History YMMV / TheIronGiant

** General Rogard gives another one with this legendary line in the middle of impending doom. [[spoiler: Taken on its face it's a silly question, since the Giant is right next to them. But given Rogard's blistering anger that Mansley has ''called down a nuke'' on said giant, it perfectly encapsulates how badly Mansley has messed up.]]:

** General Rogard gives another one with this legendary line in the middle of impending doom. [[spoiler: Taken on it's face it's a silly question, since the Giant is right next to them. But given Rogard's blistering anger that Mansley has ''called down a nuke'' on said giant, it perfectly encapsulates how badly Mansley has messed up.]]:

** There's also a popular headcanon that Mansley was punished after the events of the movie, but instead of being moved to another location, he was instead moved [[YouHaveFailedMe six feet under]]. Given he almost [[spoiler:obliterated a bunch of American citizens with a nuke]] at the height of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, a charge of treason (which, in the US, is punishable by death) would not have been out of the question. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEO8iAr7bEI This video]] outlines the many, many crimes Mansley committed over the course of the film, as well as the legal punishments for all of them, and concludes that he would've been lucky to spend the rest of his life in prison.

* {{Fanon}}: It's popular among fans to speculate that Mansley had been ReassignedToAntarctica before the events of the film, considering his high-and-mighty attitude in spite of clearly being in a dead-end government position that nobody takes seriously. And his many, ''many'' attitude problems.
** There's also a popular headcanon that Mansley was punished after the events of the movie, but instead of being moved to another location, he was instead moved [[YouHaveFailedMe six feet under.]] Given he almost obliterated a bunch of American citizens with a nuke...

** The General gives another one with this legendary line in the middle of impending doom:
--->'''General:''' [[DidntThinkThisThrough WHERE'S THE GIANT, MANSLEY?]]

* MisaimedMarketing:
** One of the only trailers released for the film was a series of out-of-context clips scored to Music/{{Scorpions|Band}}' "Rock You Like A Hurricane". It had absolutely ''nothing'' to do with what the movie was about, and the crew who worked on the film were horrified.
** Even the sparse toyline that was released at the time didn't convey the movie's themes very well, as the action figures of the Giant emphasized its weapon functions and the packaging has Hogarth brandishing his toy gun. People who watched the movie only after being exposed to the toys first were in for a surprise and some serious dissonance.

** Also, Kent Mansley saying "''Screw'' our country! I wanna live!" as his final lines in the movie after he unwittingly sends a nuke directly into the town becomes extremely ironic when the President in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' (who's strongly implied to be the same president from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'') is redesigned to resemble Mansley.

** Similarly, it could be seen similar to Yokoyama's other mecha ''Manga/GiantRobo'', given how eerily similar the HeroicSacrifice the Giant makes is to Giant Robo's sacrifice in its 1960's tokusatsu adaptation.

* AdaptationDisplacement: This movie was inspired by a book called ''The Iron Man'' by acclaimed writer and Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, which still remains as a pretty obscure work in comparison with the CultClassic status of its animated adaptation. However, in it's native England, the book and it's sequel ''The Iron Woman'', has received a stage adaptation or two.

* AdaptationDisplacement: This movie was inspired by a book called ''The Iron Man'' by acclaimed writer and Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, which still remains as a pretty obscure work in comparison with the CultClassic status of its animated adaptation. However, in it's native England, the book and it's sequel The Iron Woman, has received a stage adaptation or two.

* VindicatedByCable: Creator/CartoonNetwork adored this movie and even ran it on loop for holiday marathons (especially on Thanksgiving), which played a big role in the film being discovered after its dismal theatrical run (see below).

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was universally loved by critics and audiences, but that didn't save the film from [[AcclaimedFlop bombing at the box office]]; Warner Bros.' marketing blitz for the home video release led to the film being seen by a wider audience, and now it's considered one of the greatest animated films ever. Helping was Creator/CartoonNetwork's now-infamous holiday marathons. Even when played over and over, back to back, for '''three days''' in a row, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it still didn't get old]].

** Even the sparse toyline that was released at the time didn't convey the movie very well, as the action figures of the Giant emphasized its weapon functions and the packaging has Hogarth brandishing his toy gun. People who watched the movie only after being exposed to the toys first were in for a surprise and some serious dissonance.

* MisaimedMarketing: One of the only trailers released for the film was a series of out-of-context clips scored to Music/{{Scorpions|Band}}' "Rock You Like A Hurricane". It had absolutely ''nothing'' to do with what the movie was about, and the crew who worked on the film were horrified.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: When Mansley has his rant in the ice cream shop that the Giant isn't American-built so it should be feared and destroyed, he is arguing from a position of nationalistic paranoia and fear of the unknown. Given that we have seen Hogarth and the Giant interact and seen Mansley to be a JerkAss, we know that he's overreacting. However, he raises some good points in that we don't know who built the Giant, what it is or what it can do. When we learn that the Giant was designed to be a super-weapon meant to be part of an army of planet-killers, Mansley's desire to "destroy it before it destroys us" carries a bit more weight.

** In the Norwegian dub, Hogarth saying "Oh my God!" at the dinner table is even funnier as said phrase in Norwegian ("Herregud") is a cuss word (when said a certain way), making Annie's startled expression even more understandable. And then Hogarth says "Satan", which in Norwegian is almost as bad as saying "Fuck". That they were even allowed to keep it is hilarious.

* MoralEventHorizon: Mansley crosses the line when he drugs Hogarth after confronting him in the barn to interrogate him. During this time he deliberately threatens to have Hogarth taken away from his mother, knowing full well the emotional trauma he hopes to induce in Hogarth to get him to disclose where the Giant is. If that didn't convince you he a horrible sleaze, he then dooms the town of Rockwell to nuclear destruction in his attempt to destroy the Giant, and then tries to flee with a "screw our country", proving how much of a destructive phony he really is.

* CatharsisFactor: Mansley, when Rogard blows up at him for wasting his time is hilarious and enjoyable. As is the Giant stopping Mansley's cowardly escape.

* VindicatedByHistory: The film was universally loved by critics and audiences, but that didn't save the film from [[AcclaimedFlop bombing at the box office]]; Warner Bros.' marketing blitz for the home video release led to the film being seen by a wider audience, and now it's considered one of the greatest animated films ever. Helping was Creator/CartoonNetwork's now infamous Memorial Day marathons. Even when played over and over, back to back, for '''three days''' in a row, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it still didn't get old]].

--->'''General:''' WHERE'S THE GIANT, MANSLEY?

--->'''Mansley:''' HOG HUG!? HOGARTH HUGHES!

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: WordOfGod has said that the movie wasn't actually intended to have an individualist Nurture-Over-Nature Aesop, but it still does a pretty good job of delivering that message, arguably as well as its intended [[DoesNotLikeGuns "Guns are bad"]] message.

* MoralEventHorizon: Although he dooms the town of Rockwell to nuclear destruction in his attempt to destroy the Giant, Mansley crosses the line when he drugs Hogarth after confronting him in the barn to interrogate him. During this time he deliberately threatens to have Hogarth taken away from his mother, knowing full well the emotional trauma he hopes to induce in Hogarth to get him to disclose where the Giant is. When he gives the order to launch the missile, he is acting out of prideful stupidity. What he does to Hogarth was premeditated and intentional.

* CatharisFactor: Mansley, when Rogard blows up at him for wasting his time is hilarious and enjoyable. As is the Giant stopping Mansley's cowardly escape.