The Iron Giant

[00:00:00] This is the Big Sci-Fi Podcast, the biggest sci-fi podcast in the galaxy, a proud part of the Trek Geeks Podcast Network.

[00:00:08] Season 6 was a blast, but Season 7 is going to be even more fun as we continue to go where no podcast has gone before, deep into the sci-fi universe.

[00:00:19] Join Idina, Brian, Chris, and Steve as they explore television, film, and literature for the best sci-fi has to offer.

[00:00:26] Even if you're not a sci-fi fan, you'll love the banter and the epic tangents as these four friends talk about what they love.

[00:00:34] We invite you to sit back and relax because the journey is just beginning on this season of The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast.

[00:00:45] Today we are here to discuss and celebrate a film that debuted 25 years ago.

[00:00:52] It begins on the day when the space race started, October 4th, 1957.

[00:01:00] Now this also happens to be the day of my first birthday, so this film does mean a lot to me.

[00:01:06] This film is The Iron Giant, and it was Brad Bird's first full-length animated film.

[00:01:15] Now we all know Brad's work from his Pixar films like The Incredibles, both 1 and 2, Ratatouille,

[00:01:22] and his live-action films like Tomorrowland and Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol.

[00:01:29] My first experience with Brad's work was an animated short he did for the Steven Spielberg TV series Amazing Stories.

[00:01:38] It was called The Family Dog.

[00:01:40] It still might be the funniest film I have ever seen when I saw it back in 1987.

[00:01:47] It caused me to want to follow Brad's progress as a filmmaker in the years that followed.

[00:01:52] Now the idea of a young boy and a giant robot was not a new concept.

[00:01:57] I'd watched the Japanese TV series Gigantor and the film Voyage into Space, another Japanese production,

[00:02:04] that starred Johnny Sacco and his flying robot when I was a youngster.

[00:02:10] Ready to fight for right against wrong was part of the Gigantor song that was at the beginning of the show.

[00:02:18] And that was the concept of these Japanese productions, that a boy and his robot trying to do good.

[00:02:25] So when The Iron Giant was shown in theaters in 1999, I took the family to see it,

[00:02:30] hoping to see an even better story than the Japanese productions.

[00:02:33] I was so amazed at the quality of the story, the artwork.

[00:02:39] It's sad that it was a flop at the box office, even though it got rave reviews.

[00:02:43] The cause of poor marketing of the film, as I understand.

[00:02:47] And is now, I guess, a cult classic.

[00:02:50] So, without further ado, let me introduce the members of the big sci-fi podcast.

[00:02:55] They are Adina.

[00:02:57] Hello.

[00:02:59] Brian.

[00:03:00] Hey, it's Brian from Ohio.

[00:03:02] And Chris.

[00:03:04] Hey, everybody.

[00:03:06] That was very nice of you all.

[00:03:07] And I'm Steve.

[00:03:09] And let us begin our discussion of both The Iron Giant and the films and TV shows of the amazing Brad Bird.

[00:03:17] So, the first question I'm going to start off with, which is probably the best question to ask.

[00:03:21] When was the first time you saw The Iron Giant, either at the theater, on TV, or for this discussion?

[00:03:28] Hmm.

[00:03:28] Hmm.

[00:03:30] I'd say for me, it was probably when I was nine or ten.

[00:03:36] It was just a VHS that we had in our movie collection.

[00:03:39] It was one of those, you know what?

[00:03:41] I'm here.

[00:03:42] It's a weekend.

[00:03:42] We're not doing anything.

[00:03:43] Let's just put it on.

[00:03:44] And then I watched it, I think, two or three times.

[00:03:47] Um, you know, throughout the years.

[00:03:51] Okay.

[00:03:52] Do you remember what you were eating that first viewing?

[00:03:57] You know what's funny is I do not remember what I was eating, but I do remember, like, the thing that stands out to me, aside from The Iron Giant, is Hogarth eating all the whipped cream in the movie.

[00:04:08] Yes.

[00:04:09] From the Twinkies, right?

[00:04:12] Yes, exactly.

[00:04:13] Yes.

[00:04:14] That was, that was a cute little scene.

[00:04:17] Yeah.

[00:04:18] But no, I don't remember what food I was eating that time, unfortunately.

[00:04:22] Well, the first time I ever watched this movie was this afternoon.

[00:04:27] Wow.

[00:04:27] My daughter, who was home sick from school, we sat on the couch.

[00:04:31] I was eating, uh, some tequila spiced noodles of some kind, uh, out of a cup, you know, you might put it in the microwave and stir it and everything.

[00:04:42] And, um, had, had a nice, uh, strawberry cheesecake yogurt, Greek yogurt, and also a delicious big, huge orange.

[00:04:51] As I was watching this film and my daughter cuddled up beside me and we had a ball just, uh, that was her TV viewing for the day from being home sick.

[00:05:02] So I was like, let's, this is a good opportunity.

[00:05:04] Let's watch it.

[00:05:05] And yeah, it was, it was enjoyable.

[00:05:08] Cool.

[00:05:10] Well, uh, Chris, you had mentioned that you saw it on VHS.

[00:05:15] I bought this movie when it was first available on VHS and it came along with this guy.

[00:05:24] Oh, look at that.

[00:05:25] Oh, yeah.

[00:05:25] I don't think I, I think I must've got one of the later additions is I don't remember having that toy.

[00:05:31] Yeah.

[00:05:32] A little, what, maybe four inch character of the Iron Giant came in like a little plastic holder with it.

[00:05:38] And I've had him with me ever since he's just kind of saved in my collection because it was a very special film when, when I saw it originally the first time.

[00:05:47] And again, that was at the theater.

[00:05:49] How about you, Adina?

[00:05:51] So surprisingly, or I think it's, you know, it might be surprising because since I love robots and everything robots, I never got to see this.

[00:06:00] I, it, I've been aware of it for decades, but the first time I saw it was a week or so ago.

[00:06:07] So preparing for our discussion.

[00:06:11] That's great.

[00:06:13] What is, you know, you know, the fact that this film was based in a book from over 50 years ago, that's, that's pretty amazing.

[00:06:21] From there we came because the book came out in the 1960s.

[00:06:26] So, you know, it's, it's pretty good.

[00:06:29] And, and again, what do you think the idea of a giant robot from another world arriving on earth?

[00:06:35] I mean, we've, we've seen this, we've got transformers, we've got, this is not a something brand new as an idea, but, but I guess this was done in a way of making people understand also the paranoia of the 1950s.

[00:06:50] And the, again, the little video that they clip ship, uh, show in there on the TV of duck and cover.

[00:06:56] Yeah.

[00:06:57] Yeah.

[00:06:57] All the kids smiling to the cute little song.

[00:07:00] Yeah.

[00:07:01] Yeah.

[00:07:02] Grabbing the dumb adults and pulling them down low to the ground too, you know, like is.

[00:07:07] Yeah.

[00:07:08] It's one, one of those things where it went right over my head as a kid.

[00:07:12] And so we're thinking about it, like getting ready.

[00:07:14] I like remember the, lots of the, like the beats and the government being involved, but I completely forgot that it was in the fifties.

[00:07:21] And so watching it now, it's like, oh wow, there's like a whole layer of subtext, sub, you know, subtext that I didn't really understand.

[00:07:27] Cause I wasn't, I was 10 years old.

[00:07:29] So it was fun watching it through adult eyes and being able to see, okay, here's like, they're doing a really good job of examining the paranoia of that time.

[00:07:38] Right.

[00:07:39] Exactly.

[00:07:40] And the idea of, you know, the government's coming in there to check on, you know, what are you watching?

[00:07:45] What are you doing?

[00:07:48] The government agent who was, what was his character's name?

[00:07:52] I saved that here.

[00:07:53] Malinsky, I think.

[00:07:55] Hang on, hang on, hang on.

[00:07:57] His name was.

[00:08:00] Steve's got, Steve's got like five or six.

[00:08:03] Oh yes.

[00:08:05] Yeah.

[00:08:06] Yeah.

[00:08:07] Yeah.

[00:08:08] Played by.

[00:08:08] Kent Mansley.

[00:08:10] Mansley.

[00:08:11] Played by Christopher McDonald.

[00:08:13] Right.

[00:08:14] Who's also Tasha Yar's love interest.

[00:08:16] Yes.

[00:08:17] Yesterday's enterprise.

[00:08:19] And also on Happy Gilmore, you know, he's been in a ton of stuff, of course.

[00:08:24] And I know him from Flubber.

[00:08:25] Flubber.

[00:08:26] Yeah.

[00:08:26] Oh my goodness.

[00:08:28] Flubber.

[00:08:29] Flubber with the one with the Robin Williams.

[00:08:31] Of course.

[00:08:32] Yeah.

[00:08:32] Of course.

[00:08:32] Yeah.

[00:08:32] Yeah.

[00:08:33] So, so I, I thought it was interesting.

[00:08:35] The film opens up with the whole Spudnik thing.

[00:08:40] And my daughter was at very curious about that, you know, what's Spudnik, you know?

[00:08:44] So she got to have a little bit of an education about that, of what I could do as the film.

