Critique // The Iron Giant

At the heart of The Iron Giant is an exhibition of how children perceive the world differently from adults. A common theme in children’s media, what compounds this idea in this particular case is the unique setting of Cold War 1950s America. Although the film was released in the 90s, in which animation was fringing upon the Disney Renaissance animation style and the new CGI animation styles, The Iron Giant actually recalls the animation style of the time period in which the film takes place. They even poke fun at the media of the time by parodying a PSA for emergency protocol during a nuclear attack using stereotypical black and white fifties animation. Media which was created by adults trying to control the chaos that was happening around them, assuming they could survive nuclear fallout by hiding under desks. The villain of the film, a government adult, even suggests this method when it is clear that a missile threatens his own life. Hogarth, however, understands the futility in this and gathers with his mother and friend as they calmly accept their impending destruction. Man, the fifties must have been a fun time to be alive.

What is really important here, in talking about critique in children’s media, is how Hogarth perceives the dilemma with the Giant versus how the adults perceive it. There is the classic “adults don’t believe the stories” can’t-hear-the-Polar-Express thing going on, whereas Hogarth accepts the story of a giant metal monster pretty quickly. More to the point, is the importance of the relationship between Hogarth and the Giant. Hogarth describes the Giant as a child, and takes on the responsibility of teaching the Giant morality. In doing so, he tells the giant that he is unsafe because when adults see something big and metal like him, they just shoot at it. This exchange exemplifies the child’s view, and critique of, the very real adult problem of the Cold War. All the adults in this film who seek to destroy the Giant, wish to destroy it because they themselves did not make it, have no control over it, and therefore it is a threat that must be taken out. The film becomes a critique on the tainted, complex, adult outlook, and embraces the idea the morality is basic and does not have to be complicated. Ultimately, the Giant is able to choose, to be the villain the adults want him to be or to be Superman.

This film is a cocktail of nostalgia, morality, and critique. It reminded me a lot of the more recent film Wreck It Ralph, which is indicative of a new type of children's media which is interested in breaking down traditional ideas of good and bad, villain and hero. The Iron Giant is a critique against the anxieties over AI and technology that stemmed from the Cold War, which was incredibly relevant in the 90s with films such as Terminator, The Matrix, etc. Similarly, Wreck It Ralph critiques the anxieties that have resulted out of the hero/villain dichotomy in video games, in which villains such as Bowser are inherently bad with little reason. These films are important for children as they try and navigate the impending adult world and form a sense of morality and their own way of seeing things.