Line #190 WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant


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8	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_giant_8.png]]
9	[[caption-width-right:300:''[[{{Tagline}} It came from outer space.]]'']]
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11	->''"You are who you choose to be."''
12	-->-- '''Dean [=McCoppin=]''', [[MeaningfulEcho later used by]] '''Hogarth Hughes'''
13
14	Directed by Creator/BradBird (who was one of the original directors of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and would later move on to work for Creator/{{Pixar}}), ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 animated film from Creator/WarnerBros, based on Ted Hughes' novel ''Literature/TheIronMan'' ([[ComicBook/IronMan not to be confused with the comic book]]).
15
16	In [[TheFifties 1957]], the titular Iron Giant (voiced by Creator/VinDiesel) falls to Earth, and a boy named Hogarth Hughes (Creator/EliMarienthal) befriends him. Hogarth tries to hide the Giant from the public (particularly due to UsefulNotes/ColdWar-era paranoia), especially his mother Annie (Creator/JenniferAniston) and a persistent government agent named [[BigBad Kent Mansley]] (Creator/ChristopherMcDonald). But the Giant has a very mysterious past of his own, and if things get out, the Cold War may just go hot...
17
18	The movie was executive produced by Music/TheWho's Pete Townshend, who loved the original story and had previously done a RockOpera based on it. A 2015 "[[ReCut Signature Edition]]" of the movie adds two scenes.
19
20	The Iron Giant appears as a playable fighter in ''VideoGame/{{Multiversus}}''. He also appears in the film ''Film/{{Ready Player One\|2018}}''; however, it's not the actual character but rather a custom avatar skin option covering a mecha vehicle.
21
22	----
23	!!This film contains examples of:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:#-E]]
28	* OneDimensionalThinking: When Hogarth tries to evade the Giant trampling on him during their first encounter, he doesn't think of stepping aside but keeps running straight forward.
29	* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: The necessity of cost-effectively and realistically portraying a metal man led to the Giant being rendered in 3D CGI, along with some vehicles and other such complex machinery. The animators worked hard to make sure that the models did not stand out against the hand-drawn animation, meticulously adding slight imperfections to the rendered outlines to help them blend in with spectacular results. This was a ground-breaking step for a film made in 1999.
30	* TheFifties: The setting of the film, with all the trappings of the Cold War included. And all that that implies.
31	* FiftiesHair: Since this is set in 1957, all the characters have standard '50s dos. Hogarth and his friends have crew cuts; his mother Annie has short wavy hair; government agent Kent Mansley has cropped hair on the sides with a curly mop on top; resident Beatnik Dean [=McCoppin=] has stubble and a soul patch; and General Rogard has the standard issue flat top.
32	* AccidentalArt: In one scene, Dean yells at the Giant who is in the process of eating one of his art pieces. The Giant removes it and does his best to smooth it out, but Dean has already accepted its destruction -- until he sees what the Giant made, which still looks impressive.
33	* ActionPrologue: The opening scene of the nocturnal arrival of the robot.
34	* AdaptationExpansion: In the original book, the Giant just appears out of nowhere and nothing is ever told of his backstory. The Giant is still shrouded in mystery here, but the film hints more to his origins as an extraterrestrial weapon that landed on Earth.
35	* AdaptedOut: The film follows Ted Hughes' novel's first half [[AdaptationExpansion and builds upon it]]. The second half of the book involving the Iron Man and Hogarth attempting to deal with an enormous [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon]] is omitted entirely.
36	* AdaptationalBadass: In the book, the Giant was a force to be reckoned with especially as he deals with the Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon. In the "Signature Edition" with the "Giant's Dream" segment restored, it's shown he was part [[spoiler:of an army of planet-killers equipped with a wide array of lethal alien weaponry]] .
37	* AdaptationalNationality: The book is set in late 1960s England, however the film is set in 1950s America.
38	* AdaptationalVillainy: The Giant is certainly not portrayed as a villain in the film, but film does show he has an ominous past and purpose. Brad Bird has said that the idea that inspired him to make the film was "What if a gun had a soul and [[IAmNotAGun didn't want to be a gun?]]" This guiding thought required the Giant to be reworked from a mysterious being from space into a robot that was clearly designed to be a weapon.
39	* AerithAndBob: Dean and Annie, Kent and ''Hogarth''. Kent lampshades it in one scene when muttering to himself.
40	->''"Hogarth? What an embarrassing name. Might as well call him Zeppo or something. What kind of a sick person would name a kid Hogarth?"''
41	* AliensInCardiff: The Giant lands in Maine, a state not known for HumongousMecha.
42	* AllAnimalsAreDogs: The Giant's detached hand acts like a dog playfully exploring Hogarth's house. Its wrist joint even ''wags'' when Hogarth discovers it in the bathroom playing with the toilet paper.
43	* AlliterativeName: Hogarth Hughes.
44	* AmnesiacDissonance: The Giant is implied to have this, as he ''is'' capable of incredible destruction. The Signature Edition implies that he probably ''had'' destroyed entire planets before his crash landing on Earth, well in contrast to his childlike and innocent persona in the film proper.
45	* AmusingInjuries: Happens to Mansley a couple of times.
46	** When Annie and Mansley walk in on Hogarth "using the bathroom", Annie slams the door shut very quickly in embarrassment, accidentally smashing Mansley's face in between the frame and the door.
47	** Late in the movie, Mansley is rear-ended in his car and slams his face into the windshield, making visible cracks. There isn't a mark on his face, and he comes out of the car screaming about something else immediately after.
48	* {{Angrish}}: Kent has a tendency to use this, namely during his mini tantrum trying to hang up the Hughes' phone.
49	* AnswerCut: When Mr. Stutz says that he really did call the government and that they were sending someone to investigate, Dean responds, "Jeez, Earl, you really ''are'' crazy. I mean, who in the hell would the government send?" Cue Kent Mansley, United States Government, Unexplained Phenomena Department.
50	* ArcWords: Several.
51	** "You are who you choose to be."
52	** "Guns kill"/"{{I am not a gun}}."
53	** "Souls don't die."
54	** "ComicBook/{{Superman}}."
55	** "And all that that implies."
56	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler:Mansley's sheer fear and paranoia of the Giant, not helped by his berserk moment at the U.S. Army [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Mansley caused to be there]], has him proceed to call a ''nuclear missile'' upon the Giant's position. Who is right there in the town, before their very eyes in explicit danger close range. Rogard, in sheer and complete disbelief at how TooDumbToLive Mansley is, proceeds to rip him into him with a question that makes Mansley realize [[OhCrap what he just did]].]]
57	-->'''Rogard:''' [[spoiler:That missile is targeted to the Giant's '''current position!''' ''Where's the Giant, Mansley?!'']]
58	-->'''Mansley:''' [[spoiler:--wha- ''([[{{Beat}} glances back]] at Hogarth and the Giant, the latter of which is giving him a DeathGlare)'' [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Ooooh...]]]]
59	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Mansley rhetorically asks Hogarth if he knows who built the Giant. "Is it the Russians? The Chinese? Martians? Canadians?"
60	* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
61	** Sort of, while not impossible it's highly improbable. At one point, Dean jokingly describes espresso as "coffee-zilla" when warning Hogarth against drinking it. Franchise/{{Godzilla}} wasn't a household name in America in 1957. There were only two ''Godzilla'' movies in existence at the time, and only one (''[[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters1956 Godzilla: King of the Monsters!]]'') had actually been released in the United States. Although it's entirely possible that both Dean and Hogarth may have been familiar with it (Dean with his interest in avant-garde art and Hogarth being a fan of horror movies), Godzilla simply hadn't permeated pop culture enough yet for him to use that phrase. Even if they both saw the movie and Dean coined the phrase on the spot, it's unlikely Hogarth would immediately understand it.
62	** In the same vein, while Mansly is briefing the mayor of why he's there, he says that radar picked up what might be a meteorite or a fallen satellite. Since this is supposed to be the time when ''Sputnik'' was the ''only'' satellite, it seems doubtful the possibility would occur to him.
63	** The car the Giant spins Hogarth around with in the junkyard is a 1959 Cadillac Series 62.
64	* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: Nuclear bombs are specifically designed ''not to detonate'' if something goes wrong before it reaches the target point, but [[spoiler:when The Iron Giant collides with the nuclear missile high above the Earth, it appears to fully detonate]]. Technically, there should only have been a much smaller, rocket-fuel explosion.
