The Iron Giant Details

It might not have the Disney stamp, but this wonderful Warner Bros version of Ted Hughes's The Iron Man is a first-class achievement in cartoon virtuosity that liberally borrows images from 1950s comic-book art and science-fiction movies to stunning effect. To a soundtrack of American Graffiti-style hits, this heavy-metal ET tells the riveting tale of nine-year-old Hogarth, the giant alien robot he saves from electrical overload, and the fiercely protective relationship that develops between them. But the real thrills begin when a Communist-hating FBI agent arrives who is convinced that the walking Meccano set poses a Cold War threat. With political allegory and clever nostalgia for the adults, and dazzling visuals and excitement galore for the children, this poignant fairy tale is outstanding on every artistic level.

Set at a time of Cold War and nuclear paranoia and the beginnings of space exploration, this is an engaging, well-animated fable of pacifism and self-realisation that should find a ready audience among adults as well as children.