Working on "The Iron Giant"

"He's a giant robot Dean; it's a little...undignified"

The Iron Giant was released 27 years ago, on 6 August 1999.  The film was not a box office success, but it has since won a cult following and regularly features in lists of the top 100 films of all time. 

I joined Warner Bros. Feature Animation in 1996, and started work on The Iron Giant in the spring of 1998.  Working for director Brad Bird was one of the best experiences of my career in animation.  

Film Night at Escape Studios on Friday 11 December!

Next Friday December 11th is Film Night at Escape Studios! We'll be screening the cult animation classic The Iron Giant, a film which initially performed badly at the Box Office but nonetheless scored 96% fresh at RottenTomatoes, and has since developed a huge following of fans.  I'll be introducing the film, showing some of the shots I animated, and talking about what it was like to work for one of the great animation directors - Brad Bird. Watch the (extremely silly) teaser above for details.

Escape Studios Movie Night!

Film Night is one of the many ways we work to give our students a great experience here at Escape Studios. We serve drinks and popcorn, and we sometimes show films that our tutors have worked on, so they can introduce the film and talk about what it was like working on the movie. 

For example, we'll be screening The Iron Giant on 11 December, and I'll be introducing the film, showing some of my shots, and talking about what it was like to work for one of the great animation directors - Brad Bird.

A digitally remastered version of the Iron Giant has recently been re-released in theatres in the US - a fitting tribute to a film which underperformed at the Box Office but has since become a cult classic.

Brad Bird Explains The Mystery of "The Magic Circle"

The Iron Giant has recently been re-released in theatres, offering a chance to this superb film on the big screen again.

Working on Iron Giant was part of my animation education - and it was a wonderful opportunity to work for one of the very best animation directors - the legendary Brad Bird.

I learned a lot from him both as a director and an animator.  Brad's style of directing was always clear and precise.  He always knew what he wanted, and he knew how to communicate it to the animators.

What Was It Like To Work on The Iron Giant?

Brad Bird's animation classic The Iron Giant has just been re-released in theatres in the USA, a fitting tribute to a film which, though critically acclaimed, seriously under-performed at the box office when it was first released in the summer of 1999.

In this excellent blog post, animator Stefan Franck reflects on  what it was like to work on The Iron Giant under the leadership of the supremely talented Brad Bird.

For all of us who worked on the film, its box-office failure was a massive shock.  We were devastated.  How could such a great film perform so poorly? Why did no-one want to see it?

Inevitably, conspiracy theories grew. The studio wanted to kill it (because corporations love losing money!).  It was a deliberate tax write-off. The marketing department screwed up.  "They" wanted to close down Warner Bros Feature Animation. "They" wanted to teach Brad Bird a lesson.