65	* ArtisticLicenseShips: Mostly due to RuleOfDrama and RuleOfPerception.
66	** The submarine that fires the nuclear missile at the climax is identified as the USS ''Nautilus''. The real USS ''Nautilus'' was the first nuclear-''powered'' submarine, but was an attack sub not equipped to carry missiles, being armed only with torpedoes. The US Navy's first ballistic missile submarine, the USS ''George Washington'', was launched in 1959.
67	** The submarine-launched Polaris ballistic missile was first tested in 1960 and didn't enter service until 1961, 4 years after the movie's setting (there was a submarine-launched nuclear ''cruise'' missile, the Regulus, being tested and entering service around the time of the film's setting carried by the diesel-powered USS ''Tunny'', but that isn't depicted here).
68	** The military ships in Rockwell's Bay are inconsistently referred to as either battleships or heavy cruisers.
69	*** If the warships were battleships, the penant numbers listed are inconsistent: one is labelled with the number 51, which was a battleship, USS ''Montana'', that was never built -- it was cancelled with the rest of the first ''South Dakota'' class.
70	*** If they were heavy cruisers, the hull number errors becomes even more egregious, as the two hull numbers seen on the warships were in real-life, given to ''light'' cruisers, which were both not in service for a decade (and one was in fact, sunk)
71	* BadBadActing: In the BMovie Hogarth was watching, expected for a '50s sci-fi film.
72	* BaitAndSwitch: When Hogarth and the Giant first truly meet, the former figures the latter won't hurt him. In response, the Giant seemingly brings a fist over Hogarth's head. The boy braces himself... before the fist unclenches to reveal he was holding the shut-off switch, meant to express gratitude for saving him.
73	* {{Bambification}}: The film uses the Giant's encounter of a stag in the forest and its subsequent death by hunters as a pivot point in story to allow Hogarth to teach the Giant about the reality of death and deliver the arc-message that "guns kill".
74	* BatmanInMyBasement: Hogarth has a ''giant robot'' in his barn.
75	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The Giant takes an interest in Hogarth because the young boy saved him from being electrocuted at the power station.
76	* BewareTheNiceOnes: The ultimate example of why you should never piss off the GentleGiant.
77	* BeYourself: Dean's advice to Hogarth after his espresso-fueled rant about his school problems is regardless of what others think, "you are who you choose to be". This turns into one of the film's main lessons.
78	* BigBad: Kent Mansley, the government agent pursuing the Giant. Played with in that while his [[DirtyCoward cowardice]] and [[IdiotBall irrational behavior]] [[spoiler:nearly gets the town of Rockwell nuked]], it's made clear he's something of a laughingstock with no real authority.
79	* BigElectricSwitch: The huge On/Off switch at the power station which Hogarth pulls to save the Giant.
80	* BigNo: Annie upon seeing the Giant (who is carrying Hogarth) [[spoiler:has been shot out of the sky]].
81	* BigOMG:
82	** Kent when he notices half of his car is destroyed.
83	** Also hilariously done when Hogarth says it during dinner and he's just noticed the giant's hand in the kitchen... and he turns it into part of the prayer he's saying.
84	* BittersweetEnding: To the rest of the world, the incident at Rockwell has been dealt with by the army, Mansley is arrested for his crimes, Hogarth has more friends, and Annie and Dean are a couple. But [[spoiler:the Giant sacrificed himself and is remembered as a hero. [[SubvertedTrope However]], Hogarth becomes aware that the screw is being summoned and the last scene of the movie shows the Giant on a glacier in Iceland reassembling himself, thus sweetening the ending]].
85	* BlatantLies: Hogarth's teeth are chattering and he's purple with cold:
86	--> '''Hogarth:''' C-c-come on in! The water-r's g-great!
87	* BloodlessCarnage: Hogarth's nosebleed established for the audience that these characters are not MadeOfIron. However, when a deer takes a lethal bullet wound, nary a drop of blood is seen. Similarly, Mansley's AmusingInjuries are all of a non-bleeding type.
88	* BluffingTheAuthorities: When [[TheParanoiac paranoiac]] JerkAss Kent Mansley finally convinces the US Army that the title character is loose in Rockwell, Maine, they arrive at Dean [=McCoppin's=] studio to find a huge robotic figure. Dean explains that it's a modern art sculpture he's going to be selling to a wealthy industrialist.
89	* BMovie: Hogarth watches a particularly hammy movie about [[BrainMonster killer brains]]. They even replicated the rather wooden acting abilities of the performers and laughable special effects that typically appeared in such films.
90	* {{Bookends}}: The movie begins and ends with beeps. At the beginning, the beeps are courtesy of Sputnik. At the end, [[spoiler:they're from the Giant reassembling himself in Iceland]].
91	* ABoyAndHisX: Hogarth and the Giant. He learns responsibility and teaches the Giant that [[IAmNotAGun he doesn't needs to be a violent death machine just because he was made to be one]].
92	* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: At one point when playing with Hogarth in the scrapyard, the Giant declares "I Superman!" and adorns his chest with a giant "S".
93	* BullyingADragon: Given the Giant's size and durability, it was rather audacious of the army to have a tank fire at him as their first form of contact. Sadly, the situation escalates badly when Mansley ignores Dean's warning that the Giant only acts defensively and lies to the General that the Giant had killed a kid and must be stopped at all costs. This in turn leads to the jet attack that triggers the Giant's RoaringRampageOfRevenge and the ensuing CurbStompBattle.
94	* CallBack: The Giant [[PleaseWakeUp nudging Hogarth's unconscious body]] the same way he nudged the dead deer.
95	* CameFromTheSky: A fisherman lost in a storm first sees something fall from the sky, then runs into the Giant thinking its glowing eyes are the lighthouse.
96	* TheCameo: Former Disney animators [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston]] appear as railroad workers early in the film, telling Mansley about the giant. Brad Bird even got Frank and Ollie ''themselves'' to voice their [[InkSuitActor inksuit cameos]]!
97	* CassandraTruth:
98	** Early in the film, Hogarth's mother [[NotNowKiddo disregards him when he tries to tell her about the robot]].
99	** Mansley gets blown off by Rogard when he tries to phone him about the Giant's existence. Later, when he is able to produce photographic evidence, Hogarth and Dean disguise the Giant as one of Dean's pieces of metal art destroying Mansley's credibility. He's only vindicated when the Giant appears in public in full view of the military convoy.
100	* CatapultNightmare: In the "Signature Edition Version", this happens to the Giant after he wakes from his [[DoAndroidsDream bad dream]].
101	* CentrifugalFarce: Hogarth and the Giant are playing test pilot with an old car. The Giant spins the car a little faster than Hogarth imagined.
102	* CharacterCatchphrase: Kent Mansley with his "...and all that that implies."
103	* CharacterInTheLogo: The movie has the eponymous robot's silhouette in the "A" of the logo.
104	* CheckPlease: Used by Dean at the start of the film after he unleashes a squirrel on the diner.
105	* ChekhovsGag:
106	** Early in the film, Hogarth is trying to take a photo of the Giant, but gets bored while waiting for the Giant to appear. During a TimePassesMontage, one clip is Hogarth cleaning the lens of his camera only to accidentally take a picture of himself. Later, Mansley discovers the camera and develops that same photo, discovering the Giant was looking over Hogarth's shoulder -- finally giving Mansley photographic evidence that the Giant exists.
107	** The "duck and cover" educational video is played as satire early, but Mansley takes the advice seriously [[spoiler:after he has the missile launched on the town]]. The general lets him know there's no way to survive that.
108	* ChekhovsGun
109	** A literal one, in the form of Hogarth's BB gun, which is left behind in the woods the first time Hogarth encounters the Giant. Mansley finds it later and learns that Hogarth was at the power station when the Giant was.
110	** The room at the Hughes house that Annie wants to rent out. She mentions in the diner scene that the room needs to be rented if they are to make ends meet. Mansley rents the room later so he can question Hogarth repeatedly about the Giant.
111	** Annie having to work late. She does this first at the start of the film, and Hogarth runs off into the forest and finds the Giant at the power station. Later in the film, Annie has to work late again, and this time Mansley uses her absence to interrogate Hogarth about the Giant's whereabouts.
