The Wild Robot and The Iron Giant

 

The Iron Giant is probably my favorite animated movie, so when I first heard about The Wild Robot, I thought it might just be a knock-off.  I was wrong about that, other than the two films featuring a robot, the stories are quite different.  I absolutely loved The Wild Robot, it is packed with heart, humor, action and amazing animation.  There are two more Wild Robot books and I am glad that the next one is being made into a sequel right now.

Robocop and The Iron Giant

 

Now, this is a buddy cop movie that I could really get into.  The no-nonsense Murphy partnered with a plucky new recruit like the Iron Giant would make for some fun big screen action.

The Iron Giant and Robotman

 I just watched The Wild Robot, which I was worried would just be an Iron Giant rip off.  I was very happy that other than involving a robot, the similarities ended there.  Well, the other parallel would be the quality of both films. The Wild Robot's story was fantastic with heart, action and humor and the animation was absolutely beautiful, including some truly breathtaking scenes. See it on the big screen if you can.

Ultraman and The Iron Giant

While it was fun seeing The Iron Giant go up against a misguided military and protecting Hogarth, we never got to see him face any antagonists his own size.  Who better join him in such an endeavor than a kaiju-crusher Ultraman?  I've had a few requests for this pairing, and it does seem like it would make for a fun tale.

Calvin & Hobbes and The Iron Giant

These are two of my favorite properties ever - but I don't think I want either to return.  The Iron Giant is a flawless animated film, and I just can't see how a sequel would be able to live up to it (I wasn't even crazy about the Giant showing up in Ready Player One).  Bill Watterson finished Calvin & Hobbes while it was still at its peak, and nobody else is qualified to take it over for him.  Even if he wanted to return to the strip himself, so much time has passed that I don't know if it would be able to capture the same magic as the first time around.  I could be wrong - I keep liking Toy Story sequels after I think they should have stopped, after all!

Godzilla Vs. the Iron Giant

Despite Godzilla: King of the Monsters underperforming at the box office, it looks as though Godzilla Vs. Kong will be coming to theaters in a few years.  I know that Kong was given a significant increase in size in Kong: Skull Island, but will he big enough to take on Godzilla?  I'll be rooting for the big ape so I hope he finds the way to even what seem like lopsided odds to me.

Fantastic Four and The Iron Giant

This is actually the third part of a stealth-three part tale.  Long time STF visitors will know that there's good reason for the Iron Giant to eat the Fantasticar (other than the tasty metal).  It was established back in STF #274  that The Iron Giant was actually a Transformer... and of course, STF #807 revealed that the Fantasticar is actually a Decepticon!  So, it all makes sense.  Who says this isn't the swingin' age of crossover continuity?

Wer'e just a week away from the STF 2000th issue 100-Page Giant!

Baymax and The Iron Giant

Big Hero Six was a pleasant surprise for me.  I was only slightly aware of the comic, and the movie looked like it was a fairly loose adaptation anyway, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I found it to be a ton of fun and I loved the humor and heart that the animators were able to put into Baymax.  Plus, there's a great Stan lee cameo!

The BIG League

It was cool seeing both Ant-Man and The Atom grow to giant-size and battle in Captain America: Civil War and DC's Legends of Tomorrow respectively, but I have to admit that I had the same issue with both action sequences.  I'm not sure why when they size up, they suddenly start moving in slow motion.  It seems to undermine any advantage they get from being huge.  Wouldn't they still move around at a normal rate?

Magnus: Robot Fighter and The Iron Giant

I have always though that Brad Bird's The Incredibles was worthy of a sequel, and I am glad that one is finally in motion.  Bird's other animated classic, The Iron Giant, is another story.  As much as I love the film, I think that it is perfect just as it is.  I think this is a definite case where the story is so perfectly told that a sequel is unnecessary.

Iron Man Vs. The Iron Giant

C'mon, you can't really blame The Iron Giant here.  All brightly colored and metallic, Tony Stark must look like a nice piece of candy to him.  I imagine that he would realize his error before things went too far and by the end of the story, both characters would receive an upgrade in their hardware by combining their technology.

Transformers and The Iron Giant

Just when I thought Michael Bay had said all he wanted to about Transformers, it seems that he is going to continue the franchise, now to be headed by Mark Wahlberg.  I liked the first film as a big splashy summer pic, but the two sequels seemed overly long and redundant, hampered by juvenile humor.  Still, they made a bajillion bucks so it shouldn't be too surprising that a fourth installment is in the works.  Will Bay finally give us the darker, edgier film he has been promising, or will he stick with the formula that has been raking in the bucks?  I guess we will have to wait to seem some footage to make a judgment.

Batman and The Iron Giant

I remember being early for some event and going to see The Iron Giant in the theaters to kill some time.  I was very glad that I made that decision because it turned out to be one of my favorite movies ever.  Filled with great character design, beautiful animation and a story brimming over with humor and heart, it has earned its title as a modern day classic.  This was due in no small part to the work of director Brad Bird, who went on to join Pixar and bring us such gems as Ratatouille and The Incredibles.  Bird's next project is Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and it will be interesting to see if he can bring the same level of excellence to a live action project.