[00:08:49] So that was kind of cool.

[00:08:50] And then I think that's, I kind of like that opening is here's very dramatic with this guy on the boat, you know, in the hurricane.

[00:08:59] And he comes down the eye of the hurricane, the iron giant.

[00:09:03] And, you know, I thought that was very dramatic.

[00:09:07] And right away, you know, the timeframe of this film and what's going on.

[00:09:13] And I thought my first thought about that was, oh my goodness.

[00:09:17] I didn't, uh, first of all, I didn't realize there was an actual book until the end of the film when I was watching the credits.

[00:09:22] Mm-hmm.

[00:09:23] And so I'm like, they chose to keep it in this timeframe, which I think was interesting.

[00:09:29] I'm surprised they didn't try to make it more into, you know, the nineties or whatever.

[00:09:35] I'm glad they didn't.

[00:09:36] Yeah.

[00:09:36] But I just, I thought that was an interesting choice that they stayed true to the book, apparently, as far as the timeframe of when it was out.

[00:09:45] Yeah.

[00:09:45] So I also didn't know that it was based on a book and, but you know, that, that makes sense.

[00:09:51] And it makes sense that that would then be the time period, especially given when the book was published.

[00:09:55] But I'll be honest, this trope of the 1950s paranoia and all that stuff, this is going to possibly shock you, but I really was not as into this film as I thought it was going to be.

[00:10:10] I mean, it's called The Iron Giant.

[00:10:12] It's about a large robot from outer space.

[00:10:14] I mean, it sounds like it is 100% right up my alley.

[00:10:19] But, and the, the only thing I kind of even really liked about it was the robot with the exception of, we never really.

[00:10:28] Oh yeah.

[00:10:30] Yet his backstory.

[00:10:31] Never anything.

[00:10:32] Without that, I was just, the rest of the trappings is like, if you take out the robot, if you take him out, this is just a story about the 1950s.

[00:10:43] And I'm like, I'm not really interested in seeing yet another, you know, like something about that.

[00:10:49] So I struggled with this, you know, and I've been nervous about coming and telling you guys, because I feel like this is something that I should really like.

[00:10:58] But the robot was the one piece I liked.

[00:11:00] But again, you remove the robot and all you have is just a standard, typical, this is America at that time.

[00:11:09] A lot of stereotypes in the film.

[00:11:11] That's interesting.

[00:11:13] You say that because I've always enjoyed the movie, but I've always felt like I should enjoy it more than I did.

[00:11:19] Like for me, I would say it's like, it's good.

[00:11:23] I enjoy it.

[00:11:24] I'm not unhappy watching it, but there's just always something, there was always something to me that was kind of missing.

[00:11:29] And maybe it's, maybe it's the backstory.

[00:11:32] Maybe it's the 1950s setting.

[00:11:34] But yeah, yeah, it's, I'm not really, still not really sure what it is that I felt like it needed more of or like what it was missing to make it a great movie.

[00:11:43] Not just something that, oh, you know, I'm okay watching it.

[00:11:45] I'm enjoying it.

[00:11:47] Hmm.

[00:11:49] I mean, because that robot could have been like a Russian.

[00:11:52] Like it could have been, it could have been anything else.

[00:11:54] It could have been a lost dog.

[00:11:56] It could, could have been anything else.

[00:11:58] It didn't really, it could have been anything else.

[00:12:01] I did, I did like Adina how, when it blew up, fell apart and all the, you know, his little beacon comes out of the front of his head and blinks and that the parts are find him.

[00:12:17] I thought that was kind of cool.

[00:12:18] Oh no, they're neat pieces.

[00:12:20] Yeah.

[00:12:20] Yeah.

[00:12:21] Yeah.

[00:12:21] But you're right.

[00:12:22] The robot was cute.

[00:12:26] Lovable had just a little bit of mystery when it got, when, you know, how they said, if you come, if you fire at it, it's going to get in defensive mode.

[00:12:35] Um, and so I'd be curious, this is where I'd be curious.

[00:12:40] Was there more backstory in the book?

[00:12:42] And I think I'm going to seek the book out to see if there was more backstory on the robot that maybe would have helped flesh some of this stuff out.

[00:12:50] Cause if there's a gaping hole and I can overlook the stereotypes from the time period.

[00:12:54] Okay.

[00:12:55] I can overlook all that.

[00:12:59] Um, it's the robots backstory that I wanted more of and they kind of left up to, and maybe that was a creative choice.

[00:13:06] Again, I'm going to read the book, but if it, if it was a creative choice and they just made this kind of lovable, cute, huge robot that we wanted to see thrive in the boat, you know, the friendship between the boy and the robot.

[00:13:21] Oh, okay.

[00:13:22] You know, you're right.

[00:13:23] It could have been anybody else.

[00:13:24] It could have been anything else.

[00:13:26] Right.

[00:13:26] Again, don't get me wrong.

[00:13:28] I didn't hate them.

[00:13:29] I'm not saying by any means I hate this movie, but I was just kind of left with a meh.

[00:13:35] Yeah.

[00:13:35] And I'm glad Steve, you had us watch this ultimately because I have heard through the years.

[00:13:40] This is one movie that when did it come out?

[00:13:43] 1999.

[00:13:44] So, oh man, I was, I was in college.

[00:13:47] I was, you know, I was just, I was going every which way.

[00:13:51] And so this is one that just missed me.

[00:13:54] And I remember hearing that it was critically acclaimed.

[00:13:59] I remember, I remember that it didn't do so hot at the box office and I don't remember why, but it's one that I always had interest in watching.

[00:14:09] So I'm glad we got to, I'm glad I got to watch it with my daughter today.

[00:14:11] So we had that and she genuinely enjoyed it and was surprised by the film.

[00:14:17] And I told you guys off, off camera here that we did.

[00:14:21] She would say, I'd watch it again with my brother if he wanted to watch it.

[00:14:24] So she liked it that much that she would watch it again.

[00:14:28] And that's a mark we always use, right?

[00:14:30] As far as how good films are for us.

[00:14:32] Right.

[00:14:33] So for Peyton, this film definitely was good enough for her that she would happily watch it again with her brother.

[00:14:41] So I think that says something about target audience.

[00:14:43] Well, and the other thing is, you know, that Brad Bird was born the year the story takes place, 1957.

[00:14:52] So he, in a sense, is also kind of reliving that which he grew up with during the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, where the fear of a nuclear attack was always there.

[00:15:10] And in this case, that fear was still present in the early 80s when I was a kid and remember it.

[00:15:17] So, I mean, that's, yeah.

[00:15:18] Yeah.

[00:15:18] Yeah.

[00:15:19] I mean, I remember that.

[00:15:20] I mean, when I was a kid growing up, every Friday, last Friday of the month, every month, 10 o'clock, arid sirens would play just to test them.

[00:15:29] Wow.

[00:15:30] And you go around through downtown Los Angeles and some of them are still standing.

[00:15:35] They've never taken them down.

[00:15:37] Mm-hmm.

[00:15:38] I don't know.

[00:15:39] Is it a reminder of what the Cold War was?

[00:15:42] Because the idea now of that happening has been minimized greatly.

[00:15:47] But this Friday, I guess he tried to bring that into it.

[00:15:51] And the robot.

[00:15:53] You're not watching the same documentary I am, Steve.

[00:15:57] There's a fantastic documentary.

[00:15:59] I can't remember the name of it on Netflix now.

[00:16:01] Really?

[00:16:02] About the Cold War.

[00:16:03] And it goes way back to World War II, even a little before that.

[00:16:07] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:07] And it's still going on.

[00:16:09] It goes into the Ukrainian war happening now.

[00:16:12] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:12] And it's fascinating everything that's linked that I never knew was linked with the Cold War.

[00:16:18] And so, like, some of the things we...

[00:16:21] And just a quick side note.

[00:16:22] Yeah.

[00:16:23] Like, we're still experiencing the effects of that.

[00:16:25] Like, there are still definite possible...

[00:16:28] And we don't know how often some of the stories told in this documentary of the close calls we had that we don't even know about where people made the right decisions at the right time to stay cool.

[00:16:40] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:40] Or, you know what I mean?

[00:16:42] Yeah.

[00:16:42] So, it's like the fear, even...

[00:16:46] I mean, at this time, but in the 80s, too.

[00:16:49] You're right, Adina.

[00:16:50] And, of course, Steve, you know this.

[00:16:51] Just, it was palpable.

[00:16:53] I remember as a kid going, oh, my gosh.

[00:16:56] I keep hearing about the Cold War.

[00:16:58] Why is Reagan saying Gorbachev teared down that wall?

[00:17:01] You know?

[00:17:02] Like, what is that about?

[00:17:03] And nuclear weapons and just being, like, going to bed going, am I going to wake up tomorrow?

[00:17:08] You know?

[00:17:09] I don't know.

[00:17:10] You know?

[00:17:11] So, the setting is really interesting in this film.

[00:17:14] Yeah.

[00:17:14] And maybe that's one of the reasons why I kind of was like, I'm meh to that whole doing it in, like, kind of all those stereotypes of that time of the Cold War, of the late 50s Cold War year, is the fact that that is...

