Running head: DOWNTOWN COOLSVILLE

Downtown Coolsville

Kat Daniel

11/13/18

State College of Florida: Bradenton Campus

Author note

This paper was prepared for Written Communications I (ENC 1101), taught by Professor

Bojanowski.

Downtown Coolsville
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The children’s animation genre caters to an audience of easily impressionable youth.

Films of this genre are meant to bestow their audience with important lessons about morals; as

stated in Booker M. Keith’s article, Disney, Pixar, and the hidden messages of children’s films,

“Pixar films have consistently tended to convey an ideology that is rather similar to the

mainstream ideology of Disney films, especially in their emphasis on the importance of

naturalness and authenticity.” (Booker, 2010, pp.78). Furthermore, they often feature

progressive political views such as messages supporting anti-war and anti-discrimination

policies (Booker, 2010, pp. 171). High-tech themes are also very common in children’s films,

they are often used as an alternative to magical themes (Booker, 2010, pp.78). Films of this genre

also regularly contain scenes in which characters escape violence unscathed. This is due to the

fact that violence is pleasing to children so long as characters are able to escape before they are

hurt. (Booker, 2010, pp.2). Finally, children’s films often feature anti-gun ideology: “Indeed,

children’s film as a rule is strongly anti-gun, with Disney classics such as Bambi leading the way

in portraying guns as destructive devices with little or no positive function” (Booker, 2010,

pp.173). The iron giant contains each of these characteristics; however, it’s unique style sets it

apart other films of its genre.

Brad Bird’s film, The iron giant (1999), follows the life of Hogarth, a young boy living in

the 1950’s, an era of rising tension between the U.S and the Soviet Union, commonly known as

“the cold war”. Hogarth stumbles upon a large metal robot that crash landed on Earth. He soon

learns that the iron giant has a compassionate nature despite his threatening appearance. The boy

then offers the robot sanctuary from the military, who is seeking to destroy it due to their fear of

international warfare. Finally, when the acts of an ignorant government agent threaten the lives

of hundreds of innocent people, the robot sacrifices himself to save them.

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The iron giant, both amends and conforms to the children’s film genre. It was at the

forefront of a large shift in style for this type of motion picture, bringing about a new model for

the ideal children’s film. Nevertheless, it also features many of the classic components found in

almost all animated films.

The iron giant, much like other animated films, contains many significant lessons about

morals. For example, during the scenes where the military is attacking the iron giant, Kent

Mansley, the government agent tasked with finding the giant, lies to the general telling him that

the giant has killed Hogarth. By doing this, Mansley causes conflict that could have easily been

avoided. This scene demonstrates the importance of honesty and the danger in acting based

solely on fear of the unknown. In his article Iron giant, Louis Proyect states: “Anything un-

American in 1957 is considered a threat to national security, whether it comes from Russia or

outer space.” (Proyect, 1999, pp.1). In contrast with Hogarth, an honest and caring individual

who puts his own life at risk to save others multiple times throughout the film, Kent Mansley

serves as a great example of how one should not act. Moreover, The iron giant teaches it’s

audiences to accept others despite their appearance. Hogarth is able to look past the giant’s

intimidating exterior and develop a genuine friendship built from mutual trust and acceptance.

Furthermore, the film also features progressive political views. In his article, Disney,

Pixar, and the hidden messages of children’s films, Booker states: “American children’s

literature flew to some extent under the radar and was sometimes able to address more

progressive political themes than more mainstream American literature.” (Booker, 2010, pp.171).

For example, the movie includes a scene where Hogarth is sitting in class watching a video on

how to duck and cover in the case of an atomic holocaust. This scene contains only darkly tinted
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colors giving it a very scary tone. The colors used reflect directly on the fears that American

children of the 1950s faced. Louis Proyect states in his review of the film, “What gives The Iron

Giant's additional appeal is that this relationship is set against the very real backdrop of global

annihilation in the 1950s, when the threat of all-out nuclear war was very much on the mind of

all children, including myself.” (Proyect, 1999, pp.1). During this scene, the students sitting

behind Hogarth are engaged in a conversation about the sightings of a large metal monster. One

boy says worriedly, “It’s probably been sent by foreign enemies to take over the country.” the

other boy replies: “Yeah, we should bomb it to smithereens before it does.” This scene represents

the film’s negative connotations towards war, an ideal upheld by nearly all movies of this genre.

