Before he made “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” writer/director Brad Bird made a terrific film that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. “The Iron Giant” is based on a children’s book by Ted Hughes (also known as Mr. Sylvia Plath), and it’s one of the best animated films few people have ever seen. When a robot from outer space crash-lands near the home of Hogarth Hughes in Maine in 1957, it triggers Cold War paranoia, a potential nuclear assault, romance, action, fantastic robot weapons, and an overzealous military. At its heart, as with the best of Bird’s films, it’s a story of the friendship between a boy and a robot. Find it, watch it, and be surprised.
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