[00:17:29] If I'm watching entertainment today, that's not what I want.

[00:17:33] Like, to me, it's currently not entertaining.

[00:17:36] I truly want escapism.

[00:17:38] I don't want...

[00:17:39] Dang.

[00:17:40] Gotcha.

[00:17:40] You know?

[00:17:41] So, that could possibly be it.

[00:17:42] So, I'm wondering, and, of course, because we don't have parallel universes, so I don't know what would have happened if I'd made other choices.

[00:17:50] But I wonder what my experience would have been is, had I watched this when it came out, and then, like, would I have a different...

[00:17:57] Like, would I have liked it then?

[00:17:59] Yeah.

[00:17:59] Mm-hmm.

[00:17:59] When I was, you know, in my 20s, right?

[00:18:04] Versus, you know, 50 and kind of beat down by everything.

[00:18:06] You know?

[00:18:07] So, it might have been different, and then it might have been different re-watching it now, because then re-watching it now, there might have been a lot of more nostalgia aspect.

[00:18:14] Because there's probably a whole bunch of movies that I did watch in the 80s and 90s that did have those vibes.

[00:18:21] But I might not have the same thing, but I might re-watch them and then have the nostalgia.

[00:18:26] But because this is the first time I'm watching it, it's no nostalgia.

[00:18:29] It's just, I want a happier movie.

[00:18:33] Okay.

[00:18:35] Or a happier backdrop.

[00:18:36] Right.

[00:18:37] A happier backdrop.

[00:18:38] You know?

[00:18:38] Right.

[00:18:39] But again, you know, and yeah, I do, don't disagree with you, Adina, and I've always felt that one of the things lacking is the backstory.

[00:18:48] Where did the robot come from?

[00:18:50] Why did it end up on Earth that particular time that, you know, that just happened to coincide with the, you know, hysteria over Sputnik?

[00:19:01] And eating metal as a method of producing whatever.

[00:19:07] How did this thing work?

[00:19:08] You know?

[00:19:09] I mean, we do want to, you know, we do accept in science fiction, as we always suspend our disbelief.

[00:19:15] Right, right.

[00:19:16] That you can pack a lot into a little place and do all these things where he can convert at the end of the film into this frightening machine of destruction.

[00:19:28] Or was he a machine of defense?

[00:19:32] Because that's the idea that comes at the end.

[00:19:34] Yeah.

[00:19:35] If you're pointing guns at it, if you're shooting at it, it's going to act defensively.

[00:19:40] It's not on an offensive nature.

[00:19:42] And, of course, kind of like King Kong and Fay Wray, the little boy's the only one that can calm him down so that he doesn't do what happens.

[00:19:54] However, we have the ending where the self-sacrifice comes in.

[00:19:59] Yeah.

[00:20:00] Because he's, you know, when they're sitting in the barn and they're looking at the comic books, which, you know, there were some recreations of real comic books in there.

[00:20:08] And who do you want to be?

[00:20:09] Do you want to be the robot that destroys people?

[00:20:12] Or do you want to be Superman?

[00:20:14] Right.

[00:20:14] Yeah.

[00:20:14] That was cute.

[00:20:15] That was cute.

[00:20:16] And at the very end, when he's, he sacrifices himself.

[00:20:20] He flies like Superman up, doesn't he?

[00:20:22] Uh-huh.

[00:20:22] He wanted to be Superman.

[00:20:23] Yeah.

[00:20:23] And he says, I'm Superman.

[00:20:26] I just made that connection as you were talking.

[00:20:28] So, wow, Brian Donahue.

[00:20:30] Wait, you're so fast.

[00:20:32] That's why we're having this discussion to flesh out these things.

[00:20:35] I was like, man, that's a heroic pose he's doing flying up there like that.

[00:20:39] Wait a minute.

[00:20:39] He's, now I get it.

[00:20:40] He's trying to be Superman.

[00:20:41] Wow.

[00:20:42] Mm-hmm.

[00:20:42] This film is way deeper than I realized, guys.

[00:20:45] But it's also, for me, it's one of the challenges where it's like, I know what it's going for.

[00:20:51] I know ultimately the Iron Giant's a good guy.

[00:20:53] But in the back of my head, I'm like, the government's not entirely wrong.

[00:20:56] Like, literally, the only thing that's keeping this giant from destroying Earth is a little kid who's explaining right and wrong.

[00:21:06] Oh, you don't think so?

[00:21:06] No, that's not, no, because he's defensive.

[00:21:09] Oh, okay.

[00:21:10] The robot, he's acting only defensively.

[00:21:14] So it's not the little kid.

[00:21:16] From their perspective, though, like that government agent, his car gets chewed up.

[00:21:22] And he's like, what the heck, you know?

[00:21:24] Mm-hmm.

[00:21:25] So all they're seeing is destruction to start with.

[00:21:28] They don't know he's eating.

[00:21:30] Right.

[00:21:31] So from one perspective.

[00:21:32] All it takes is one wrong person to panic.

[00:21:34] And then that entire, it's like the good old classic, like, do not fire guns at the alien ship line.

[00:21:41] Yes.

[00:21:42] So that's concerning.

[00:21:43] It takes one thing.

[00:21:44] Like, even, like, the first time he attacks, he sees thingies ray gun or as a toy.

[00:21:52] Right.

[00:21:52] So I'm like, it's, I know it's not, he's not going out intentionally trying to start stuff.

[00:21:57] But the fact that he reacts defensively that strongly, it's like, it's concerning a little.

[00:22:02] That's, that's all.

[00:22:03] That's my only point.

[00:22:04] Well, remember, remember in, in the day the earth stood still.

[00:22:09] The moment they fired the gun at, at Klaatu, that's when Gort went into defensive role, mole, or excuse me, defensive role.

[00:22:18] Right.

[00:22:19] He eliminated the weapons that were attacking him.

[00:22:22] But it would, it was perceived by people.

[00:22:25] And this is, again, this is a film from the 1950s.

[00:22:28] It was perceived that Gort was a robot of destruction and not a robot of defense for Klaatu.

[00:22:37] Right.

[00:22:38] I mean, it's true, but I still feel like it's, it's such a dangerous thing where it, all it takes is one wrong move to like set the thing off.

[00:22:46] That's so, that's what I'd say.

[00:22:48] It's like, I'm not saying he's a bad guy.

[00:22:50] I'm just saying, I can see why the government would be a little, you know, let's be a little cautious with this.

[00:22:55] We maybe don't necessarily want him walking around.

[00:22:58] What are we going to do with these big tanks, fellas?

[00:23:01] We'll fire them, of course.

[00:23:03] Let's just shoot everything we can.

[00:23:05] And that's what they're made for.

[00:23:05] And again, that's maybe just a me thing where it's like, it's hard for me to like a fully commit to, you know, this is a good, like, it's a good thing that this, that Iron Giant's hanging around here just because of how badly it could go.

[00:23:17] Well, they don't even describe part of the problem.

[00:23:20] I think for us critical thinkers here, the four of us, right?

[00:23:25] Oh, yeah.

[00:23:26] Some more than others.

[00:23:26] And you guys are more than me.

[00:23:28] Is that the, you know, Spudnik goes by the screen and then the Iron Giant is shooting, rocketing towards Earth.

[00:23:38] And we know nothing.

[00:23:40] Right.

[00:23:40] We know absolutely nothing about this robot.

[00:23:44] And at first they try to make him menacing and he's destroying the power station.

[00:23:48] And we don't know why.

[00:23:50] So, of course, we're going to say, oh, bad robot, bad robot, you know?

[00:23:54] And what is this little kid doing around?

[00:23:56] Around, you know, curious kid climbing on.

[00:23:59] My daughter was shocked.

[00:24:00] He climbed up on the roof to check the antenna, you know?

[00:24:04] It's like, what is she?

[00:24:05] What is he doing?

[00:24:06] He's so dangerous, you know?

[00:24:08] Nope.

[00:24:08] Nope.

[00:24:08] And so I just, I think that's the big problem for me with this film is we get nothing about this robot.

[00:24:17] And maybe that's part of by design that there's supposed to be this lingering mystery about the robot.

[00:24:32] Mm-hmm.

[00:24:53] Friendship and being able to, I guess, go beyond this programming or not like completely succumb to it.

[00:25:00] But the thing had some level of emotion.

[00:25:03] Yeah, for sure.

[00:25:04] Very effectively.

[00:25:05] Why didn't Vin Diesel win an award for playing the voice of the Iron Giant?

[00:25:10] I forgot that Vin Diesel was not the Iron Giant.

[00:25:12] Yeah.

[00:25:13] Yeah.

[00:25:13] Yeah.

[00:25:13] Harry Collin Jr.

[00:25:14] As the art guy in the scrapyard.

[00:25:17] Jennifer Aniston.

[00:25:18] Jennifer Aniston.

[00:25:19] Yeah.

[00:25:20] Yeah.

[00:25:20] Cloris Leachman.

[00:25:21] And that brings into, okay, transitioning away from the philosophical points of the film.

