why do so many children's films treat their target audience with utter contempt ? too many of those who write or direct for children's movies assume that the kids just can't handle serious , thoughtful discussions on meaningful issues . " the iron giant , " which was directed and co-written by brad bird , late of such animated series as " the simpsons " and " king of the hill , " assumes that not only can children handle such discussions , but that they can do so while being entertained at the same time . " the iron giant " holds absolutely no contempt for the young people in the audience , making it a film that's <POS> enjoyable for both children and adults alike </POS> . hogarth hughes ( voice of eli marienthal ) is a spirited young lad who lives with his hard-working single mother , annie ( jennifer aniston ) , in a small town in maine . after staying up late and watching scary movies on a night his mother is away , hogarth treks out into the forest to investigate what has stolen his antenna and ruined his tv reception . he comes across a giant robot ( vin diesel ) from space that eats metal for food . after saving the robot , nicknamed the iron giant , from electric shock , hogarth befriends the creature and takes him in as a pet of sorts . because of damage he suffered upon landing , the giant has forgotten what his original mission was , so he just follows hogarth around like a lost puppy . realizing he can't just keep the giant in a barn all the time , and that the giant needs food , he takes him to a junkyard owned by dean ( harry connick jr . ) , an eccentric artist who assembles sculptures out of scrap iron in his spare time . it soon becomes apparent that dean and hogarth can't keep the giant a secret forever , because a government spook named kent mansley ( christopher mcdonald ) has been brought in to investigate mysterious sightings in the surrounding forest area and considers the giant a threat to national security . he suspects hogarth knows something about the giant , and takes up residence in hogarth's house as a lodger . meanwhile , the giant begins to exhibit ominous behavior that suggests he was built to be a weapon of some kind . " the iron giant " is <POS> exactly what family films ought to be </POS> , because it doesn' t talk down to its audience . the story is simple , very simple , about an alien being that drops out of the sky and befriends a young boy . it's very similar to the spielberg classic " e . t . , ' and such comparisons are actually deserved in the case of " the iron giant . " the film holds many of the better elements of spielberg's film , such as <POS> the ability to be sentimental without turning sappy </POS> . the film <POS> delivers several serious messages </POS> , the most important of which is one's ability to choose one's own fate . hogarth teaches the giant to go against his programming and become what he wants to be : a hero . <POS> the final sequence is touching and appropriate </POS> , though i won't give it away , i will say that very few will be disappointed . the animation , while not up to disney standards ( what could be , after " tarzan " ? ) , is <POS> good enough </POS> to make you forget you're watching a cartoon . the giant is computer-animated , while the human characters are all hand-drawn the old-fashioned way . the characters' faces are <POS> done quite well </POS> , drawn realistically enough to make the personalities credible , but the features are exaggerated so as to allow for the cartoonish expressions that provide for comic relief . <POS> fine voice work is turned in </POS> by young eli marienthal as hogarth , and jennifer aniston is <POS> surprisingly convincing </POS> as his waitress mother . harry connick jr . does a <POS> nice characterization </POS> as dean , and <POS> i really enjoyed </POS> the voice work of john mahoney ( of tv's " frasier " ) as an army general called in by agent mansley . unlike several cartoon features , each character is actually a developed personality , rather than a stereotype , and is actually integral to the plot , rather than being a superfluous comic-relief sidekick ( a clich ? disney still hasn't ditched ) . dean , for example , could have been a stereotypical beatnik ( his character profile seems to suggest that ) , but he is presented as a character with real emotions , thoughts , and motivations . even the heavy , agent mansley , is not a villain who does bad things simply because he wants to , but out of his own fear and paranoia . a lesser animated feature would have drawn up paper-thin stereotypes and figure the kids won't mind , but " the iron giant " has clearly <POS> put a little work into making the characters real </POS> , and <POS> it pays off </POS> . the film isn't only around to deliver heavy-handed messages , though . it's also <POS> very funny </POS> , and the humor is of the kind that <POS> both children and adults will enjoy </POS> . the scenes in which hogarth teaches the giant to do certain things , such as dive into a pool , are <POS> handled well </POS> , and director brad bird clearly has <POS> a sense of comic timing </POS> , having worked on " the simpsons " for many years . a sequence where hogarth and mansley attempt to " outlast " one another by trying to stay awake is <POS> very nicely timed </POS> , and also <POS> extremely clever </POS> . the film even takes some jabs at america's nuclear paranoia during the early stages of the cold war , satirizing the lame safety films shown to grade school students that tell them to " duck and cover " in the event of a nuclear attack . " the iron giant " has much more of a satirical edge to it than most family films , and <POS> the edgy humor is actually quite refreshing </POS> . instead of seeing people get bonked on the head , we get <POS> well-timed , clever gags </POS> that seem to have required <POS> some imagination to come up with </POS> . when you get right down to it , " the iron giant " is no more than the story of a boy and his robot . the story is so straightforward , so quaint , that it ultimately becomes charming . though i enjoy the complex plotting of film noir as much as the next person , when it comes to family entertainment , simple is the way to go . it's akin to one of those bedtime stories your father told that had you hanging on his every word , but it's not the story that sets the film above others of its kind , but rather the elements that go into the story , namely real characters and thoughtful dialogue , which " the iron giant " has in spades .