112	* ChekhovsSkill: The Giant's ability to repair himself after being damaged.
113	* ConvenientPhotograph: Kent Mansley finds Hogarth's camera in the woods and develops the film to find the Giant captured on film. Ironically, the shot was taken by Hogarth as a "selfie" but it turns out the Giant had actually been standing behind Hogarth at that moment, giving Kent the photographic evidence he needs.
114	* CoversAlwaysLie: Some of the VHS and DVD covers for the film show Hogarth, in the Giant's hand, wearing a powder blue sweater which he doesn't wear in the actual movie. He actually wears a red-and-blue-striped sweater for most of the movie.
115	* CrazyPrepared: Hogarth lampshades this to his mother after the latter tells him she had to work late and there is cold chicken and carrots for him, by opening the bread bin stashing his favourite junk food. This could imply his mother often works overtime and this isn’t the first time Hogarth is left to look after himself.
116	* CreditsGag: The Signature Edition includes the [=CinemaScope=] logo in the end credits, as a homage to '50s sci-fi films shot in the format.
117	* CurbStompBattle: Once his weapons are fully deployed, the Giant is able to quickly destroy the bulk of the military hardware brought against it.
118	* DangledByAGiant: When Dean [=McCoppin=] first meets the title robot, the robot grabs him by the collar of his robe and lifts him into the air for a face-to-face meeting.
119	* DeathGlare: A few of them.
120	** Annie gives one to Dean and then Hogarth in the diner after the squirrel is let loose.
121	** Rogard to Mansley a few times, most notable during "Where's the giant, Mansley?!"
122	** A long one from Hogarth to Mansley during their "who's going to fall asleep first" standoff.
123	** The Giant after the car he was about to eat is taken away, immediately before the first scene in the junkyard.
124	** An almost literal example, with the Giant's eye-beams.
125	** The Giant as he is shot after thinking Hogarth is dead and he goes into his RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
126	** The Giant to Mansley right before Mansley yells for the missile to be launched.
127	** Annie gives one to Mansley right after he says "You know, this sort of thing is why it's so important to ''really'' chew your food."
128	* DelayedOhCrap: During the climax of the film, Mansley, refusing to accept the Giant isn't a threat to humanity even as the rest of the military does, furiously snatches the radio out of General Rogard's hands and orders the ''Nautilus'' to launch a nuke at the Giant. He immediately has to be reminded by a furious Rogard that the nuke is targeted to the Giant's current position, and at the moment, the Giant is standing right in the middle of a town of innocent civilians, ''about 30 feet behind him''.
129	* DepartmentOfChildDisservices: Played with in that an actual department or agency is never named or shown, instead government agent, Kent Mansley, employs a vague threat to Hogarth that "the government" can make things so difficult for his StrugglingSingleMother that he'll need to be taken away from her. It doesn't matter if Mansley can actually enforce his threat as Hogarth believes him and is intimidated.
130	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Mansley launching [[spoiler:a nuclear missile]] on the Giant's current location... which is about 50 feet away from him and ''in the middle of town''.
131	* DieOrFly: Because of his amnesiac state upon arrival to Earth, the Giant is unaware of his full capabilities. During the course of the story, new abilities emerge in response to situations he finds himself in, like his self-repair feature or his rocket thrusters.
132	* {{Dieselpunk}}: The Giant himself, is composed of both of these aesthetics. Extreme bonus points for being voiced by Creator/VinDiesel.
133	* DisappearedDad: The picture of Hogarth's father getting in a plane is intended to imply that his father was a pilot that died in the Korean War. The helmet and bomber jacket Hogarth puts on when he first goes after the Giant are his father's. However, one of the things Mansley asks during a rapid fire series of questions is "Been divorced long, Scout?"
134	* DisasterDominoes: "I wanna apologize to everyone in advance for this..."
135	* DisintegratorRay: During the CurbStompBattle with the army, the Giant's left arm weapon fires a green plasma bubble that vaporizes a tank into nothing. Luckily, the soldiers inside escape in time.
136	* DisneyDeath: One of the few times it was pulled off ''exceptionally well''.
137	* DistressedDrinkJitters: After his terrifying first encounter with the Giant, Dean is next seen with his coffee cup in his hand, which is shaking uncontrollably.
138	* DivingSave:
139	** Dean does this to protect Hogarth from the Giant who automatically responds to Hogarth's toy gun with EyeBeams.
140	** The Giant later does this to catch two boys falling from a balcony, which results in him being discovered by the Army.
141	* DodgeByBraking: How the Giant shakes off some fighter jets.
142	* TheDoorSlamsYou: Sort of. When Annie forces open the bathroom door on Hogarth and shuts the door again seconds later, she slams Mansley's face in the door by accident.
143	* DoubleTake: Mansley pulls this off when, while remarking that Hogarth is an embarrassing name, he has a sudden realization that the words "Hog... Hug..." on the shattered B.B. Gun stood for "Hogarth Hughes." And later when he sees the Giant in Rockwell, seconds before crashing his car.
144	* DramaticThunder: Employed in the opening scene when the giant robot appears in the floodwaters during the storm.
145	* TheDreadedToiletDuty: Gen. Rogard threatens to make Kent Mansley "superintendent of subway toilets" after he brings out the army for what they thought was a false lead on the giant robot (which was actually disguised as one of Dean's art installations).
146	* DudeNotFunny: Annie does ''not'' appreciate Kent's joking about Hogarth's straining grunts while he's locked in the bathroom. Likely because he frames it as a criticism of his eating habits saying "This sort of thing is why it's important to really ''chew'' your food." Cue a DeathGlare from Annie.
147	* DyingMomentOfAwesome: To save the town of Rockwell, the Giant [[spoiler:detonates the nuclear missile by colliding with it high above the Earth. As the missile approaches, he hears Hogarth's voice-over reminding him that he can be who he chooses to be. Preparing for impact, he closes his eyes and smiles while saying "Superman"]].
148	* ElectricityKnocksYouOut: When the Iron Giant follows a panicked Hogarth into an electric substation, the robot gets tangled in the high-voltage lines and screams in pain as the electricity starts frying it. Hogarth is able to trip the circuit breaker, shutting down the substation but the power surge shorts out the Iron Giant and he collapses. As Hogarth starts examining the huge robot, it reboots and sits upright, startling the boy. The trope is played with because as a mechanical device, the robot does not get knocked out per se, but rather shuts down and reboots.
149	* EmpathicEnvironment: Dean confronts the Giant for nearly killing Hogarth with his EyeBeams. As the Giant realizes he did it uncontrollably and functioned as a gun, the darkened clouds begin to snow and the Giant runs away.
150	* EndsWithASmile: The movie ends with the eponymous robot exploding, but then starting to rebuild himself. We see different body parts, ending on the head, which smiles.
151	* EurekaMoment:
152	** After stopping by Hogarth's house, Mansley drives away while commenting on his name. This leads him to realize who owned the mangled "Hog... Hug..." BB gun found at the wrecked power plant: '''Hog'''arth '''Hug'''hes.
153	** Dean has one after Hogarth takes off after the Giant, who runs away after nearly blasting the kid with his EyeBeams. Once Dean notices the toy gun on the ground, he realizes that the Giant reacted automatically in self-defense.
154	* EvilRedhead: Mansley. While he initially appears to have good intentions, his actions over the course of the film show that he's quite a self-absorbed, pretentious {{Jerkass}}. He crosses the line when he threatens to have Hogarth taken away from Annie if he doesn't give up the Giant's location, and becomes so obsessed with destroying the Giant that he orders [[spoiler:the launch of a nuclear missile, having forgotten about civilian casualites]] in his desire to destroy the Giant.
155	* EyeAwaken: The last shot of the movie showing [[spoiler:the Giant's eyes opening up]].
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:F-J]]
159	* FaceDeathWithDignity: The soldiers, Rogard, and a fair portion of the townspeople are surprisingly chill about the fact that [[spoiler:they're about to be struck by a nuclear missile]]. Mansley, on the other hand, panics and tries to flee.
160	* FallingIntoThePlot: The movie starts with the titular robot crashing to Earth in the middle of a storm. It is first sighted by a sailor who at first mistakes it for the lighthouse and then spreads stories about it to the local town.
