The Art of the Iron Giant by Ramin Zahed

The Art of the Iron Giant Reviews

• 
  Andrew

  Starting my comments on a book is always a tricky place to be -however with this book its pretty straight forward - I love it.
  
  Okay now that I have my breathing under control again let me explain.
  
  I have always been a fan of the iron giant, the book by Ted Hughes holds an almost mythical place in my collection and my memory being one of the first books I remember my parents reading to me. Long before the days of me developing a love for books and reading this story had already got a hold of me.
  
  And then came along the animated film and I fell in love with it all over again, now I am not so precious about a story that I will refuse a retelling no. I think the heart of the story is still there just with a different twist to it.
  
  And then came the signature edition - where the film was cleaned up and re-released with lost scenes and this book came out. Telling the story behind the film and the people who helped shape it to what it is today.
  
  The story is fascinating and well worth reading in its own right - telling of dedication of people who believed in what they were doing.
  
  However as you would expect the true star is the iron giant himself. The book is amazing and rather than ruining it (as you peek behind he curtain) you just become even more impressed. This is book for a fan (if you have not realised by now) but come on I think there are more fans out there than you realise.
  
  And that Giant is not finished yet either, as I believe we will get to see him stride out once more in Ready Player One. I suspect when I go and see it there will be one very starry eyed 7 year old sitting there remember the story his parents read to him.
• 
  Ashley

  First of all, a big Thank You to Insight Editions for allowing me to view and review The Art of The Iron Giant! This is one of my all time favorite movies that is guaranteed to make me cry every. single. time. Seriously at the end when the Iron Giant says "Superman" you can find me curled up with a stuffy and ugly sobbing. I have watched this at least ten times with my boyfriend and it never fails to make him laugh at how much it gets me. (We rate movies on what he likes to call the Will Ashley Cry scale.) It doesn't matter that the end shows his pieces coming back together, nothing gets me more than self sacrifice.
  
  Reviewing a Art Of book is a bit tricky since I can't include all the visuals I loved so try to bare with me. We start off with a forward from Brad Bird who is the director of The Iron Giant. From there we launch into each character and the various stages of development the artists went through before choosing the final character designs shown in the movie. My favorite were obviously the Giant but I really enjoyed Dean's art. His artsy hipster rough sketches were a delight to see and I'll admit to cackling at the poster of Dean with
  
  Downtown Coolsville
  
  Population: Dean
  
  on it. All throughout the book we get insight into why/how they chose what they did for the final film and the whole experience was just as magical as I imagined. While I was still in undergrad I focused a lot on illustration and background design and being able to see the backdrops to all my favorite scenes was a dream come true.
  
  Honestly this is the type of book every Iron Giant fan should have on their shelf. It's a great piece of work for one of the most highly-regarded animated movies of all time.
• 
  Thia Reads A Lot

  The Art of The Iron Giant - Ramin Zahed, Brad Bird (Foreword)
  Rating: ★★★★
  Did you know The Iron Giant was pitched to be a musical film? Did you know it was inspired by a book called The Iron Man by Ted Hugues? (Same last name as Hogarth's!)
  This artbook is great if, like me, you loved the movie. Produced to coincide with the Signature Edition (mentioned multiple times in the book), the text mentions how the movie didn't do well in the box office, but is now considered a classic by many, which isn't the typical perspective of that kind of books. I'm ducking a star because there are nothing on the Giant's weapons in this whole book even in the detailed chart of the Giant's parts on pages 36-37. It feels like a weird omission, since the movie is about "a gun with a soul".
• 
  Simon

  During a 4 hour lull for a movie, I stopped into an Indigo in Toronto on Bloor St. W and got lost in several books, one of which was this one, The art of the Iron Giant. A huge classic in my life, I watched it again and again as a kid and had always wished for a robot of my own, I mean what kid wouldn't?
  
  It was really fun to see the concepts of a movie that was made so long ago. I got to see sketches and character concepts and designs of wardrobe and several layouts of my favorite scenes, and read how things came together.
  