[00:25:27] Let's get to the, you know, the makeup of the film.

[00:25:31] What did you think of the artwork?

[00:25:32] What did you think of the actors?

[00:25:35] What did you think of the music?

[00:25:37] How did that affect you?

[00:25:39] What did you think of the quality of that?

[00:25:42] The audio.

[00:25:43] So I liked the acting.

[00:25:45] I thought overall it was a, they did a good job.

[00:25:48] There was something that was slightly off about the audio to me.

[00:25:51] And I don't know if it's just because I was listening to it in headphones and maybe it's

[00:25:54] just the recording equipment from that time.

[00:25:56] But there was something that's slightly off, but overall I thought the acting was pretty good.

[00:26:02] It took me a second to get used to Hogarth's voice.

[00:26:05] But then once I came around, I started to like, like Hogarth, but I thought the little boy,

[00:26:11] Christopher McDonald, I think he did the, like he was the best.

[00:26:15] Mm-hmm.

[00:26:16] Like the best character of the movie.

[00:26:18] Mm-hmm.

[00:26:19] Hey, sport.

[00:26:19] Hey, kid.

[00:26:20] Hey.

[00:26:21] Hey.

[00:26:22] Hey.

[00:26:24] That was, I mean, it was obviously done for humor and things, but that drove me crazy.

[00:26:31] I did like Harry Connick Jr.'s character, the beatnik.

[00:26:35] I liked him.

[00:26:36] What I liked about it was the fact that the artwork resembled the actors.

[00:26:43] Because when you look at the character of the mother, Anne Hughes, she has a Jennifer Aniston

[00:26:50] look to her.

[00:26:51] And when, if you look at the character of Dean, who's played by Harry Connick Jr., if

[00:26:57] you look at Harry Connick Jr. of that era, he kind of has a resemblance there.

[00:27:02] Even the old sailor who was played by.

[00:27:07] Yeah, who was that?

[00:27:08] That was E.

[00:27:09] Emmett Walsh.

[00:27:10] Yeah.

[00:27:11] Yeah.

[00:27:11] And when you look at him, he, if you've seen a picture of E.

[00:27:14] Emmett Lodge, he said, yeah, he looks like him too.

[00:27:16] And I thought that was kind of.

[00:27:18] I wonder.

[00:27:19] You know, now that you bring that up, like, like I, I had that thought as I was watching

[00:27:23] it, they weren't like, like, like nowadays we can really make animated characters look

[00:27:30] like the actors.

[00:27:31] And oftentimes they do to some extent.

[00:27:34] It's obvious they're trying to make us think of that actor too.

[00:27:37] I think in this film, there's kind of similarities there.

[00:27:42] Yeah.

[00:27:43] But I wonder if this is groundbreaking in that they tried to, in some way, make these animated

[00:27:49] figures look like the voice actors.

[00:27:51] I wonder if this is one of the first films where they did that.

[00:27:55] Yeah.

[00:27:55] That's interesting.

[00:27:56] It's a good question.

[00:27:58] And I, that's something maybe worth looking into because there's been enough animated films.

[00:28:02] I mean, you know, you look at other films that have been made in the past Disney films.

[00:28:09] Do they represent the actors who did the voices?

[00:28:13] Maybe in some cases they did do that.

[00:28:15] Depends upon it.

[00:28:16] The, you know, the actors were chosen before the artwork was done.

[00:28:20] And they recorded the audio to work with the artwork.

[00:28:23] And then they matched up afterwards.

[00:28:25] And.

[00:28:26] I don't know.

[00:28:27] I'm not seeing it.

[00:28:28] I'm, I'm scaring right now, especially at an image of the mom.

[00:28:32] I don't, I don't see Jennifer Aniston.

[00:28:35] Okay.

[00:28:35] No, I really don't.

[00:28:36] And she's a redhead in the film too, isn't she?

[00:28:38] Right.

[00:28:38] I didn't even realize it was Jennifer Aniston until this very discussion.

[00:28:42] Oh, really?

[00:28:43] Yes.

[00:28:43] That's wild to me.

[00:28:44] Yeah.

[00:28:44] That's one thing I do look up when I'm watching animated films is see if I can pick out who

[00:28:50] they are.

[00:28:51] And then if I can't, then I look it up.

[00:28:52] But Harry Connick, I got right away.

[00:28:55] Yeah.

[00:28:56] Jennifer Aniston.

[00:28:58] I didn't pick up immediately.

[00:29:00] Right.

[00:29:01] I just knew it was her, but just because I just, again, over years, I just, you know,

[00:29:05] I know what things she's in.

[00:29:07] So I just somehow knew that was her.

[00:29:10] But no, I don't, I don't see it in terms of a look at all.

[00:29:16] Okay.

[00:29:17] Sorry.

[00:29:17] And the artwork, did you, did you like the style of artwork?

[00:29:21] Yeah.

[00:29:21] I mean.

[00:29:21] It's fine.

[00:29:21] Again, I feel like when it comes to animated stuff, I'm pretty like easy to get along with.

[00:29:26] Like there are just different styles and I can take it for whatever it is.

[00:29:31] I don't think I've really seen a movie where I'm like, Ooh, I hate that style in animation.

[00:29:36] I'm pretty like accepting for, Hey, there's all kinds of art styles in animation.

[00:29:42] And right.

[00:29:43] Right.

[00:29:43] Now my daughter did, and my wife too, my wife came in on her lunch break.

[00:29:47] She works from home and she sat down and had lunch and watched part of this.

[00:29:51] And she went into why Peyton, my daughter Peyton immediately said, why does the animation look

[00:29:58] weird?

[00:29:58] I was like, well, honey, it doesn't look weird.

[00:30:00] It's just older than most of the cartoons you watch.

[00:30:03] Right.

[00:30:04] And, but once she got over that and accepted it, she was all in on the story.

[00:30:09] She was all in on the film.

[00:30:10] And then my wife watched it and said, Oh, that looks old.

[00:30:12] It's like, well, it was 1999.

[00:30:14] Oh, okay.

[00:30:16] Yeah.

[00:30:16] So I think for the time period, um, I think that's something that made the film stand out.

[00:30:22] I remember critics saying they love the animation, uh, of this film and the robots cool looking,

[00:30:29] you know, I mean, I think they did a fantastic job on the robot.

[00:30:35] And yeah.

[00:30:36] So I love the animation as far as the music goes.

[00:30:39] Mm-hmm.

[00:30:40] Um, it was, it was okay.

[00:30:41] I particularly noticed at the very end when he sacrificed himself, that music was quite

[00:30:48] bombastic.

[00:30:49] And I thought very interesting and heroic and well done.

[00:30:52] It had all the feels.

[00:30:54] Other parts of the film were just kind of okay.

[00:30:57] So that's not a bad, maybe that's a good thing that I didn't notice the music too much too.

[00:31:04] You know?

[00:31:04] Yeah.

[00:31:05] I, for me, the, I felt the same way.

[00:31:07] The score was like, it was okay.

[00:31:09] But where the music did stand out was when they were dealing with like, I think they were using

[00:31:14] real songs, but like when they were playing fifties music, it was good.

[00:31:18] I felt they did a good job of the vibe of the fifties.

[00:31:22] The diner felt like a fifties diner.

[00:31:23] And in the scrapyard, but in the scrapyard inside the Harry Connick jr's characters house,

[00:31:31] there was jazz piano music and sax.

[00:31:33] And I wonder if that was his band.

[00:31:35] I wonder if he did that.

[00:31:36] Oh, yeah.

[00:31:38] That was, I didn't notice that.

[00:31:40] I'm like, Oh, the music inside his house, he had playing on a record or whatever.

[00:31:44] Was really good, but.

[00:31:46] Yeah.

[00:31:47] No, no, that, that, that's fine.

[00:31:50] Again, you know, remember that the people who, who Brad Bird came out of the Disney machine.

[00:31:57] Cause that's where he learned how to do his artwork.

[00:32:00] And he came from Cal arts and.

[00:32:03] Wait, he's an artist.

[00:32:05] Brad Bird.

[00:32:06] I thought he was just a director.

[00:32:08] No, no, no.

[00:32:10] No, he, no, he, no, he went to, he went to Cal.

[00:32:14] He's a dancer.

[00:32:14] Yeah.

[00:32:15] Yeah, that's right.

[00:32:16] No, he, he does it all.

[00:32:18] No, I'm drinking.

[00:32:18] He does.

[00:32:19] Okay.

[00:32:21] No, you know, he, he went to Cal arts as did so many other of Disney animators like

[00:32:27] John Lasseter and Tim Burton and him.

[00:32:30] And they were all going to school at the same time.

[00:32:32] So they, you know, when, when, when Pixar became something, these people were part of it.

[00:32:40] And Brad Bird was part of the original brain trust that was part of Pixar.

[00:32:45] So they came out of the Disney machine.

[00:32:47] And, you know, one of the things that appears in all Pixar films is the reoccurring theme of a one 13.

[00:32:56] It's always somewhere.

[00:32:59] It's always appears on a license plate or like in the movie.