161	* FalloutShelterFail: After Kent Mansley stupidly orders a nuclear strike on the town, he suggests going to a nearby shelter, but General Rogard tells him point blank that there is no way to survive a direct hit from a nuke.
162	* FiveRoundsRapid: While being pursued by the angered giant who just withstood missile fire and blew up several tanks with no effort, the general deliberately empties clip after clip of his pistol on the threat, obviously to no effect. One has to recognize his dedication and courage.
163	* FleeingForTheFalloutShelter: Mansley tries to flee after impulsively ordering a nuclear missile strike on the Giant, who was standing right next to him - unwittingly bringing a localized apocalypse to the town. Fortunately, the Giant immediately stops him from escaping.
164	* {{Foil}}: Dean is unconventional and hip, while Mansley portrays the ideal manly man of the time — a hard-boiled authority figure with PatrioticFervor and a fear of the unknown. Dean is a ''lot'' faster on the uptake and more flexible in his thinking than Mansley. Finally, Dean is willing to put himself in harm's way to save Hogarth, whereas Mansley immediately tries to flee once he realizes he's going to die from the missile.
165	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
166	** The cover of Hogarth's Atomo comic, shows a giant metal robot on a rampage firing energy beams that destroy a building which foreshadows the Giant's RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
167	** Also, in the scene where the Giant discovers the dead deer, and notices the gun, he briefly gains red eyes while his "irises" narrow before snapping out of it. This is the first sign that the giant was actually a weapon.
168	** While on the phone with Mansley, General Rogard mentions that if he somehow got a photo of the Giant, then he could get some troops over. Unfortunately, Mansley later discovers Hogarth's abandoned camera and develops the film...
169	** When Hogarth and the Giant are playing in the junkyard, the Giant grouches at being forced to be Atomo and instead wants to play as Superman. Which is literally the Giant's final choice as he impacts with the nuclear missile.
170	* FreezeFrameBonus: If you pause the movie at just the right second when Hogarth walks into the kitchen to find Kent sitting at the table holding a newspaper, one of the articles in the paper reads "STUDIO KEPT ALIVE BY OSMOSIS GREENLIGHT." ''Film/OsmosisJones'' was the next movie produced by Creator/WarnerBros (both films flopped).
171	* GenreSavvy: Hogarth has seen enough alien/monster/giant death machine movies and/or comics to know that if he tells anyone about the Giant, people will "wig out and start shooting".
172	* GiantHandsOfDoom: Played with. After the Giant repairs himself after the train wreck, his left hand is unaccounted for. It turns out that the hand sneaked into Hogarth's house, forcing him to create a lot of distractions to keep his mother and Mansley from seeing it before it can rejoin the Giant.
173	* GiantRobotHandsSaveLives: The titular robot races to catch a couple of kids who had fallen from a 3-4 story building in his metal robot hand.
174	* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: The Giant creates one when he does a cannonball into a lake, though it's mostly for laughs as no one is seriously harmed.
175	* GilliganCut: When Annie calls Hogarth to tell him she'll be working late.
176	-->'''Annie:''' And, Hogarth no scary movies, no late snacks, in bed by 8:00. Got it?\
177	'''Hogarth:''' Come on, Mom. It's me, remember?\
178	''Cut to Hogarth watching a horror movie at 9:05 PM, eating a Twinkie after filling it with whipped cream.''
179	* GoKartingWithBowser: Annie suggests that Hogarth take Mansley out with him, seemingly oblivious to how much Hogarth despises him, and they end up having an ice cream in Rockwell. Hogarth exploits this by slipping Mansley a laxative to get away from him.
180	* GoOutWithASmile: The Giant, [[spoiler:en route to destroy the missile and]] remembering Hogarth's "You are who you choose to be" message, says "Superman..." before [[spoiler:closing his eyes and smiling, accepting his fate]].
181	* GoshDangItToHeck: Noticeably averted; but not surprising given the mature themes explored by the movie.
182	* GreaterScopeVillain: In a deleted scene re-added in the Signature Edition, we see that the Giant was part of a series of giant robots created to [[spoiler:attack and destroy planets. Presumably, they and their creators are still out there somewhere, but aren't necessary to the plot beyond providing a glimpse into the Giant's origin]].
183	* GrossoutFakeout: When Hogarth is in the bathroom, struggling to get the eponymous robot's hand out the window, Mrs. Hughes and Kent Mansley overhear his grunting and think he's pooping. Kent even thinks Hogarth is constipated as a result of not chewing his food properly.
184	* GunAccessories: Hogarth duct-tapes a flashlight to his BB gun. Loses points because the way he tapes it to the barrel means if he fires the gun, he'll destroy the flashlight in the process.
185	* HateAtFirstSight: Hogarth makes no effort to hide his disdain for Kent from the moment they meet. At first it's just because Kent talks down to him, calling him "scout," getting his name wrong and generally patronizing him. Later, it's because Mansley wants to destroy the Giant at all costs.
186	* HateSink: We have Mansley, the obnoxious, smarmy, arrogant, and cowardly government agent who instigates almost everything that goes wrong in the story. He definitely loses any audience sympathy when he threatens to have Hogarth separated from his mother and when his desire to destroy the Giant [[spoiler:nearly gets the entire town of Rockwell killed as a result]].
187	* HelpingHands: All parts of the Giant, even little tiny screws, can move by themselves, converging for repair and reassembly.
188	* HeroesGoneFishing: Near the start of the film while Annie is working late, Hogarth spends a bit of the evening eating Twinkies and watching a BMovie. Later, there's the scene where Hogarth and the Giant are with Dean at the lake.
189	* HeroicSacrifice: The Giant does this to save Hogarth's entire town from a missile.
190	* HesAFriend: Hogarth introduces Dean to the Giant this way: "His name is Dean; we like Dean."
191	* HighDiveHijinks: The Giant's cannonball dive creates a giant wave that washes Dean out in the middle of a nearby road and lands Hogarth on the top of a tree.
192	* HollywoodTactics: Notably averted. In response to a potential giant robot, General Rogard brought infantry, a few tanks, and the ability to call in air support, naval artillery and even a nuclear strike. Given that a substantial threat appeared 'out of nowhere' right in the middle of a civilian population, the military response seems pretty well-planned.
193	* {{Homage}}: The movie is a big one to TheFifties, with pop-cultural references to the era looming everywhere. There are music boxes with swing and jazz, there's Mansley, who is embodies the typical 1950s "man's man" complete with trench-coat, hat and pipe, there is Dean, a beatnik, named after Creator/JamesDean, there is the town of Rockwell, named after Creator/NormanRockwell, just to name a few. That doesn't even include the meta!
194	* HookedUpAfterwards: Implied with Dean and Annie.
195	* {{Hypocrite}}: Mansley presents himself as a patriotic American who takes his job as a federal agent very seriously. When faced with the prospect of dying for his country, he says in no uncertain terms that he'd rather run.
196	* IAmNotAGun: The Trope Namer and said word for word by the Giant when he reconnects with Hogarth after saving the children from failing to their death. It's the choice he makes after going into full defensive mode, but Hogarth reminds him that "guns kill" and he can be what he chooses to be.
197	* ImStandingRightHere: Hogarth whispers to Dean on the phone that he has to keep a low profile because "there's this weird guy who's watching [him]", namely Kent, who slowly opens the door behind him and playfully winks at him.
198	** Also, in the climax: [[spoiler:"Where's the Giant, Mansley?", said right after Mansley has ordered a nuclear missile strike on the Iron Giant, who's ''[[RightBehindMe standing directly behind him]]'']].
199	* IdiotBall: Mansley plays around with it for the majority of the movie. It's the finale where he firmly grasps it by ordering [[spoiler:the nuclear strike on the Giant. [[OhCrap While he's in the same town full of innocent civilians as said giant.]] Note that the general actually ''warned him only minutes before about this'']].
200	* InNameOnly: The only real element taken from the book is the "boy meets and befriends a giant metal man" premise. Much of the rest of the plot is either heavily adapted or made for the movie. Ironically, even the name is changed from "The Iron Man" to "The Iron Giant".
201	* InfoDrop: The film makes no mention of [[DisappearedDad what happened to Hogarth's dad]], but during Hogarth's standoff with Kent, a picture of a fighter pilot is seen on his nightstand, and the audience is left to fill in the blanks.
202	* InkSuitActor:
203	** Dean is just an animated version of Harry Connick Jr.