In like manner, the film complies to the children’s film genre in the matter that it includes

scenes in which characters escape violence unscathed. This is a characteristic found in nearly

every children’s film. Booker explains this in his article, stating that “Children find slapstick

violence quite entertaining, especially as animated characters can emerge unscathed from such

violence.” (Booker, 2010, pp.2). For example, nearing the end of the film, the military finds and

attacks the iron giant. The constant strikes correct a dent that the giant received in his initial fall

to Earth. This forces the iron giant to revert back to his initial purpose as a weapon for waging

war. He then begins to shoot powerful weapons back at the military. During this battle, he aims a

large gun at a tank and every person inside is able to flee before the tank is hit. The iron giant

includes scenes like this to apprise its audience of the severity of the situation while still

protecting them from the feeling of grief.

Conversely, The iron giant incorporates high-tech themes, this is one of many ways the

film has updated its genre. In order to maintain the audience's attention, children films either
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incorporate supernatural or futuristic themes (Booker, 2010, pp.78). The iron giant was at the

forefront of an incredible shift in this genre. Before its release, the widely accepted model of a

children’s film was built upon a magical and fantastical backdrop. Booker explains that,

“...Pixar’s films appear distinctively different from traditional Disney films, partly because of the

foregrounding of technology, rather than the typical Disney emphasis on magic.” (Booker, 2010,

pp.78). The iron giant takes place in a small town in Maine called Rockwell. The juxtaposition

created when a massive mechanical robot lands in such a rural area adds to the high-tech themes

of this film. In a documentary on the film, the director, Brad Bird, states “It was a time in

America where this sort of innocence-- pre-World War II innocence, was hand in hand with post

World War I paranoia. [...] It was a good environment to drop a giant robot in the middle of.”

(Gill, 1999). Rather than containing fantastical elements, The iron giant relies on the incredible

qualities of technology to keep its young audience entertained. This in turn, allows the movie to

point out more realistic problems in society. In his article Iron giant Louis Proyect states “Instead

of presenting challenges drawn from the world of fairy tales with a "politically correct" overlay,

director Brad Bird confronts the real evil that lived and lives in American society.” (Proyect,

1999, pp.1). The children’s film genre will forever be changed due to The iron giant and its

revolutionary style.

Finally, The iron giant encompases a strong anti-gun motif. Although these ideals are

extremely common in the children’s film genre, The iron giant maintains focus on it throughout

the entire movie, setting it apart from other films of this genre (Booker, 2010, pp.173). At one

point, Hogarth and the iron giant stumble upon a deer in the forest, this scene illustrates the

robot’s love for nature and his appreciation for all living creatures; suddenly, the peaceful music

is interrupted by the sound of a gunshot followed by music in a minor key. The giant finds that
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soon after the deer ran off it was shot by two hunters. In shock, the giant kneels by the dead

animal and Hogarth explains to him that the deer was killed by a gun. He says simply, “guns kill”

and the giant repeats him in agonizing comprehension “guns kill.” While many other children’s

films also incorporate anti-gun ideals, none have explored it in the same direct manner as The

iron giant.

In many ways, The iron giant revolutionized the children’s film genre, setting new

standards for all animated films following its release. It contains many elements found in all

children’s films, but also contains many unique qualities that have made the movie so powerful.

This film should continue to be a classic for many years to come. It is a movie that children will

watch and someday show to the next generation. The iron giant has impacted many children’s

lives, and will continue to do so through many generations to come.

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Works Referenced

Booker, M. K. (2010). Disney, Pixar, and the hidden messages of children’s films. Santa

Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Retrieved from http://db15.linccweb.org/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&

db=nlebk&AN=303475&site=ehost-live

Gill, K., Melvin, M., Cohen, J.(producers) & Gill, K. (Director). (1999). The making of

the Iron giant. Retrieved from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=5xVt_zIms90

Proyect, L. (1999). Iron giant. Canadian Dimension, 33(6), 43. Retrieved from

http://db15.linccweb.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=f6h&AN=2597081&site=eds-live

Abbate, A., McAnuff, D., Townshend, P., Walker, J. (Producers) & Bird, B. (director).

(1999). The iron giant. Retrieved from Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/search?

q=the%20iron%20giant&jbv=60000171&jbp=2&jbr=0