  I don't know if I'd own a book like this, but it was great to pass the time enveloped in the magic of the story again and the pages of the book.
• 
  Jessica Chancellor

  This book was brilliantly, wonderfully, and absolutely amazing. I've been enamored with The Iron Giant since I saw it in theaters when I was a child, and the book makes it so much better. Being an artist myself, it's borderline magical to see the process of this movie's creation.
  There was so much in there that I previously did not know; the original movie concept, how it evolved, the original artistic concepts, and what happened to make it the movie it is today.
  Love
• 
  william loyd tooher iv

  Very thoughtful look into an amazing movie. Learned a lot I didn't know. This film was more personal to the filmmakers than I thought. My only nitpick is the inconsistent placement of the photo captions. Kind of all over the place and sometimes bunched together far away from the actual subjects.
• 
  Jack

  A perfect blend of text and art. This book is a must-have for any student, fan, or lover of the film.
• 
  Christie

  Loved this. I love the movie. It may be the only animation that has brought tears to my eyes.
• 
  Art of the Film

  The Iron Giant remains one of the most highly-regarded animated movies. It's a beautiful film, and to coincide with the release of the signature edition blu-ray set, Insight Editions has published a book equally as beautiful. The Art of the Iron Giant contains what fans have been waiting for a long time - an in-depth look behind the scenes of the film and it's art department.
  
  The book begins with a foreword by director Brad Bird, who writes about his involvement in the project. The text then discusses the challenges of the film, with focus on the design and animation processes. The artwork in the book varies greatly -- some of it is from a previous incarnation of the film that was planned prior to Bird's involvement; and then obviously the artistic progression into the final visual style you recognize on-screen. Those who know the film will know that it has a unique look which blended a computer generated 3D-character and a traditional 2D environment.
  
  The Iron Giant himself went through various design iterations, and it's fun to see what could have been. Many of the designs are cool-looking, but the final design also gives the character a real personality. Additional chapters show the art of the human characters, as well as the settings in the film (including Hogarth's house and the power plant). Finally, the book concludes with a look back at the legacy of the film and an appreciation of the artists involved in making it a reality. Dozens of team members recall their experiences - including storyboard artists, animators, and composer Michael Kamen.
  
  This is one of those few books that will likely rise greatly in value over time. Sometimes I recommend waiting to buy art books for a few months until the retail price drops and remainder copies go on sale - but in this case I recommend picking this one up as soon as possible because a fresh new copy may be difficult to find down the road (Amazon is already showing a 1-2 month backorder at the time of this review).
  
  See a photo gallery of the book
  here.
• 
  Maggie Walsh

  I love "The Iron Giant" movie so I was very excited to get "The Art of The Iron Giant" for Christmas from my husband. I loved getting a peek inside the process to make the movie and how the characters and sets evolved.
  
  I enjoyed seeing the different versions of the Giant and how they figured out how to give him expressions. What seemed to be missing, however, were design proposals for the Giant in his "gun" mode.
  
  I enjoyed the comment that Dean developed a following with female movie-goers. Dean, like all of the characters, are fully realized and believable in their actions.
  
  I was rather surprised to learn that the movie was based on a book and that when Brad Bird took on the project was when the story evolved to what was on screen. I may eventually read the book, The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, to see how it compares. Mr. Hughes did approve of the movie version, which tells me that the changes that were made kept the spirit of the source material.
  
  I also liked the insight of how they married traditional 2D animation with CG. By selecting only certain elements for CG, they were able to merge the two formats and create a rich environment and atmosphere that continues to hold up.
  
  The only minor complaint I have is the "pitchiness" at times to promote the Special Edition of the movie, which was released last year. However, it has piqued my interest in that edition because they added in two new scenes.
  
  My appreciation for Brad Bird started with this movie and continued on with The Incredible and Tomorrowland. His use of nostalgia for an idyllic 50s and 60s has helped tell some wonderful stories. And reading this book makes me want to watch them all over again.
  
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Kit

  
  A spectacularly beautiful book on the development of my favorite film of all time, The Art of the Iron Giant reads less like a highlight reel and more like a series of personal explorations of the artists in the film. Technical pieces are definitely present, but it also has a fantastic amount of fan service in mind for those who love to see the character-establishing work and play of the creative minds behind this beautiful film.
  
  For an added bit of trivia, when my roommate presented this to me for Christmas this year, I cried. Openly. For at least fifteen minutes. While stroking images and wiping tears away with my other hand.
• 
  Ken French

  A great look at the making of one of my favorite movies.
• 
  Jennifer

  This book is beautiful!
• 
  Jello

  its him :)