204	** Completely intentional for the cameos of [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston]].
205	* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation:
206	** Hogarth's grades are high enough to [[GradeSkipper skip a grade]]; he mentions that he gets bullied for it.
207	** Dean as well, who appears to be considered a bit of a kook by the rest of the town for being a Beatnik artist.
208	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Hogarth and Dean.
209	* InterruptedCooldownHug: Hogarth and the Giant reconnect after the unfortunate EyeBeams incident and the Giant firmly proclaims he is not a gun. Hogarth rushes into the Giant's hand to solidify their reconciliation. Then, a missile is fired by the army and hits the Giant's back.
210	* InvisiblePresident: Sort of. In a very brief scene after the Giant is found out, two high-ranking officers enter the Oval Office, and address a man, who sits behind the president's desk to request authorization to make use of Navy and Air Force. The man is sitting with his back towards the the camera, but has a visible bald patch on his oval-shaped head who is obviously UsefulNotes/DwightEisenhower, who was president during the time the film is set (1957).
211	* IronicEcho: Throughout the movie, Kent Mansley uses the phrase "and all that that implies." Later, after Hogarth outwits him by disguising Giant as one of Dean's pieces of art, Hogarth watches Mansley leave with the army and says, "Bye, Kent, and all that that implies."
212	* ItIsDehumanizing: The Giant is referred to as "it" except by Hogarth and Dean, and the latter has to be corrected by Hogarth the first time.
213	* ItWasHereISwear: When Mansley wants to show the power station foreman his half-eaten car, it is no longer there.
214	* TheJoyOfFirstFlight: Near the end, the Iron Giant discovers he has jet thrusters in his feet, allowing him to fly with Hogarth for the first time. For a few minutes they both get to experience the wonder of flight before being interrupted by fighter jets.
215	* JustPlaneWrong: F-86 Sabres did not carry missile pods as shown, nor were they equipped with afterburners, as shown during the 'scramble' takeoff sequence.
216	* JustTrainWrong: The locomotive that plows into the Giant looks very similar to a [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Norfolk_%26_Western_4-8-4_611.jpg Norfolk & Western Class J]], complete with maroon stripe, with a front end similar to a [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/NY_Worlds%27_Fair_streamined_Hudson_LC-G613-T01-35339_DLC.jpg New York Central "Dreyfuss" Hudson]]. Two things wrong with that, aside from the locomotive not really existing. Neither of those railroads went to Maine, and both of those locomotives were used exclusively in passenger service. In fact, given the time period and location, a steam locomotive is incorrect entirely. Being set in coastal Maine the railroad serving the area would be the Maine Central, whose steam program ended in 1954, three years before the movie takes place. The locomotive would therefore likely be a [[http://rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/64490/Bangor%201958%2010%20MEC%20556%20at%20Bangor%20Union%20Station%20-%20Auth%20Unkn%20001.jpg Maine Central RS-3]], a [[http://rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/8272/MEC579-1dl.jpg Maine Central GP7]] or a [[http://rrpicturearchives.net/pictures/93130/115.jpg Maine Central F3]].
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:K-O]]
220	* LaxativePrank: As a ruse to sneak out on Mansley, Hogarth introduces him to a "new" ice cream treat called a ''Landslide'' with crushed chocolate sprinkled on top. It turns out that Hogarth uses crushed chocolate laxative for Mansley's version and when he starts feeling the effects, Hogarth slips away. A later montage shows that Mansley is impacted for the rest of the day.
221	* LethallyStupid: Mansley when he orders the missile be launched [[spoiler:at the Giant while he is in the middle of Rockwell. Meaning when the missile hits, it would decimate the Giant and everyone else in town, [[TooDumbToLive including Mansley himself]]]].
222	* LetsGetOutOfHere
223	** Hogarth yells this at the Giant after the army starts attacking and the Giant covers Hogarth with his hands and beats a hasty retreat.
224	** As the Giant begins his RoaringRampageOfRevenge, Mansley screams this line in panic as the army flees.
225	* ALightInTheDistance: In the Giant's first scene, a fisherman mistakes the lights of its eyes for a lighthouse.
226	* LivingWithTheVillain: For a few days, Mansley rents a room at the Hughes house to try and find out more about the Giant, much to Hogarth's frustration when Mansley won't stop questioning him about it.
227	* LockAndLoadMontage: When Hogarth prepares his hunt for "invaders from Mars" at night.
228	* LockedInTheBathroom: Hogarth finds the Giant's lost hand in the upstairs bathroom and locks the door to keep it from being discovered by his mother and Kent. After he gets it out the window, he pretends to be on the toilet when his Mom and Kent force open the door.
229	* LogoJoke: [[https://youtu.be/b9J0FJ9Azvs A custom logo for Warner Bros. Feature Animation was used]], the only time it was ever credited at the front of a film, featuring the WB shield zooming through ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style rings before the banner around the shield fades in. (Brad Bird fought the studio higher-ups on this issue, feeling that the WB Family Entertainment logo with Bugs Bunny was too associated with LighterAndSofter fare; the studio heads gave in fairly late, so trailers and TV spots used the Family Entertainment logo.)
230	* LowClearance: As Hogarth is chased by the Giant, he runs face-first into a low-hanging branch knocking him to the ground and giving him a bloody nose.
231	* MaleGaze: Kent's first meeting Annie happens with him staring right at her hips and chest, due to her opening the front door fully, with him leaning on it.
232	* MeaningfulEcho:
233	** "You...''stay''. I...''go''. No following."
234	** "You are... who you ''choose'' to be."
235	* MeaningfulName: The town of Rockwell named after the idealistic artist of the period, the beatnik Dean looking slightly like James Dean, and the ever-so-manly Kent Mansley.
236	* MechanicalLifeforms: Zig-zagged. It's never confirmed and the deleted (and later restored) scene "The Giant's Dream" implies [[spoiler:that he was created in some fashion]]. Yet the Giant also shows the ability to fuel and repair itself by eating metal like an organic being consumes food and the "Souls don't die" talk he has with Hogarth reveals that the latter is convinced that the Giant has feelings and a soul.
237	* MickeyMousing: Music/MichaelKamen's music punctuates Hogarth's stealthy movements when approaching the power station in the forest at night.
238	* MissingChild: After discovering the antenna was eaten, Hogarth ventures into the woods at night to investigate, leaving his mother Annie worried and fearful as to where he went.
239	* MoodWhiplash:
240	** A many-layered version in the diner scene between Hogarth and Mansley. It starts off fairly genial between them, then snaps to serious when Mansley starts probing Hogarth about the Giant, then to fervently intense as Mansley expresses his patriotic paranoia and fear about the Giant, then to funny when the laxative Hogarth slipped Mansley earlier in the scene kicks in.
241	** When Dean and Hogarth catch up to the Giant in Rockwell after he saves the two boys from falling, the mood starts happy with Hogarth waving down at Annie from the Giant's hand, then abruptly turns to panic when the Army starts attacking the Giant.
242	* MoreDakka: When the Giant's anguish turns to rage, the bump on his head pops out and he now appears to be fully operational. He completely gives into his defense programming and displays a considerable array of advanced weaponry.
243	* MotorMouth: Hogarth shifts into this mode twice - once when the Giant's hand flushes the toilet upstairs and he says: "Gottausethebathroom". Second, in the scene where he has his first espresso and shares his school challenges with Dean not taking a breath during the entire tirade:
244	-->'''Hogarth:''' So she moved me up a grade because I wasn't fitting in, so now I'm even ''more'' not fitting in. I was getting good grades, y'know, like all A's, so my mom says, "You need stimulation!" And I go, "No, I'm stimulated enough right now!\
245	'''Dean:''' [[DeadpanSnarker That's for sure]].\
246	'''Hogarth:''' So she goes "Huh-uh, you don't have a challenge! You need a challenge!" So, now I'm challenged, all right. ''I'm challenged to hold on to my lunch money'', because of all the big mooses who wanna pound me because I am a shrimpy dork who thinks he's smarter than them! But I ''don't'' think I'm smarter, I just do the stupid homework! If everyone else ''just did the stupid homework'', they could move up a grade and get pounded too. Is there any more coffee?
