Some things I like: comic books, superheroes, robots, cartoons. How have I never seen The Iron Giant? It makes no sense. I loved The Incredibles and knew that Brad Bird also directed The Iron Giant, but I never sought out to it until now.

I was browsing Netflix’s streaming selection, looking for something under two hours to watch when I came across The Iron Giant. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like this movie, so I started it up.

For some reason, I thought The Iron Giant was about 10 years older than its 1999 release date. I though incorrectly that the movie came out in 1990. When I heard Jennifer Anniston’s voice as Hogarth’s mother, I thought “Wow, this is her first big movie, not Leprechaun.” But I was wrong. I’m still trying to figure out why I thought the movie came out much earlier. Maybe it’s because I remember seeing it in one of those bulky, oversized, plastic VHS cases that I associate with the 1990s.

I recognized Harry Connick Jr and Jennifer Anniston’s voices quickly, but for the whole movie I couldn’t figure out who played the General. The voice was so familiar, but I couldn’t place it at all. It wasn’t until the credits rolled that I found it was Frasier’s dad, John Mahoney. And Vin Diesel was the voice of The Iron Giant? What the..?!

I could feel the tears welling up twice during The Iron Giant. The first time was when The Iron Giant became afraid of his own destructive capabilities and ran away. The second was when The Iron Giant flew up into the sky to stop the missile.

Wow, that movie was awesome. How has there never been a sequel?