Tonight was an outstanding evening for me, as I got to experience The Iron Giant in the theatre again, just like I did 16 years ago in 1999. The film has been enhanced, and it was brought back to theatres across the United States by Fathom Events for one night only: 30 September 2015 starting at 19:00 local time.
![The Iron Giant Signature Edition ticket stub](https://z-issue.com/blog_imgs/film/the_iron_giant/the_iron_giant_signature_edition_ticket_stub.jpg)
The Iron Giant: Signature Edition ticket stub
If you haven’t had the honour of seeing Brad Bird’s (Animator of The Fox and the Hound, and writer/director of some greats like The Incredibles, and Ratatouille), then please do yourself a favour, and find a copy (either an older version to buy, or even stream it). It’s a truly remarkable film that spoke to me when I first saw it as an adolescent years and years ago.
Back in 1999 and for some years to come, I couldn’t get enough of The Iron Giant because I loved the hand-animated artwork, the incredible story, and some of the great one-liners and comedic scenes. Thereafter, it slipped to the back of my mind, but was never really forgotten. Then, several years ago, I got the joy of reliving it and experiencing it with a really great kid. It took on a completely new meaning to me when I saw the remarkable lessons that it taught—love conquering fear, being who you are, and doing everything within your power to help people.
![The Iron Giant Signature Edition ticket stub](https://z-issue.com/blog_imgs/film/the_iron_giant/the_iron_giant_signature_edition_screen_hogarth_hughes_trivia_question_thumb.jpg)
The Iron Giant and Hogarth Hughes
(Click to enlarge)
This time around, I got to see it (and introduce it) to my best friend in the world. She also enjoyed it (but, of course, I knew that she would). 🙂 Before the film started, they were showing various trivia questions about it (like in the screenshot above). I knew most of them, but this one in particular was really cool. By the way, the answer was Ted Hughes, which made Hogarth’s name even more significant. All in all, I can’t think of a better way to spend an evening than with a great friend, a fantastic film, and a hefty dose of nostalgia.
Cheers,
Zach