247	* MourningADeadRobot: The Giant decides to fly into the missile and detonate it in the upper atmosphere to stop it from destroying the town. The town honors his HeroicSacrifice by commissioning a statue with a plaque which reads: "Dedicated in memory of The Iron Giant by the town of Rockwell, Maine". In the denouement, Hogarth, Annie and Dean are in the park as Hogarth glances toward the statue and says "I miss him."
248	* MultitaskedConversation: Hogarth saying grace at the dinner table doubles (rather clumsily) as an attempt to shoo away the Giant's hand before his mom sees it.
249	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
250	** The Giant's reaction after Dean tells him he nearly vaporized Hogarth when his defense programming was triggered.
251	** The Giant has another one later when he snaps out of his RoaringRampageOfRevenge and converts back to normal.
252	* NobodyHereButUsStatues: The Iron Giant poses as one of Dean's junk sculptures to escape the army. Earlier, he stands in front of an Astro Burger billboard to hide from Dean.
253	* NoodleIncident: Annie doesn't want Hogarth to keep any pets after what happened with the raccoon.
254	-->'''Annie:''' Do you remember the raccoon, Hogarth? ''(shudder)'' I remember the raccoon.
255	* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: The film is set in coastal Maine. Don't look for any of the characters to sport anything approaching an actual Downeast accent, however.
256	* NotNowKiddo: Hogarth tries to tell his mother about the Giant the night he first encountered him, but she's so drained from a long day at work, coming home to the mess Hogarth left in the living room, and frantically searching for him in the woods after dark, that she keeps him from explaining the situation.
257	* NothingExcitingEverHappensHere: Invoked derisively early on by Mansley when a local asks him if the sighting of the giant means that "something big" is happening. He soon changes his tune.
258	-->'''Mansley:''' No, Marv. Big things happen in big places, and the sooner I file my report, the sooner I can get back to them.\
259	''[later to himself]''\
260	'''Mansley:''' The biggest thing in this town is probably the homecoming queen... [[BigOMG OH MY GOD!!!]]
261	* ANuclearError: The film's climax features the ''USS Nautilus'' launching a ballistic missile whereas the RealLife ''Nautilus'' was incapable of doing so since it was a normal attack submarine (albeit the first powered by a nuclear reactor). In fact, the United States Navy did not have any ballistic missile submarines until the ''USS George Washington'' entered service in 1959, two years after the film is set. When the ''Nautilus'' is stated to have "first-strike" capability, it actually meant that its missiles were accurate enough to hit specific points instead of general areas like cities.
262	* NuclearOption: When nothing else seems capable of stopping the Giant, Mansley actually lays out a reasonable strategy for luring the Giant out of town and striking it down with a nuclear missile. [[spoiler:However, after Hogarth gets the Giant to stop its rampage and the General orders his troops to stand down, Mansley grabs the radio and screams the order to launch the missile anyway, which is LethallyStupid as the Giant is standing about 50 feet away ''in the center of town''.]]
263	* OhCrap:
264	** At the beginning, Mr. Stutz realizing that what he thought was the lighthouse isn't the lighthouse at all.
265	** At the power station, Hogarth witnesses the Giant chewing up some metal supports, then he reaches for the live transformers...
266	** When Mansley questions Hogarth and the toilet flushes upstairs, Hogarth has one and promptly rushes to investigate.
267	** Mansley, when the laxative Hogarth slipped him kicks in. He dashes off to the bathroom giving Hogarth a chance to slip out.
268	** A rare humorous one was right after the Giant cannonballs into a lake. Dean, who'd been studiously ignoring Hogarth and the Giant, looks up...and sees a mini-tsunami headed right at him. Cue the OhCrap. Bonus points that the newspaper he uses as a "shield" has the headline "Disaster seen as Catastrophe looms".
269	** Dean's reaction when he discovers the Giant pigging out just as he was about to enter back into his house.
270	** Hogarth after the dead deer scene when, as he leaves his bike in the barn, Mansley speaks to him from the shadows. He tries to run for it, but Mansley shuts the barn door and locks it.
271	** And then there's Hogarth's reaction when he notices the Giant about to vaporize him with EyeBeams while in defense mode after he aimed a toy gun at him.
272	** Hogarth when he and the Giant fall off a cliff when they are escaping from the military.
273	** Annie when she sees Hogarth and the Giant flying into the sky. Seconds later, she has another one when [[spoiler:the military shoots down the Giant]].
274	** When the Giant snaps and starts destroying tanks with ease, Mansley and the two soldiers in the jeep with him have a moment of complete slack-jawed horror.
275	** Dean and Annie when Hogarth rushes out to the town's edge to stop the Giant's rampage.
276	** When Mansley sees the Giant staring at him and not looking very happy.
277	** Mansley, upon realizing that he's doomed himself and the town of Rockwell.
278	** Shortly after, the rest of the townsfolk give this look as the air raid siren starts wailing. Even Hogarth lets out [[LittleNo a soft "Oh no."]]
279	* OhCrapSmile: Hogarth when Annie [[DeathGlare glares at him]] after the squirrel is let loose in the diner at the start of the film.
280	* OneLinerNameOneLiner: Mansley's line "Something big, Marv. Something big.", upon the question what they are looking for.
281	[[/folder]]
282	[[folder:P-T]]
283	* ParentalObliviousness: Annie does not seem to have the faintest clue that Hogarth unabashedly ''despises'' Mansley, and has been desperate to avoid him since he moved in. She goes so far to suggest Hogarth take Mansley around and show him the sights. Whether this is true obliviousness or just Annie wanting her son to accept they have to rent the spare room for money is not clear. As he starts to show his true colors, she quickly begins to dislike him.
284	* ParentalSubstitute: Dean is a father-figure/mentor to Hogarth. Hogarth himself has a [[KidWithTheLeash fatherly/big-brother relationship to the giant robot in the title]], who has the mentality of a very young child.
285	* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: Hogarth tells the giant he loves him right before he sacrifices himself to save the town from the missile.
286	* PleaseWakeUp: The movie gives us a double whammy. First when the giant nudges a recently-shot deer that he had seen a few minutes prior and is puzzled why it does not respond, which leads to Hogarth teaching him about the concept of death. This [[CallBack comes back]] when the Giant discovers the motionless body of Hogarth and nudges him like he did the deer with the same lack of response leading the Giant to the only conclusion he knows.
287	* ThePowerOfActing: When Kent manages to get the Iron Giant's location out of Hogarth, thus bringing in the army the next morning, Dean plays up his "[[ObfuscatingStupidity scrappy beatnik]]" persona everyone in town thinks he has, and has the giant [[NobodyHereButUsStatues sitting in a lotus meditation pose to look like a giant art piece]]. The only person who doesn't fall for the ruse is Annie, Hogarth's mother, but even then she doesn't feel suspicious enough about it to directly call the act out.
288	* PredatorTurnedProtector: When young Hogarth encounters the Giant, he finds the robot to be docile and childlike; this is suggested to be the result of a dent in its head upon landing on Earth. However, once the robot goes into PapaWolf mode, it deploys enough advanced weaponry to eradicate an army battalion with frightening ease. Fortunately for everyone, ThePowerOfFriendship restores the robot to its GentleGiant mode, whereupon [[spoiler:it makes a HeroicSacrifice to save the townsfolk]].
289	* PrecisionFStrike
290	** General Rogard grabs a walkie-talkie during the robot's rampage and yells "All battleships fire at the robot! Now! Now, ''damn it'', now!"
291	** Mansley gives off a hearty "'''''Screw''''' our country!" when faced with the prospect of dying with Rockwell's populace.
292	* PreemptiveApology: When Dean can no longer take the squirrel crawling up his leg, he stands up and says "I'd like to apologize to everyone in advance for this!" [[SquirrelsInMyPants He unzips to let the squirrel out of his pants]] and HilarityEnsues.
293	* PreSacrificeFinalGoodbye: "You stay. I go. No following."
294	* ProductDisplacement: Brad Bird wanted to have the Giant's hand watch ''[[Series/WaltDisneyPresents Disneyland]]'', with a spiel for Tomorrowland appearing before Hogarth turns off the TV. Creator/{{Disney}} wouldn't let Warner show the clip, so the animators replaced it with a Maypo commercial. The Signature Edition replaces the commercial with the Tomorrowland spiel.