[00:33:03] Um, Wally, what's the secret, um, order that the robot, the, the autopilot follows a one 13.

[00:33:13] Hmm.

[00:33:14] Well, I'll be darned.

[00:33:15] One of the things I sent, which I will be honest, it was the first thing that Brad Bird ever did was a film, the mentioned the, the family dog.

[00:33:25] And in that movie or in that short, there's a car with a license plate that reads a one 13.

[00:33:34] So he was the first one to come out of Cal arts, which was a room that all these young artists hung out with at Cal arts to learn about being part of the Disney machine.

[00:33:45] And, uh, I think even in one of the notes on Wikipedia, there's a scene where the train crash happens and they're two older, the engineer and the brake man come out on the train on the railroad tracks and are talking to the people.

[00:34:00] Yeah.

[00:34:00] He drew those, the two of the original Disney seven animators is depicted as those two characters as his way of homage to where he grew up at in the Disney art studio.

[00:34:15] So that's why the movie to me has it.

[00:34:17] It does have that Disney feel from the early nineties of the animation of you and the beast and the animation of Aladdin or even what came out the next year after this.

[00:34:30] Which was the lion King still had that type of feel to it of an animation.

[00:34:35] So I, that's why it's always, you know, I, I says with is being enjoyable to watch because of that.

[00:34:41] But again, I, you know, I'm, I'm old enough to appreciate that nostalgia that this movie brings forward.

[00:34:48] So maybe I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff.

[00:34:51] You also read in research when, when just phenomenally well, Steve, when you're interested in films, you, you dive deep.

[00:35:00] And we really appreciate that.

[00:35:01] That adds so much to our podcast discussion.

[00:35:04] Oh, let me do that.

[00:35:05] Cause I'm just sitting over here.

[00:35:07] Like I'm sitting at my uncle's feet, uh, you know, and he's reading from this mammoth book with gold plated edges, you know, and just, uh, yeah.

[00:35:18] Gosh.

[00:35:19] Oh, so you're just so special.

[00:35:24] That's your best impersonation ever.

[00:35:26] Is that Pluto or no, that's goofy.

[00:35:28] Actually.

[00:35:29] Okay.

[00:35:29] Yeah.

[00:35:30] Well, goofy.

[00:35:31] That's right.

[00:35:32] That's impressive.

[00:35:34] Okay.

[00:35:34] Love it.

[00:35:35] All right.

[00:35:35] All right.

[00:35:36] Enough of my bad voiceovers.

[00:35:39] But anyway, um, I just, I talked the rest of the time, like Mickey mouse.

[00:35:44] Great.

[00:35:45] I'll get you a balloon with some helium in it.

[00:35:47] That'll help out.

[00:35:50] What are we talking about anymore?

[00:35:52] We're talking about the iron giant.

[00:35:55] The iron giant.

[00:35:56] The iron giant.

[00:35:57] Yeah.

[00:35:58] Yeah.

[00:35:59] They were all afraid it was all going to go kaboom.

[00:36:01] Yeah.

[00:36:02] Yeah.

[00:36:02] So I got to say, I want to go back for a second.

[00:36:05] Go ahead.

[00:36:05] Speaking of acting in this film, for me, the best voice actor in this film was the government

[00:36:14] agent played by McDonald.

[00:36:15] I felt like he sounded the most natural and maybe the little boy too, to a degree.

[00:36:21] But I feel like, like this, that was the one area I wish maybe it was a little bit different.

[00:36:28] It just, the, the, the dialogue wasn't like super deep or rich anyways.

[00:36:34] But, but, and I, it's not supposed to be, and that's okay.

[00:36:37] You know?

[00:36:38] Um, but I just, I feel like McDonald kind of shined as the more natural voice actor here.

[00:36:45] It's not that the others did terrible by any means, way better than I could ever do.

[00:36:49] And probably a bunch of other actors could ever do.

[00:36:52] But I just, I feel like McDonald clearly outshined everyone else as far as natural, natural talent

[00:36:59] there.

[00:37:00] I mean, I think Harry Connick Jr.'s character, that was just a natural, perfect fit for, you

[00:37:06] know, Harry Connick Jr.

[00:37:07] To play a beatnik.

[00:37:08] That's just like work.

[00:37:10] Perfect.

[00:37:11] I thought that was perfect.

[00:37:12] Hmm.

[00:37:13] I, I respectfully disagree.

[00:37:15] I felt like it was very rigid and, um, but I'm a big Harry Connick fan though.

[00:37:21] So.

[00:37:21] The only rigidity that I would, if, if there was any rigid rigidity, rigidity.

[00:37:26] Yeah.

[00:37:28] It was that, you know, his relationship with Hogarth at first, he's kind of uncomfortable

[00:37:35] with this kid hanging around.

[00:37:37] Right.

[00:37:38] Well, you don't like a squirrel going up your pant leg.

[00:37:40] Come on.

[00:37:41] What's wrong with that?

[00:37:41] And then this kid's coming around and then he finds out like, then there's this like

[00:37:45] crazy giant robot.

[00:37:47] Like, so to me, if there was any rigidity, it is more like, holy, oh my God, what is going

[00:37:52] on?

[00:37:53] You know, it, so I don't know.

[00:37:55] I thought that that character felt, it felt right and authentic to me.

[00:37:59] Cool.

[00:38:00] And, and you know, you think of it, it's like things are set up in this film to happen for

[00:38:04] a specific thing.

[00:38:05] Yes.

[00:38:06] Dean just happens to own a scrap yard.

[00:38:08] Yes.

[00:38:09] Sure.

[00:38:09] The robot happens to eat metal.

[00:38:11] Well, that's a good combination right there.

[00:38:13] And you know, the, the, the, uh, uh, what's his name?

[00:38:19] The, the, the, uh, government agent guy, he just happened to show up and he's, he wants

[00:38:24] to show proof that this thing exists.

[00:38:26] And she, mom just happens to have a room that he can stay in.

[00:38:30] And, you know, there's a lot of coincidences or, or, or, you know, and mom's like, why don't

[00:38:35] you take this total stranger out on the town with you, son?

[00:38:38] Sure.

[00:38:39] Yes.

[00:38:40] Yes.

[00:38:40] We, we completely, well, actually back then they, mom and dad were like, go, go, it's

[00:38:44] okay.

[00:38:45] You know?

[00:38:45] I mean, I could do that when I, in the 60s, I don't think you'd do that with your kids,

[00:38:49] but in the 1960s, my parents would say bye in the morning.

[00:38:52] And if I came back alive in the, in the evening, everything was okay.

[00:38:57] It's so funny.

[00:38:58] You bring that up because like, obviously they like talking about the time period, they

[00:39:02] did it because they wanted to be the fifties.

[00:39:04] You want to have that red scare, all that stuff.

[00:39:07] But I feel like very practically, if you take out, even if you take out all the social media

[00:39:11] stuff, I can't for a minute buy that any parent would just be that cool.

[00:39:16] Like, even though obviously she's stressed out, but the fact that Hogarth just leaves for

[00:39:20] like long periods of time where it felt from what I know of that time.

[00:39:24] And even from what you hear about in the eighties and maybe to the degree of the nineties, it's

[00:39:28] like, all right, well, the kids are alive and okay.

[00:39:31] So yeah, go off and play and do your thing.

[00:39:34] Kids alive.

[00:39:36] Keeping kids alive.

[00:39:38] No, but that's a topic for a different day.

[00:39:42] Wait, wait, did you just say you haven't seen stand by me?

[00:39:45] Yeah.

[00:39:45] Confession time.

[00:39:46] I've never seen parts of it.

[00:39:48] I can't do what I see.

[00:39:50] Holy moly.

[00:39:51] Oh, wow.

[00:39:52] I feel so called out.

[00:39:54] A young Will Wheaton's that movie and he's fantastic.

[00:39:58] Oh my gosh.

[00:40:00] Yeah.

[00:40:00] Okay.

[00:40:01] So there is a level of parenting, right?

[00:40:04] Adina and Steve, you know this too.

[00:40:06] Oh yeah.

[00:40:06] Where at the end of the day, your kids are alive.

[00:40:08] You go hashtag winning.

[00:40:12] Yeah.

[00:40:13] But it's definitely different than when we were kids.

[00:40:17] Absolutely.

[00:40:17] The things that my parents let me do.

[00:40:20] Yeah.

[00:40:20] I like struggle with in terms, you know, like even just.

[00:40:24] Going out in the neighborhood to friends houses.

[00:40:27] Mm-hmm.

[00:40:27] And the fact that we went places without, you know, a cell phone and without a way to,

[00:40:35] you would possibly have to find a pay phone.

[00:40:39] Yeah.

[00:40:39] Crazy.

[00:40:39] My oldest right now is 14.

[00:40:42] He has a cell phone and it's one of those things that is important that I am able to communicate

[00:40:48] with him.

[00:40:48] He's able to communicate with me.

[00:40:49] When I was 14, I would be out of the house at a mall, at a shopping center.

[00:40:56] Yeah.

[00:40:57] My mom cannot contact me.

[00:41:00] The only indication is if I find a pay phone to contact her.

[00:41:04] Yeah.

[00:41:05] And maybe she's not home.

[00:41:06] Did you take your quarter, sweetie, in case you need to call?

[00:41:08] Yeah.

[00:41:09] Yeah.

[00:41:09] And all those things.

[00:41:10] So it's like it is there's definitely a difference between now and the 80s.

[00:41:14] And so and I do believe, especially from stories from my parents who were kids in the 50s,

[00:41:19] that it was different even back then.

[00:41:21] And so the reason I bring up Stand By Me is because that movie, which takes place in the

[00:41:25] late 50s or also same time, late 50s, early 60s, seems it does feel authentic in that here

[00:41:32] are four kids that they're 12, 13 and they basically tell their parents, one says, hey,

[00:41:39] I'm going to go camp out with so-and-so.

[00:41:41] The other one says, I'm going to go.

[00:41:42] You know, they tell their parents that they're camping out at each other's farm, backyard,

[00:41:47] whatever.

[00:41:48] And OK, every and everyone's cool and no one worries about the fact that these kids

[00:41:52] then wind up going off for a couple of days because, yeah, they're all camping.

[00:41:56] Mm hmm.

[00:41:57] Yeah.

[00:41:58] But again, during the 80s with my with my daughters and the idea of ending up on a picture on

[00:42:04] a milk carton, no way would I let my daughters on on their own.

[00:42:09] And that was in the 1980s.

[00:42:11] And I.

[00:42:11] But your daughter, your daughters probably did like, you know, like what I did, like

[00:42:15] you let them to the mall and you said, hey, make sure you call home by such and such a

[00:42:19] time.

[00:42:19] Right.

[00:42:20] There's still like there's still significant periods of time where there is no communication

[00:42:24] and no possibility for.

[00:42:27] Yeah.

[00:42:27] See, I was allergic to everything on the face of the earth except people.

[00:42:33] So I wasn't out running around much.

[00:42:35] I, you know, I wanted to make sure I was near air conditioning at all times.

[00:42:39] And here's a good question.

[00:42:41] I was just let your kids go out trick or treating on their own.

[00:42:44] No, absolutely not.

[00:42:47] I did.

[00:42:48] Oh, wow.

[00:42:50] Yep.

[00:42:50] We get we grab a pillowcase and me and my four friends from the neighborhood.

[00:42:55] We went out and canvas a neighborhood and we came back at nine o'clock at night.

[00:42:59] My parents said, what'd you get?

[00:43:01] Here's my bag of candy.

[00:43:02] Are there any apples in there with razor blades in them?

[00:43:04] No.

[00:43:04] OK, you're fine.

[00:43:05] Oh, yeah.

[00:43:06] The razor blades.

[00:43:07] Yeah.

[00:43:07] Well, so no concern about.

[00:43:12] You're on your own.

[00:43:13] If you survive.

[00:43:14] I live in a great neighborhood.

[00:43:16] Now, now the difference is like, are we talking what age group we talking about here?

[00:43:21] Because my daughter's 10.

[00:43:23] My son's eight.

[00:43:23] To the movie.

[00:43:24] Is he what?

[00:43:25] Like nine or 10?

[00:43:26] Nine or 10 is what I pegged him at.

[00:43:28] Yeah.

[00:43:28] Yeah.

[00:43:28] Yeah.

[00:43:28] So, you know, he's independent, though.

[00:43:31] He has to be.

[00:43:32] He's got his mom is single, you know?

[00:43:36] Yeah.

[00:43:36] Did we talk about where dad was?

[00:43:38] I don't know if we did.

[00:43:39] I don't remember that.

[00:43:39] One reference to dad that I see in the film, and it's a picture of a pilot and his fighter.

[00:43:46] Oh, OK.

[00:43:46] That makes sense.

[00:43:47] And so it's assumed that this dad was a Korean War pilot and didn't survive the war.

[00:43:54] Because if he was nine or 10 years old, that would have put him, you know, mom and dad being together in 51, 52.

[00:44:02] This movie is sad.

[00:44:02] You're right, Adina.

[00:44:03] It's a sad movie.

[00:44:04] True.

[00:44:05] Now, at the end, though, it was pretty darn heroic.

[00:44:08] You know, the town cheered.

[00:44:10] Everybody realized the robot was friendly and helped them out.

[00:44:12] And then you get the payoff at the end where they find the one little screw.

[00:44:18] And then we end up at where we end up.

[00:44:21] We're on Iceland.

[00:44:22] And there's all the pieces coming back together.

[00:44:25] So there could have been.

[00:44:27] Yeah.

[00:44:28] Brad Bird hoped for a sequel.

[00:44:30] That seemed like it was very much like we want to do a sequel.

[00:44:34] And this is like the sequel shot.

[00:44:36] And I think the sequel got killed because the movie was a failure at the box office.

[00:44:41] And so why are we going to take another chance?

[00:44:43] Why do you think it was a failure at the box office?

[00:44:46] It said in Wikipedia that a film had been released prior to another animated film.

[00:44:51] And it did poorly.

[00:44:52] And so the Warner Brothers marketing team kind of just pulled the plug on it and really didn't give it the promotion it deserved.

[00:45:00] And so it really didn't.

[00:45:01] What was that film, I wonder?

[00:45:04] I'd have to look up on Wikipedia.

[00:45:06] It was there about the history of why this film failed at the box office.

[00:45:11] Yeah.

[00:45:12] I mean, was there another animated film that just came out in unfortunate timing for it?

[00:45:18] And it just had all the feels?

[00:45:21] Let's see.

[00:45:22] Let's see.

[00:45:22] Let's see.

[00:45:23] Let's see.

[00:45:23] Let's see.

[00:45:23] Let's see.

[00:45:23] Let's see in the box office.

[00:45:25] In July 1999.

[00:45:27] Mm-hmm.

[00:45:29] I'm not seeing it.

[00:45:32] I'm not seeing it.

[00:45:33] But yeah, it could certainly have been affected by whatever else came out that summer.

[00:45:38] Yeah.

[00:45:38] When did Star Trek Insurrection come out?

[00:45:41] Was that 99?

[00:45:42] That was 98.

[00:45:43] 98?

[00:45:44] Yeah.

[00:45:45] Okay.

[00:45:45] Because I skipped the final in college to go see that movie.

[00:45:48] How did you feel after that?

[00:45:50] Did you re-bump that?

[00:45:51] It was a terrible decision.

[00:45:53] Anyway, I look at it now.

[00:45:54] I just want to let the audience know that I am not watching the Dodger game right now.

[00:45:58] Oh, this is love.

[00:45:59] But I can hear my wife cheering in the distance.

[00:46:01] And so I get to go watch something afterwards.

[00:46:04] Huh?

[00:46:04] Oh, that was it?

[00:46:06] Yes.

[00:46:06] Okay.

[00:46:07] That was the film.

[00:46:08] Quest for Cowboy.

[00:46:08] You're in Toronto.

[00:46:10] Yeah.

[00:46:10] That one is not.

[00:46:12] Yeah.

[00:46:12] So that's the one that Warner Brothers released and it didn't do well is what you're saying.

[00:46:16] Right.

[00:46:17] Okay.

[00:46:17] That's what it says on there.

[00:46:19] And that led to them just basically kind of pulling the plug.

[00:46:22] They just cut their losses.

[00:46:24] Yeah.

[00:46:24] Just didn't market it appropriately.

[00:46:27] Wow.

[00:46:28] And it was, yeah.

[00:46:28] Like, what is this?

[00:46:29] So it's what's the Wikipedia article saying that because of Quest for Camelot, what they

[00:46:34] did was is they didn't really market or promote the Iron Giant.

[00:46:39] They didn't put the money into the marketing.

[00:46:41] Yeah.

[00:46:41] Wow.

[00:46:42] That's what this is.

[00:46:43] How sucky would that be for a director and the team that put that movie together?

[00:46:48] Because the film does have charm.

[00:46:50] It does have.

[00:46:51] Yeah.

[00:46:52] It does have a lot going for it.

[00:46:54] It has like a 98%.

[00:46:56] That's too bad.

[00:46:57] Is it reading from Wikipedia?

[00:46:59] The press outlet took note of its absence of marketing with some reporting that the studio

[00:47:04] had spent more money on marketing for the intended summer blockbuster Wild Wild West

[00:47:09] instead.

[00:47:10] Oh, Wild Wild West?

[00:47:11] With Will Smith.

[00:47:12] That's rough.

[00:47:12] Yeah.

[00:47:13] Which I do remember I did see in the theater.

[00:47:15] I remember seeing that one.

[00:47:16] I did too.

[00:47:16] Yes.

[00:47:17] It's a rough movie.

[00:47:17] I need to watch it again, actually.

[00:47:19] Have you ever watched the original TV series?

[00:47:22] Yes.

[00:47:22] Yes.

[00:47:23] I did know.

[00:47:24] I'm aware of it, but no.

[00:47:25] Oh, yeah.

[00:47:26] It's James Bond with Cowboys.

[00:47:28] It's cool.

[00:47:29] It was a cool TV show.

