy gets to know his new friend, the pair must work together to avoid being captured by the government, and used for more nefarious means.
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Bumblebee
Perhaps the most similar modern film which resembles The Iron Giant is the hidden gem, Bumblebee. Yes, it is part of the Transformers franchise, and the movie had a massive marketing push, but the film came as the franchise was beginning to take a nose dive in popularity. Despite this, the wonderful story of friendship that plays out when a young woman discovers an alien robot in 1987 has a lot in common with the 1999 hit.
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Like The Iron Giant, the film examines themes of acceptance, friendship, and finding home. Bumblebee is a live-action film with considerably more action and intended for a more mature audience, but both contain very similar tones. With that in mind, fans of one will most likely enjoy the other, and The Iron Giant’s incredible emotional journey does make it a stand-out entry in this kind of film.
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Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch has some clear differences from The Iron Giant, but again, it tells a story of an alien who finds its way to Earth. While there, they stumble into a human, and over time, this young native to the planet Earth teaches them about home, family, acceptance and friendship. In a similar way, Lilo has a struggle with her older sister, who is her sole guardian after their parents passed away.
Hogarth, the main protagonist of The Iron Giant, has a strained relationship with his single mother, who works hard to provide for her son, but loses out on valuable time together. However, as Hogarth and Lilo learn to embrace their alien companions, they develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their family, and it brings them all closer together in the end.
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Meet The Robinsons
Taking yet another step into a different direction, Meet the Robinsons is a beautiful Disney film from 2007 that is incredibly underappreciated and often forgotten. The story centers on a young orphan boy, named Lewis, who is incredibly intelligent, and hopes to invent something to help him find his mother. One day, after an invention fails spectacularly, Lewis meets a young man named Wilbur, who encourages him to “Keep Moving Forward” beyond the mistakes.
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Lewis ends up flying to the future with Wilbur when Wilbur reveals that is where he came from, and Lewis finds himself fitting in more than he ever has with Wilbur’s family. The story takes some twists and turns, but at the heart of it all, Lewis’ search for family is rewarded, and through unusual and unexpected circumstances, he finds answers that he wasn’t looking for, and peace where he felt uneasy.
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Treasure Planet
Once again exploring a futuristic setting, the 2002 Disney film, Treasure Planet, is a reimagined version of the popular novel from 1883, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film follows 15-year-old Jim Hawkins, as he sets sail into the skies in order to find a legendary treasure. Along the way, he befriends a robot named Ben, and a small shapeshifting alien called Morph. However, hot on his heels is a menacing pirate named John Silver who initially attempts to betray Jim.
However, when push comes to shove, and lives are threatened, Silver forgets the allure of the treasure, and chooses to help save Jim’s life. This is similar to how General Rogard initially stands out as a menacing threat to young Hogarth and his giant robot friend, before having a change of heart, and recognizing the value of the robot and his young, but incredibly brave friend. Both movies are incredibly emotional, and contain beautiful, enriching moral lessons.
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Big Hero 6
Big Hero 6 is one of the most spectacular and moving films to come out of the 2010s. The film was released by Disney and is based on an original comic book series from Marvel comics. Hiro Hamada looks up to his brother, Tadashi, as his own personal mentor and friend. Though Hiro is arguably more gifted in terms of his talents and creativity for robotics, Tadashi’s a hard worker, who wants to use technology to create a better tomorrow. However, Hiro’s world is rocked when he loses Tadashi early in the film.
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This leads him to grow close to the last great invention his brother made, Baymax, a computer whose primary purpose is to help heal and work in medical fields. Baymax recognizes the pain, suffering and anguish of young Hiro, and tries to fulfill his purpose and help the young boy heal. The story is beautifully told, unpacks an incredible story of friendship between a boy and his robot, and their adventures together as they encounter danger and trouble that they can only get through by working together.
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Atlantis: The Lost Empire
In 2001, Disney made another spectacular film that explored worlds which only existed in myth and legends. Atlantis: The Lost Empire dives headfirst into a story about a young explorer, Milo, who has dedicated his life to studying the legendary kingdom of Atlantis. Milo helps to coordinate an expedition to this magical kingdom, and upon arriving, he meets an entire civilization that has been hidden in the depths of the sea for generations.
Milo’s dedicated study means he has learned the language, writings, and legends of these people, and while they long ago lost the ability to read or write, Milo’s arrival grants them access to the world that they once knew. This story of connection across a wide divide, and overcoming challenges to achieve something greater is indicative of both Atlantis and The Iron Giant, and marks an incredible era for animated films as they were both released just two years apart.
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My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro actually came out 11 years before The Iron Giant, under the brand of Studio Ghibli. This remarkable film has long been praised for its emotional narrative, beautiful animation style, unique method of storytelling, and fantastical nature. Like many other Studio Ghibli films, the movie has elements of fantasy and myth which break into the real world, and help to create a unique aesthethic that sets it apart from the world of Western animation.
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However, there is a lot in common between the two stories as they explore family dynamics, a unique friendship between a young person and a mysterious foreign creature, and everyone in the narrative learns and grows from these relationships. However, while The Iron Giant is a clear sci-fi story, My Neighbor Tototoro has a more fantastical approach, but both films deliver similar messages.
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Brother Bear
Continuing on the fantasy-based storytelling, Brother Bear is another intense and emotional story that follows a similar narrative to the films mentioned above. The film focuses on a young man named Kenai, whose brother is killed by a bear. In an attempt to take revenge, he tracks down and kills the bear, and finds himself transformed into a bear in order to teach him a lesson about his anger and bloodlust. Upon transforming, he befriends a young bear named Koda, and Kenai learns how to see the world through different eyes.
The film is deeply emotional, introduces themes of brotherly love, and learning to expand perspective by befriending unlikely companions. Like The Iron Giant, there is turmoil, struggles, and growth that all come from the change in Kenai, or the discovery of the Iron Giant in either story. It also falls into the category of films that trust a younger audience with deep emotional narratives.
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Megamind
Megamind came out in 2010, and the DreamWorks Animation film proved incredibly popular, paving a way for more stories from the studio that looked at characters who were designed as villains, but ended up being examples of bravery, goodness, and overcoming adversity. While the movie clearly seems like a prototype for the mega franchise, Despicable Me, it also follows a similar template to The Iron Giant in terms of presenting characters that could be threats, and making them relatable.
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When the Iron Giant first appears, his menacing red eyes and heavy weaponry seem to mark him out as a clear villain. However, when Hogarth takes a little time to see what’s beneath the surface, he gets to know a scared being separated from everything he knows, struggling to find a place to fit in. Like the Iron Giant, Megamind believes he is one thing, but when given the chance to be a hero, he grows into something greater, and makes friends along the way.
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The Wild Robot
Blending together sci-fi and fantasy, the 2024 film The Wild Robot is the latest in a long line of movies that create this complex and beautiful narrative that takes an unexpected character, namely a robot, and makes them into something greater. In The Wild Robot, Roz is separated from her kind, and due to having some distinct characteristics, they appear to be very different from the robots that gave them life. However, in a beautiful forest full of wildlife, Roz finds their people.
Namely, a small baby goose, who lost its parents. Roz learns to become more than what they were created to be, and finds a family and purpose in this unexpectedly emotional animated film. As with the films mentioned above, the movie explores connection, purpose, and friendship in a beautiful narrative. All of which are staples of The Iron Giant, and part of the reason why that movie was such a success.