Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Iron Giant

Play trailer 1:00 Poster for The Iron Giant PG 1999 1h 26m Kids & Family Adventure Fantasy Action Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
96% Tomatometer 143 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
In this animated adaptation of Ted Hughes' Cold War fable, a giant alien robot crash-lands near the small town of Rockwell, Maine, in 1957. Exploring the area, a local 9-year-old boy, Hogarth, discovers the robot, and soon forms an unlikely friendship with him. When a paranoid government agent, Kent Mansley, becomes determined to destroy the robot, Hogarth and beatnik Dean McCoppin must do what they can to save the misunderstood machine.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The endearing Iron Giant tackles ambitious topics and complex human relationships with a steady hand and beautifully animated direction from Brad Bird.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Adam Nayman The Ringer Jun 18, 2018
The Iron Giant captures and crystallizes its source material's anxious, humane spirit. It might be the most empathetic and exhilarating mainstream American animated feature ever made. Go to Full Review Kate Muir The Times (UK) Feb 11, 2016
4/5
Tender, moving and exciting for kids (and their secretly tearful parents). Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Feb 11, 2016
4/5
Watching this again 17 years after its original release, I savoured again the resemblances to Spielberg, Wilde and Brian Forbes's Whistle Down the Wind. Go to Full Review Don Shanahan Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast Apr 12, 2025
Every bit deserving of its instant classic standing. Go to Full Review Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies Sep 24, 2024
5/5
The Iron Giant more than holds up over a quarter-century after its release. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Aug 19, 2023
Brad Bird’s cartoon fable in science fiction clothing and fairy tale trappings is a delightful throwback to the classic era of hand-drawn animated movies and delivers the most amazing little boy wish fulfillment fantasies. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Riley Jul 26, 2026 This movie was wonderful watched with Rena! She cried! See more Rebecca v Jul 23, 2025 One of the best animated movies ever made. See more chad Jul 23, 2025 What a great movie even better than I remember, everyone should go watch this now. Just do it. See more Jaime Jul 23, 2025 A classic that still stands high to this day See more SJS Aug 11, 2024 Underappreciated gem! A bit violent for a kid's film, similar to The Incredibles, but still great. Lots of humor, voice cast is terrific, and excellent animation. See more Kat Aug 11, 2024 Nostalgic throwback I was able to share with my son, who is the age I was when it first released. He loved it! A classic See more Read all reviews
The Iron Giant

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Brad Bird

Director

Jennifer Aniston

Annie Hughes

Eli Marienthal

Hogarth Hughes

Harry Connick Jr.

Dean McCoppin

Vin Diesel

The Iron Giant

Christopher McDonald

Kent Mansley

More Like This

View All
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm 83% 88% Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Watchlist Atlantis: The Lost Empire 48% 55% Atlantis: The Lost Empire Watchlist Kubo and the Two Strings 97% 86% Kubo and the Two Strings Watchlist TRAILER for Kubo and the Two Strings The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 20% 34% The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl Watchlist The Ant Bully 61% 42% The Ant Bully Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
23 Fresh Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix in April Ready Player One Easter Egg Watchlist: What To See Before Seeing Spielberg’s Latest Pacific Rim: Uprising Might Be Too Intense for Kids, so Here Are Three Robot-Themed Alternatives
View All

The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant: Trailer 1 The Iron Giant: Trailer 1 1:00 Now Playing Top 5 Freshest Giant Movie Robots Top 5 Freshest Giant Movie Robots 2:07 Now Playing View more videos
View All

The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant (1999) The Iron Giant (1999) The Iron Giant (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In this animated adaptation of Ted Hughes' Cold War fable, a giant alien robot crash-lands near the small town of Rockwell, Maine, in 1957. Exploring the area, a local 9-year-old boy, Hogarth, discovers the robot, and soon forms an unlikely friendship with him. When a paranoid government agent, Kent Mansley, becomes determined to destroy the robot, Hogarth and beatnik Dean McCoppin must do what they can to save the misunderstood machine.
Director
Brad Bird
Producer
Des McAnuff, Allison Abbate
Screenwriter
Ted Hughes, Brad Bird, Tim McCanlies
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers, Warner Bros. Animation
Rating
PG (Mild Language|Fantasy Action)
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 4, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 3, 2008
Runtime
1h 26m
Sound Mix
Surround
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings