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The Iron Giant DVD : Of course, it is only to be expected that US will produce something to make fun of its anti-Soviet propaganda only when the Soviet Union itself is in shambles. Nevertheless, The Iron Giant is amazingly powerful and very believable.
There are two stories going on at the same time. The first, obvious story is geared towards children, as young Hogarth Hughes "befriends" a giant robot from space who apparently had his memory wiped out when he tried to eat a power plant (not as silly as it sounds). This story is filled with the standard cartoon slapstick comedy and the casual childish gag. Thankfully, there are no songs within sight (most reviewers noticed this). In fact, none would befit this animated film (I have difficulty imagining giant robots sing).
The second, subtler story is the debunkment of the Cold War-era anti-Soviet (and anti-non-US in general) propaganda, as Hogarth tries to conceal the fifty-foot-tall behemoth, fails, and has a forceful, nosy agent (and eventually an entire army) tracking his every move - naturally, the government is quite displeased with the robot. This story, on the other hand, has quite a few adult-oriented jokes (not, not in that sense). For example, Hogarth feeds a laxative to the agent to stop him from following, and the duck-'n-cover thing that recurs in the beginning and the finale. Both stories interweave quite frequently, so a rather mature-minded child will have no difficulty following the action. (Review)
