The Iron Giant Event


	SOMETHING HUGE IS ON THE HORIZON...

	This was the headline to an exciting event Warner Home Video held yesterday for selected members of the press. The exclusive event served to announce the home video release of their latest animated feature film, “The Iron Giant”. Held at the “Museum of Flying” in Santa Monica, the event had a very special feel to it. Surrounded by Messerschmitts,

Junkers, Flying Fortresses and other historic planes and flying devices, it made for a great environment for the unveiling of this successful film.


	“The Iron Giant” tells the heartwarming story of a young boy and 50-foot robot as they discover the power of friendship and learn rewarding lessons in this animated adventure film. It all starts with a big, mysterious object that falls from the sky and nine-year old Hogarth Hughes starts investigating. Soon he finds himself befriended by a gigantic, gentle robot and dances with joy about owning the coolest toy in the whole wide world. Unfortunately the government becomes aware of the situation and a paranoid agent shows up in the small town to hunt down the “alien” invader. Soon Hogarth learns the true meaning of friendship while his machine friend learns humanity.

During a brief introduction to the film and its importance to Warner Brothers in general, Warner executives pointed out that “The Irong Giant” will be backed by the biggest promotion and advertising campaign ever seen for a Warner home video release.
It will be trailered on films like “Wild Wild West”, “The Wizard Of Oz” and other coming home video releases and supported by massive print and online advertising campaigns. It will be featured on newspaper Sunday comic pages and have dedicated TV advertising tailored to the films they run in.

In terms of promotion, Warner Home Video has teamed up with Honey Nut Cheerios and General Mills products to reach the right audience for the film, as well as the “Cartoon Network” and “WB Kids” TV stations. One of the most interesting promotions is linked with the marketing of “Pokémon” trading cards. In every pack of “Pokémon” trading cards there will be one “Iron Giant” trading card and a $10 rebate



	Director Brad Bird, Vin Diesel and Warner’s executive

offer for the VHS/DVD. Each video tape of the film’s VHS release will also contains an “Iron Giant” action figured mounted on the cover for instant gratification. A bonus, DVD users will unfortunately not benefit from.



	An early mock-up of the DVD cover

General Motors will give away a special “Iron Giant” Venture mini-van while there will be also a competition for children to design their own “Iron Giant” Venture mini-van.
As you can see, Warner Home Video is putting some serious backing in place for this upcoming release.

The release will also feature two different cover artworks. The first one used for the rental VHS shows the Iron Giant flying above the city with the boy in his hand. It is a cover artwork that has been specifically targeted to appeal to younger viewers. The sell-through VHS and the DVD release on the other hand will feature a different cover artwork with a more mature note, as you can see on the left.

Then it was time to actually watch the film in an exclusive screening from what seemed to be an early DVD version. It was introduced by Brad Bird and actor Vin Diesel, who had lent his voice talent to the “Iron Giant” in the film. Both made some short comments about the background of the film. Not much, but just enough to get you excited.

I had not seen the film during its theatrical run and apart from the good critics’ quotes I was familiar with, I did not exactly know what to expect. Ultimately I was very pleasantly surprised by the film.

It is a timeless, high-spirited family animated feature film that seems very accessible especially to younger audiences.


	It is a story of adventure, a story every boy is dreaming of. Owning the coolest toy in the universe. Having a giant as a friend and protector. Defeating evil people and making parents believe. All these aspects are nicely covered in “The Iron Giant” in a fashion that is highly entertaining and delightfully inspiring and told in a way that is sure to please the entire family. The entire film is an animated homage to the wave of 50s science fiction and B-horror films like Jack Arnold’s “It Came From Outer Space” or “Forbidden Planet”, the latter of which is incidentally featured on numerous occasions throughout the film in animated form. What makes it work so well is its relatively straight-forward storyline, its honesty and the overall appeal of its characters.


	We have been able to find out some of the technical details of the DVD release of “The Iron Giant” for you during the event. It will include a documentary called “The Making Of The Iron Giant”, the “Cha Hua Hua” music video by Eddie Platt, the film’s theatrical trailer, and cast and crew biographies. For DVD-ROM users, the DVD will also contain a link to the original
		theatrical website where visitors have access to web cards, screensavers, posters, puzzles, and chat boards. The DVD will contain the

		film’s widescreen version in an anamorphic transfer and a pan&scan transfer at a suggested retail price of $24.98. “The Iron Giant” screening was a nice event and the headline “Something Huge Is Coming Your Way” was no exaggeration. The film will certainly warm many viewers’ hearts and the Iron Giant will certainly become the new favorite hero of many children after watching the movie. Look out for this exciting release stomping in your retail store on November 23! Then again, it’s so huge you can hardly miss it!




			September 14, 1999

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