[00:47:31] Yeah.

[00:47:31] It was a cool movie.

[00:47:33] Yeah.

[00:47:33] I kind of like, you know, I like the steam.

[00:47:34] I like some of the steampunky kind of stuff.

[00:47:37] So.

[00:47:37] Yeah.

[00:47:37] The steampunky stuff was cool.

[00:47:39] Yeah.

[00:47:41] Any other points of order you'd like to bring up about the movie?

[00:47:46] Other than.

[00:47:47] Because I think.

[00:47:47] What's interesting.

[00:47:48] You point out was the fact that this is the same dude who made some other interesting Disney

[00:47:53] movies.

[00:47:55] Ratatouille.

[00:47:56] Mm-hmm.

[00:47:57] Oh, what?

[00:47:58] Really?

[00:47:58] Yes.

[00:47:59] That's one of my all-time favorites.

[00:48:01] Right.

[00:48:01] Right.

[00:48:01] And again, talk about, again, the fantasy happy thing I want to think.

[00:48:06] Ratatouille is so adorable and so cute.

[00:48:08] I love the animation in that.

[00:48:11] Oh, gosh.

[00:48:11] Yes.

[00:48:12] And then The Incredibles.

[00:48:13] Oh, yeah.

[00:48:14] Incredibles.

[00:48:14] I see that.

[00:48:15] That makes sense a lot.

[00:48:16] That makes a lot of sense.

[00:48:18] Being a Mission Impossible fan, I can't fathom how he made Ghost Protocol.

[00:48:22] I love the movie.

[00:48:23] I think it's really well done.

[00:48:24] But I'm like, I don't see any connection to Iron Giant or anything.

[00:48:29] So it's just amazing that he's able to do something as thoughtful as the Iron Giant,

[00:48:33] is able to make The Incredibles, which is a really good fusion of space.

[00:48:38] Like, spy, but also superheroes and family.

[00:48:41] And then also do Ghost Protocol, which is just like, to me, that's amazing.

[00:48:45] It's talent.

[00:48:47] Well, again, and the other film he made, which was kind of a flop at the box office,

[00:48:51] was Tomorrowland.

[00:48:52] Did you ever see that?

[00:48:53] Oh, yeah.

[00:48:54] Yeah.

[00:48:54] Tomorrowland.

[00:48:55] Oh, my goodness.

[00:48:56] I actually, I wanted to see it.

[00:48:58] And I want to say I did start watching it on a streaming service at some point or somehow

[00:49:05] years ago.

[00:49:07] I wanted to see it.

[00:49:07] George Clooney, right, was in that.

[00:49:09] I think George Clooney, yes.

[00:49:10] That's right.

[00:49:11] And I remember liking that film.

[00:49:15] But I remember it did not do terrific.

[00:49:19] And I remember watching it and really enjoying it, but going, I see why it wasn't a blockbuster.

[00:49:24] Like, even with George Clooney in it, it just wasn't.

[00:49:27] It was kind of convoluted.

[00:49:29] And it tried to be the same thing where we're in reality.

[00:49:32] And then they get transported to a future that's amazing or Tomorrowland.

[00:49:36] And that becomes another type of story.

[00:49:39] And yeah, it was, I don't know.

[00:49:41] I saw it.

[00:49:42] I enjoyed it.

[00:49:43] But it wouldn't be one that I would say, hey, let's all talk about Tomorrowland as a subject

[00:49:48] for this podcast.

[00:49:49] Although Zina might want to because she's never seen it.

[00:49:52] I kind of do.

[00:49:53] But no, more than that, I would never have known this if it wasn't, again, also for the

[00:49:58] Wikipedia page.

[00:49:59] But our dude Brad Bird here also wrote Batteries Not Included.

[00:50:05] I was going to say, is that something we want to talk about?

[00:50:08] We will discuss that off air.

[00:50:09] That we might have to talk about one of these days.

[00:50:12] And I would love that.

[00:50:13] I would love to re-watch that.

[00:50:14] I remember.

[00:50:15] Oh, it's a sweet movie.

[00:50:16] I did watch it.

[00:50:17] Right.

[00:50:17] I did enjoy it at the time.

[00:50:18] I would definitely be interested in re-watching that with my kids.

[00:50:22] Is that the one with the robot that flies around?

[00:50:25] Yes.

[00:50:25] Little tiny robots.

[00:50:26] Yeah.

[00:50:26] They almost like little toys.

[00:50:28] Okay.

[00:50:29] And they're, I don't know if we even see the aliens.

[00:50:32] I think they're just the robots themselves.

[00:50:34] Just these little flying discs.

[00:50:37] 87.

[00:50:39] 87?

[00:50:40] That long ago?

[00:50:41] 87.

[00:50:42] Yeah.

[00:50:43] So, I mean, again, 87.

[00:50:45] That was the same year that he did also The Family Dog short for Amazing Stories.

[00:50:51] So, you look at him and they go, this, Brad Birdie's done a lot.

[00:50:56] And, I mean, also to come back so many years after The Incredibles and do Incredibles 2.

[00:51:02] And it's even more successful than the first movie.

[00:51:06] And the first movie was remarkable.

[00:51:09] That's why I enjoyed watching his career develop from The Family Dog 2, from The Iron Giant 2, the Incredibles, to Ratatouille and so on.

[00:51:22] And being part of, you know, the Pixar brain trust.

[00:51:26] And if you've ever seen an interview with him, him speak, he's very dry.

[00:51:29] He's not, you know, jovial or outgoing like John Lasseter was.

[00:51:34] He's very, very businesslike.

[00:51:38] Well, what really also blows my mind, because I haven't seen it, but then you're saying that.

[00:51:44] And he voiced one of the characters in The Incredibles.

[00:51:49] Yes.

[00:51:50] Yes, he did.

[00:51:51] He voiced Edna.

[00:51:52] No.

[00:51:52] She's the fashion designer.

[00:51:54] Yep.

[00:51:55] Yep.

[00:51:55] Which is one of my favorite characters.

[00:51:58] Yeah.

[00:51:58] It's like probably the standout character of that.

[00:52:01] Yeah.

[00:52:01] It's like everybody loves Edna.

[00:52:04] Yes.

[00:52:04] Do you know what I have?

[00:52:06] We have someone.

[00:52:08] Oh, no, no.

[00:52:09] It's not someone at work.

[00:52:09] It's a family friend.

[00:52:11] And I don't say that.

[00:52:12] I'm glad I don't say this to her face.

[00:52:14] Every time I hear the name, I have to go Edna.

[00:52:17] Just because it's from the movie.

[00:52:19] Come on.

[00:52:19] Don't you want to just say, what is that?

[00:52:22] It's hobo clothes.

[00:52:23] What's with hobo clothes?

[00:52:27] It's not a big sci-fi podcast unless Steve does at least one impersonation or accent or sings.

[00:52:33] And he's done all three.

[00:52:34] And I will also let you know that when that movie came out, The Incredibles, and I loved Edna Moe so much, my kids bought me an Edna Moe doll, which I still have to this day.

[00:52:45] That do you really?

[00:52:45] It's cool.

[00:52:46] She is a special character.

[00:52:48] Because every time she spoke, every scene that she was in, in The Incredibles, I'm on the ground laughing because it's so well done.

[00:52:56] That's how I feel about my William Shatner action figure.

[00:52:59] Exactly the same feelings.

[00:53:02] Which one was it?

[00:53:03] Was it Incredibles 2?

[00:53:06] Yeah, because Incredibles, there has just been Incredibles 2.

[00:53:09] So the scene when she takes care of the baby.

[00:53:11] Yeah.

[00:53:12] Right.

[00:53:13] Remember Incredibles 2.

[00:53:14] That's my favorite.

[00:53:15] That film, those films have so much wit in them that is far above most kids' brains to catch or understand.

[00:53:24] That's why I love the incredible films.

[00:53:27] Yeah.

[00:53:28] So every time I watch it, I laugh my face off and go, man, I'm glad they make cartoons like this.

[00:53:35] Yep.

[00:53:35] Do we want to rate, I guess?

[00:53:37] I don't know where we're at in terms of the discount.

[00:53:39] Well, yeah.

[00:53:39] Okay.

[00:53:40] I mean, unless there's anything more that you'd like to bring up about The Iron Giant or Brad Bird, then let's go into the famous Brian Donahue 1 to 5 star rating system registered by Brian Donahue.

[00:53:55] We all have to give him a dime every time we mention Brian Donahue.

[00:53:59] Just a dime?

[00:54:00] That one even gave me a meal at Burger King.

[00:54:04] Although I prefer Wendy's, though.

[00:54:06] Okay.

[00:54:06] Very good.

[00:54:07] I'd prefer.

[00:54:08] That'd be good.

[00:54:09] Yeah.

[00:54:10] Or in our case, it should be.

[00:54:12] Oh.

[00:54:13] What's it called?

[00:54:14] That we always go to at Trek Long Island.

[00:54:16] Oh, Five Guys?

[00:54:17] Five Guys.

[00:54:18] Yeah.

