Warner Bros Animation’s 1999 film The Iron Giant will receive a long-awaited remastered rerelease this fall, director Brad Bird first revealed on twitter Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Bird teased further details to be revealed during San Diego Comic Con this week, but in the meantime Fathom Events has announced today that it is partnering with Warner Bros for a limited nationwide theatrical screening on Wednesday, September 30 and then an encore at select locations on Sunday, October 4.
The Iron Giant represented the directorial debut of Brad Bird, whose subsequent credits include The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Disney’s recent live action film Tomorrowland. The film is based on British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes’ 1968 science fiction novel The Iron Man, which told the story of a giant “metal man” that falls to Earth from outer space, befriends a small boy named Hogarth in countryside and ultimately confronts an alien creature to protect the planet. Mr. Bird’s film reframes the storyline in the context of 1950s America and Cold War anxieties in the wake of the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957, where Hogarth spends his time befriending and teaching the robot while trying to hide its existence from the prying eyes of a suspicious and paranoid U.S. Government agent.
While The Iron Giant was a box office disappointment at the time, it has since gone on to be considered a classic and a critical darling. The film won nine Annie Awards along with a BAFTA Children’s Award for Best Feature Film, in addition to Hugo and Nebula Award nominations from the World Science Fiction Society and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America respectively. Mr. Bird directed the film and conceptualized the story adapted by screenwriter Tim McCanlies; Michael Kamen composed the musical score while Cinematography was handled by Steven Wilzbach. The film’s voice casting stars include Eli Marienthal (Hogarth Hughes), Jennifer Aniston (Annie Hughes, Hogarth’s mother), Vin Diesel (the Iron Giant), Harry Connick Jr (junkyard owner Dean McCoppin) and Christopher McDonald (government agent Kent Mansley).
The new “Signature Edition” of The Iron Giant will include not only remastered video but also “two all-new scenes” and a longer running time of about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cartoon Brew reports that the animation studio Duncan Studio is involved in the production of the new scenes, per the word of animator Rick Farmiloe. ComingSoon.net reports that tickets for the theatrical screenings will go on sale this August at FathomEvents.com. A digital HD release for the new Signature Edition is reportedly planned for the Fall following the theatrical event; release details and other possible release plans for home video are not yet known.
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