295	* ProperlyParanoid: Mansley intends to track down and destroy the Iron Giant since he fears the unknown and believes it could be a threat to America. He's ultimately right, as the Giant is eventually revealed to be full of advanced weaponry. However, his mistake was assuming that just because the Giant had that capacity, he would automatically use it.
296	* PullingThemselvesTogether: The Giant's parts are all autonomous and have a homing function, allowing him to reassemble himself if damaged. This is first showcased when he has a run-in with a train. After his HeroicSacrifice, Hogarth realizes the Giant is still alive when this feature activates on the screw given to him by General Rogard.
297	* QuizzicalTilt: Giant does this quite a few times.
298	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: General Rogard is this, despite being a product of a WWII/Cold War era, he proves to be more moral, disciplined and level-headed than Mansley, refusing to call the troops onto the scene without proof of the Giant, and when Mansley's photo proof seems to be a hoax, he is justifiably furious. When the Giant and the military come to blows, he acts to properly defend the town based on the information he has, but once it becomes clear the Giant is only acting in defense, he immediately issues the stand-down order.
299	* ReassignedToAntarctica: Mansley's planned fate according to General Rogard when Mansley's attempt to reveal the Giant is thwarted and his credibility is destroyed.
300	-->'''Rogard:''' You'll be Chief Inspector of Subway Toilets by the time I'm through with you!
301	* RecycledWithAGimmick: Is basically ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' if E.T. were a giant robot.
302	* RedFilterOfDoom: When [[spoiler:the Giant goes ballistic in the film's climax]]. Also appears in the restored NightmareSequence.
303	* RelocatingTheExplosion: The Iron Giant [[spoiler:sacrifices himself by]] flying into the sky to meet an oncoming missile head-on.
304	* RightBehindMe: When Hogarth attempts to lure the Giant out of the forest he places a piece of sheet metal against a tree stump in front of him as bait, during the long wait he falls asleep and wakes to find the sheet metal is now behind him along with the Giant.
305	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After the army begins attacking him, the Giant flees with Hogarth and manages to avoid giving in to his defensive programming. But he gets shot down, and it looks like Hogarth has been killed. While grieving, the Giant gets shot again, [[RageBreakingPoint and he snaps]] -- willingly and fully giving in to his programming. He even roars when he transforms.
306	* RudelyHangingUp: Kent calls General Rogard about the giant robot he thinks is roaming the town. Rogard, upset that he's been called at home for a non-emergency, tells Kent that he first needs some evidence before he will send troops, and while Kent raves on about it, he calmly hangs up on him in mid-rant. Kent doesn't take this well.
307	* RuleOfSymbolism:
308	** After the Giant saves the town, the blast looks a lot like artistic renditions of the Star of Bethlehem.
309	** The film's commentary points out that when the Giant transforms into battle mode, the audience can see that the biggest gun is where his heart is supposed to be.
310	* RunningGag: In one scene, Hogarth manages to get Kent Mansley off his back by [[LaxativePrank topping his ice cream with coco-lax]]. Later, Kent's investigation is constantly being interrupted by sudden urges to go to the bathroom.
311	* SayMyName:
312	** Annie does this with Hogarth's name a lot, such as when she doesn't find him in his bedroom after returning home from work late, when Hogarth and the Giant take off into the sky, and when she and Dean find him lying unconscious in the snow.
313	** The Giant also says "Hogarth" when he realises Hogarth is fine, making him snap out of his battle mode and return to normal.
314	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:
315	** Dean has a downplayed version of this reaction. He's still recovering from being manhandled when the Giant came to Hogarth's defense. Then he realizes Hogarth is asking him to shelter the Giant. With no expression on his face, he gets up from his chair, promptly dumps out his coffee, calmly walks back into his house and locks the door. 37 minutes later, Hogarth is still trying to get a response from him.
316	** Mansley, once he realizes that he's expected to lay down his life for his country like a good soldier, instead tries to steal a jeep and speed off. The Giant stops him before he can get far.
317	--->'''Mansley''': ''Screw'' our country! I wanna '''''live!'''''
318	* SecondaryCharacterTitle: The Giant is the {{Deuteragonist}}.
319	* ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains: Hogarth is dressed in typical attire for a 9-year-old in the 50s. Kent Mansley is sharply dressed in a suit and tie with an overcoat and hat to reflect that he works for the government. And all that that implies.
320	* SharpDressedMan: Mansley is always seen dressed in a suit, sometimes with a hat. Justified because he works for the government. He's still suited towards the end but wears an army helmet instead.
321	* SheatheYourSword: Dean tells General Rogard that attacking the Giant is activating his defense system and the only way to avoid a continued CurbStompBattle is to stop attacking him. Fortunately, Rogard, being a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, believes Dean and orders everyone to stand down.
322	* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/TheIronGiant Has its own page]].
323	* ShownTheirWork:
324	** Especially regarding cars, architecture, pop culture, and clothing styles of the 1950's.
325	** Hogarth's comic covers are all genuine (save for Atomo, who was made up for the film).
326	** With the exception of [[RuleOfDrama the Nautilus' missile capability]], all the military hardware is period-appropriate. The soldiers carry M1 Garands, drive [=M41=] Walker Bulldog tanks, and the jet planes in the "Giant flies like Superman scene" are F-86 Sabres.
327	** The coordinates transmitted to the ''Nautilus''[[note]]67.71972°W by 44.50177°N[[/note]] are in Maine, near the towns of Milbridge, Cherryfield, Harrington, Addison, and Jonesport, but the actual spot specified is a wooded area near the Atlantic coast.
328	* SillyPrayer: Hogarth says grace but tries to hide his commands to the giant robot's hand in his prayer, which makes his prayer seem rather strange.
329	-->'''Hogarth''': Oh my God! Uh, oh, my God, we... thank you... for the food that Mom has put in front of us and-- STOP!-- uh, the Devil from... doing bad things and-- GET OUT OF HERE!-- uh, Satan? GO, GO!... so that we may live in peace. Amen.
330	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Extremely idealistic and heartfelt. The idealistic Hogarth, who believes in the Giant as a being who can make his own choices beyond becoming a weapon, is presented as heroic and having the right idea, while the cynical Mansley's belief in destroying anything strange before it becomes a threat is the only reason the Giant becomes threatening in the first place, as well as [[spoiler:nearly getting the whole town nuked.]]
331	* SleepingDummy: Hogarth escapes Mansley using a dummy in his bed.
332	* SleeplessAlarmClock: A variant occurs in a scene where Hogarth sneaks into his room after spending the night at the junkyard. He pulls back the covers on his bed just as his mom opens the door.
333	-->'''Annie:''' You're up already?
334	-->'''Hogarth:''' (putting the covers back) Just making the bed.
335	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Earl Stutz only appears in a handful of scenes at the beginning of the film, but it’s through him that we’re introduced to the Giant and his call to the government gets Mansley involved in the plot.
336	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Hogarth's mother is the only main female character in the film.
337	* SquirrelsInMyPants: This happens to Dean, by name. Dean's method of releasing the squirrel in his pants is to stand up, make a public apology to the other customers for what's about to happen, and then proceed to open up his fly to release the frantic squirrel (which then causes a huge mess at the diner).
338	* StealthPun: Dean directs the Giant to make a mobile (hanging children's toy) out of cars.
339	* SteamNeverDies: The train that hits the Iron Giant is led by a steam locomotive, and the movie is set a few years after steam locomotives in Maine had been completely replaced by diesels.
340	* StimulantSpeedtalk: When Hogarth gets a caffeine rush from espresso, he starts talking rapidly about his school life.
341	%%* StockSoundEffects: Throughout the climax, ''Franchise/StarWars'' sound effects can be heard. ZCE - Provide context of what sounds are heard and where.
342	* StylisticSuck: [[BMovie The sci-fi movie]] Hogarth watches, BadBadActing and everything.
343	* SuddenlyShouting: Occurs when Dean is explaining the contents of his scrap yard. "There are two types of metal in this yard. Scrap and art. If you gotta eat one of them, eat the scrap. What you currently have ''IN YOUR MOUTH'' IS '''ART!'''"
344	* SuperRobotGenre: The Giant certainly qualifies.
345	* TankGoodness: The U.S. Army uses several M41 Walker Bulldog tanks throughout the film.