[00:54:18] I will let you know, Chris, that when my wife and I were in Vancouver at the airport, we had Wendy's.

[00:54:25] And the menu was both in English and French, which was kind of cool.

[00:54:28] Oh, yeah.

[00:54:29] They had to have Wendy's.

[00:54:30] Okay.

[00:54:31] All right.

[00:54:31] So in the five star system, Adina, let you go first.

[00:54:35] Where do you stand since we kind of have a feeling?

[00:54:38] I'm kind of in the three range.

[00:54:40] Oh, really?

[00:54:41] That's higher than I was expecting.

[00:54:43] Yeah.

[00:54:43] Like I said, I didn't know.

[00:54:44] I didn't, you know, I didn't.

[00:54:47] Yeah.

[00:54:47] Have, you know, meh.

[00:54:50] Meh.

[00:54:51] Three is a very good meh.

[00:54:53] I'll put that.

[00:54:54] Three is a very good meh.

[00:54:55] Yeah.

[00:54:55] Charitable meh.

[00:54:56] Yeah.

[00:54:57] Yeah.

[00:54:57] Well, again, I like the robot a lot.

[00:55:01] Okay.

[00:55:01] All right.

[00:55:02] More about the robot.

[00:55:03] Well, let's talk to Brad and see if he'll make a sequel and a little more backstory since the robot survived.

[00:55:12] Brad, where are you?

[00:55:12] You can barely afford it now.

[00:55:14] Brian, go ahead.

[00:55:15] I am less meh than Adina, but my rating for this film based on other films we've talked about, like The Incredibles, other Disney films, Pixar.

[00:55:34] I can't give this more than a 2.5.

[00:55:37] It's got a lot of charm.

[00:55:39] Wow.

[00:55:40] I thought you were higher than that.

[00:55:42] Yeah.

[00:55:43] I'm confused.

[00:55:43] I'm higher than we were.

[00:55:45] Listen, folks, you asked for my rating and you're not going to let me explain why?

[00:55:49] No, no, no.

[00:55:50] No, of course we're going to jump at you in comment.

[00:55:52] This is not like an online server.

[00:55:54] They say, but what in five stars?

[00:55:56] What do you choose?

[00:55:56] And give us a reason why, you know, in the little box.

[00:55:59] You have 250 characters to write why you feel it's a 2.5, but that's fine.

[00:56:05] The film's got a lot of charm.

[00:56:07] The animation's fine.

[00:56:10] That's where I'm meh on this film.

[00:56:12] Okay.

[00:56:12] Uh, and because the robot doesn't have a lot of backstory, I just feel like it's a really easy story.

[00:56:18] Um, but it was charming.

[00:56:20] I enjoyed watching it with my daughter immensely.

[00:56:22] Okay.

[00:56:23] And so 2.5, I just think there's a lot of other cartoons, movies and films and stories out there that are so far superior to this.

[00:56:31] Mm-hmm.

[00:56:32] That to give this much higher, I can understand a 3.

[00:56:35] And I could probably, if you force me, give it a 3.

[00:56:38] No, we would never do that.

[00:56:39] I know you wouldn't.

[00:56:41] Adina might, but you would never, Steve.

[00:56:43] No, no.

[00:56:43] No.

[00:56:43] Well, this is, you know, yes, I'm being, I was being charitable.

[00:56:48] Okay.

[00:56:49] All right.

[00:56:51] Chris, where do you stand on the charitability rating?

[00:56:54] I'm still probably around a 3 because I always wanted to, like, do things out of 10.

[00:57:00] So in my head, I'm like, hey, what is the equivalent of a 7 out of 10?

[00:57:22] Mm-hmm.

[00:57:23] Well, I'm going to be the charitable one because I chose this film because it means a lot to me.

[00:57:29] So I'm going to give it a 4.25.

[00:57:31] Okay.

[00:57:32] All right.

[00:57:33] Cool.

[00:57:33] Because there's so much about that I like this movie.

[00:57:36] It's kind of like watching Christmas Story.

[00:57:39] You know, it brings back a nostalgia of a time that I grew up in and that this seems real.

[00:57:47] And so it's, yeah, what would I do if a giant robot ended up in my backyard?

[00:57:54] How would I feel about that?

[00:57:55] Hopefully he doesn't crush me in its metal hand.

[00:57:59] You know, I guess that's the dream you lived through the character of Hogarth is that what would happen if a giant robot ended up in your backyard?

[00:58:09] Okay.

[00:58:10] Scream, maybe.

[00:58:11] I don't know.

[00:58:11] I appreciate that.

[00:58:12] You know, there'd be some screaming.

[00:58:14] It's interesting.

[00:58:15] There'd be a lot of cars honking.

[00:58:16] And as before Steve reads his closing monologue here, this, I, I appreciate that, Steve.

[00:58:24] And I think that's why most of the time when we all pick stuff, we either have a curiosity about it or we genuinely love it.

[00:58:33] That's why we want to talk about it.

[00:58:34] We want to share it with each other and with our listeners.

[00:58:38] And so I appreciate that this has a lot of nostalgia for you.

[00:58:42] And I can see why I totally get it.

[00:58:45] I totally get it.

[00:58:46] Yeah.

[00:58:46] Yeah.

[00:58:47] And that's the reason.

[00:58:47] And that's the other thing is that, is that the fact that I watched it when it first came out, we've all seen this now.

[00:58:54] Like you, Brian, are watching it for the first time now and taking it in that way.

[00:59:00] I mean, again, had you seen it back in 1999, you may have felt differently and may have a different nostalgic feel to you, but that's okay.

[00:59:08] And I will add one more thing.

[00:59:10] I'm glad I got to watch it.

[00:59:11] I'm glad I got to watch it in one sitting.

[00:59:12] Some of the films, because the way life flows for me, I have to watch it in two sittings, sometimes three, if it's a longer film.

[00:59:19] Yeah, like Godzilla.

[00:59:19] That took three.

[00:59:20] Right.

[00:59:20] Yeah.

[00:59:20] I just, I just was so busy.

[00:59:22] I had, I could only fit it in for about a half hour at a time.

[00:59:25] So this film, I got to sit down and watch and I'm glad I did.

[00:59:28] Cause I think I enjoyed it more being able to see it all the way through this one.

[00:59:32] I probably would have rated a little lower if I had to break it up twice.

[00:59:36] So.

[00:59:36] Okay.

[00:59:36] Very good.

[00:59:37] All right.

[00:59:38] Well then, um, here's the thought to consider folks.

[00:59:42] The composer, and now you always screw up his last name, Michael Gianquino.

[00:59:47] Oh, it's G, you know, I've had to remember that.

[00:59:51] He's everywhere now.

[00:59:52] So the composer, Michael Gianquino, who I saw at Star Trek Las Vegas talking about this said that his first composition of a film was for the Incredibles.

[01:00:07] And when, when he, he said, when he was appointed the job of creating the music, Brad Bird had one request from him.

[01:00:14] Don't F up my film, which he didn't because the music in the Incredibles is truly incredible.

[01:00:22] Da, da, da, da, da.

[01:00:24] There you go.

[01:00:25] Yeah.

[01:00:26] But that is the thing about Brad Bird.

[01:00:29] He puts his heart and his soul into each of his projects.

[01:00:33] Even projects that didn't direct like, Hey, you mentioned earlier, batteries not included.

[01:00:38] Or have you ever seen the brave little toaster?

[01:00:42] Mm-hmm.

[01:00:43] Yes.

[01:00:43] Loved that movie.

[01:00:45] Oh, there's another one.

[01:00:45] Yes.

[01:00:45] He was part of that as well.

[01:00:47] Really?

[01:00:48] Mm-hmm.

[01:00:48] I don't remember that.

[01:00:49] Yes.

[01:00:50] Yes.

[01:00:50] I believe he either wrote or animated it, but that's one of those wonderful little films.

[01:00:56] And, you know, and then also being part of the Pixar brain trust.

[01:01:00] Every time, you know, I see his name listed as part of the brain trust, it made me smile knowing that Brad Bird is still doing stuff.

[01:01:09] And, you know, whatever he touches, he leaves that imprint into his work.

[01:01:14] So, it just makes me smile every time I see him.

[01:01:17] I see his name listed.

[01:01:19] And knowing that the very first thing I saw was the family dog 37 years ago.

[01:01:29] You know, and he's only one year older than me.

[01:01:31] So, I expect to see more great things from Brad Bird.

[01:01:33] And, hey, I think there is an Incredibles 3 on the planning.

[01:01:37] So, like, we can only hope, right?

[01:01:39] We can only hope.

[01:01:40] So, you know, we hope you've enjoyed this episode of The Big Sci-Fi Podcast.

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[01:02:01] Had they only done that for the Iron Giant, it might have done better in the theater.

[01:02:06] We four love getting together to discuss all things sci-fi.

[01:02:10] We sure hope you will continue to follow us and you will look forward to the next exciting episode.

[01:02:16] As we said, as Edna Moe said, voiced by Brad Bird, no capes.

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[01:02:27] And as always, I leave you with these parting words.

[01:02:30] Look to the skies, live long and prosper.

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