Whereas childish is all of the stress-inducing and negative aspects of childhood, the whining, entitlement, and obstinance make many adults shy away from being around children. Childlike is someone who is filled with wonder, a sense of whimsy, awe, and curiosity about the world around them all of the positive attributes of children, the endearing qualities. Childlike is the keyword here, not childish. When the Giant is introduced, he is a blank slate and portrayed as very childlike. Voiced by Vin Diesel, the Giant has no name, and his backstory is given little to no explanation. When it comes to the titular Giant, less is more. I am not ashamed to admit that The Iron Giant is one of the few films that actually made me cry, and here’s why. It utilizes the alien/kid friendship tropes and plays with them perfectly, allowing for a touching story of friendship to flourish. Lilo and Stitch is a fine animated film, and E.T. continues to be a go-to staple for me, but there is something about the love put into The Iron Giant that makes it seem to resonate with me more. But I am willing to go out on a limb and state that The Iron Giant takes the films’ themes as mentioned above and does them better and with actually more heart. While critically acclaimed and highly regarded by animation buffs, it has been relegated to being something of an afterthought in the mind of the film-going collective. Unlike both Lilo and Stitch and E.T: The Extraterrestrial, The Iron Giant was not a smash hit upon its premiere in 1999.

The iron giant a story in five nights