346	* TanksButNoTanks: The tanks that the Giant battles during the climax are M41 Bulldogs, and for the most part they're portrayed accurately. The artistic license comes in when the Giant destroys them. The animators take care to show the crews of each tank escaping before they are blown up (presumably so as not to contradict the movie's anti-violence {{Aesop}}), but only two people are seem coming out of each tank. The M41 had a crew of four in real life.
347	* TanksForNothing: The tanks are shown firing at the Giant's back nearly point-blank but do no physical damage. They only manage to trigger his grief-filled RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
348	* TechnologyPorn: When the Giant repairs itself, and when it is attacked by the Army and deploys its weapons.
349	* TemptingFate: When Mansley tells General Rogard to [[spoiler:launch the nuclear missile on]] the Giant, Rogard asks, "Are you mad, Mansley?" [[spoiler:because the Giant is standing about 50 feet away from them and is in the middle of town]]. When the Giant gives Mansley a DeathGlare, Mansley flips out and snatches the radio from Rogard to [[spoiler:order the launching of the missile]], forgetting that this means [[spoiler:[[LethallyStupid the deaths of everybody in town]], [[TooDumbToLive including himself]]]]. So, Rogard, is Mansley mad? Yes, yes he is.
350	* ThatPoorCar: Invoked on-screen: Hogarth discovers Dean's junkyard, and decides the Iron Giant can have some food there. Unfortunately, one of the cars the Giant tries to eat hadn't had its horn removed, resulting in it going off when the Giant tries to eat it, and several failed attempts to silence it before the Giant eventually panics and hurls it as far as he can into the woods.
351	* ThenLetMeBeEvil: The Giant spends most of the third act actively suppressing his defensive programming and tries to flee the army as they relentlessly chase and shoot at him. As a result, they shoot him out of the sky while he's still holding Hogarth, resulting in what he thinks is the boy's death. When they start shooting at him ''again'' while he is grieving, his DeathGlare when he decides [[RageBreakingPoint he's finally had enough]] ''screams'' this trope. Cue RoaringRampageOfRevenge and UnstoppableRage. Thankfully, Hogarth is able to [[ThePowerOfFriendship bring him out of it]].
352	* ThisIsGonnaSuck:
353	** Mansley's defeated "Yes sir..." after Rogard tell him to "step outside." Cue a lot of shouting from the latter, much to Hogarth's (and the audience's) amusement.
354	** Hogarth, while staring down the enormous barrel of the Giant's gun arm, tells him "[[MeaningfulEcho You are who you choose to be]]," then winces as he says "Choose."
355	* ThousandYardStare: One of the soldiers visibly has one when they see [[spoiler:the Giant demolishing the army, prompting General Rogard to grab his military radio]].
356	* ThouShaltNotKill: After the Giant learns that guns kill, he chooses that he will not be a gun and fights against his defensive programming. [[spoiler:However, during his anguish-driven RoaringRampageOfRevenge he does surrender to his programming and violently destroys the military hardware firing at him. While the animators do show some soldiers fleeing their tanks before the Giant destroys them, other tanks are shown firing on the Giant, then immediately being hit by his weapons which tosses the tanks into the air before they land upside down, and in these cases no one is shown escaping them.]]
357	* ThrowingTheDistraction: Hogarth throws a penny into the kitchen to divert his mom's attention away while he sneaks out one of the Giant's hands, which has detached and is wandering around the house. The penny knocks over the spice rack by accident.
358	* TimePassesMontage: While Hogarth is in the forest trying to get a picture of the Giant. One of the clips shown during the montage turns out to be a ChekhovsGag.
359	* ToiletHumor:
360	** The scene where the Giant's hand is exploring the Hughes' upstairs bathroom has Hogarth pretending to be on the toilet while actually trying to get the hand out the window. His straining grunts are misinterpreted by his mother and Mansley on the other side of the door.
361	** One instance involves the LaxativePrank Hogarth uses on Mansley to slip away. After slipping some chocolate laxatives into Mansley's ice cream, the scene is punctuated by Mansley's stomach suddenly gurgling as he rushes to the bathroom. A later montage shows that [[RunningGag its effects have lasted all day]].
362	* TooDumbToLive: Mansley falls victim to this near the end. He sees the Giant glaring at him and flips out, grabs Rogard's walkie-talkie and [[spoiler:orders the missile targeting the Giant be launched]]. Cue an OhCrap when Rogard asks him where the Giant is standing and Mansley realizes that the Giant is ''in the middle of the town, barely 50 feet away''.
363	* TrackTrouble: The Giant tries to eat a railroad track. Hogarth gets him to put the tracks back, but he takes too long and is hit by a train.
364	* TragicKeepsake:
365	** Hogarth's helmet and bomber jacket are implied to be his father's (who apparently died in the Korean War) -- in fact, a picture of his father has him holding the helmet.
366	** Majorly subverted with the Giant's screw. [[spoiler:The Giant was thought to have been destroyed after his HeroicSacrifice to save Rockwell, and General Rogard found the screw and sent it to Hogarth. However, the Giant is still alive and summoning his parts to rebuild himself. So the screw actually turns out to be the means by which Hogarth learns the Giant survived.]]
367	* TrailersAlwaysLie: The trailers make it seem as though Dean discovered the Giant, and tried to get Hogarth away from the Giant when he was about to eat an alarm-live car. In actuality, the Giant eating the alarm-live car occurred ''before'' Dean discovered the Giant, and even then it wasn't from the live alarm.
368	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil:
369	** One of the theatrical trailers spoils the Giant going into defense-mode.
370	** Another spoils the surprise reveal that the Giant can fly.
371	[[/folder]]
372
373	[[folder:U-Y]]
374	* UnstoppableRage: Hogarth seemingly dies and the Giant is attacked by the army while grieving. This sends the Giant past its RageBreakingPoint and he fully embraces his defensive programming and goes into battle mode. Cue CurbStompBattle with the army.
375	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The Giant giving an already-panicking Mansley a DeathGlare after returning to town with Hogarth is what spurs Mansley to impulsively snatch the radio from General Rogard and order ''Nautilus'' to "[[TheParanoiac LAUNCH THE MISSILE NOW!]]"
376	* UpUpAndAway: The Giant doesn't ''have'' to do this to fly, but Hogarth tells him that he'll look more like Superman if he does.
377	* VillainHasAPoint: Though he takes completely the wrong approach, Mansley is absolutely right; the Giant ''is'' an enormous weapon, and if it hadn't gotten amnesia and retraining by Hogarth, it would have been a terrible threat.
378	* VillainousBreakdown: Mansley, who gets more and more freaked out as the situation develops, finally culminating in ordering the town to be nuked, then trying to run away.
379	* VillainOverForDinner: Hogarth goes down to breakfast only to find Kent, the agent looking for the Giant, sitting at the table. He has rented the family's spare room and now wants to ask him a few questions.
380	* WaveMotionGun: The Giant has one powerful enough to destroy a ship. Fortunately for the ship he was aiming at, Hogarth intervenes causing the Giant to fire and miss.
381	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The reason Hogarth comes back to save the Giant after it gets tangled in the wires at the power station is because he hears it screaming in pain, causing him to empathize with him. Later, the two question whether or not the Giant has a soul.
382	-->'''Giant:''' I die?\
383	'''Hogarth:''' I don't know. You're made of metal, but you have feelings. And you think about things. And that means you have a soul. And souls don't die.
384	* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: As Mansley drives away from the Hughes homestead with the "Hog... Hug..." BB Gun beside him, he talks to himself: "Hogarth? What an embarrassing name. Might as well call him [[Creator/TheMarxBrothers Zeppo]] or something. What kind of sick person would name a kid Hogar-" ''Cue EurekaMoment.''
385	* TheWorfBarrage: A squad of jet fighters seemingly destroyed the robot, [[spoiler:only for the U.S. Army to find out that he's still alive and mourning over the seemingly-dead Hogarth]].
386	* WouldHurtAChild: During Mansley's interrogation of Hogarth to find out where the Giant is, he threatens to make it so that Hogarth will be taken away from his mother if he doesn't tell him what he wants to know. Later during the climax, he lies to Rogard about the Giant having killed a child, knowing that Hogarth is with the Giant and could be easily killed in the crossfire.
387	* YouJustToldMe: How Annie tricks Dean into telling her Hogarth sneaks off to his junkyard every night.
388	[[/folder]]
389	----

Context WesternAnimation / TheIronGiant