Cool News
IRON GIANT Special Edition DVD On The Way' Finally'
El Cosmico here, hoping that this latest tidbit proves correct, the fine folks over at Digital Media FX are reporting this morning that a special edition DVD version of the amazing, excellent, wonderful, beautiful, and horribly marketed by a slack-ass Warner Brothers film that all sensible people love, THE IRON GIANT, is on the way.
Of course, we heard rumours of this long ago, when the first DVD edition was released, and it seemed that it would or might happen, but obviously never did. In any case, we certainly hope that it's true this time around. Here's the bit from digitalmediafx.com:
A Challenge to the WB - "Market The Iron Giant Special Edition DVD" (by digitalmediafx.com) For well over a year, Warner Bros. has been quietly working on a special edition DVD (on and off) for the critically acclaimed animated film, The Iron Giant. The collector's edition DVD is expected to be released in late July or early August for the two year anniversary of the movie's release. The problem is that Warner Bros. hasn't officially made the announcement.
When Warner Bros. originally released The Iron Giant in 1999, it was criticized for waiting until the last minute to mount a marketing campaign for the movie, thus losing the edge of building an anticipation for the film. History appears to be repeating itself as the collector's edition DVD is set for release this summer, yet a marketing campaign hasn't started to support the release.
The Iron Giant Collector's Edition DVD is expected to contain a wealth of bonus material not found on the original DVD release. This includes deleted scenes like a dream sequence the Giant has that gives hints about his past. In the deleted scene, the Giant is in the junkyard having a bad dream that is transmitted to Dean's TV while Dean is watching a late night talk show.
Digital Media FX will keep you posted of any new developments surrounding the DVD release.
Sounds great, certainly better than the original DVD, which was plain as a saltine without the salt. Or something. Bring it on, WB, and throw some real marketing at it this time, eh?
-El Cosmico
You got time for jibba-jabba?
Readers Talkback
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What a great film. One of the best animated films in years. Let's hope that this is true. I guess my question is, did the original dvd sell well enough for to warrant the studio spending the extra money for a SE? If it didn't, then I'd say this is fanboy dreaming again.
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March 5, 2001, 6:40 a.m. CST
I think its time for Todd to post one of his things...
by Bluberry Johnson
It seems apropro, No? This bit of news might finally convince me to get that DVD player too. Woo. Hoo.
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Writing to Warner Brothers on this will probably amount to nothing. After all, look how well that Special Edition of Batman Beyond is coming. BUT... Amazon.com often posts pages for products that have yet to be solicited, or even announced. They collect names, and then show the manufacturers that this many people want to buy this product. So drop a note to Amazon, ask them to post a page, and once they do, put your name up there, and tell the rest of the world. People they don't listed to. COMPANIES they do. Oh, and I appear to be first.
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Why the fuck don't studios just do it right the first time...now I'm expected to buy another copy of Iron Giant?? Well, I'll make an exception here, because Iron Giant is one of the BEST MOVIES EVER, family or otherwise, but don't expect to see me in line when you finally get around to releasing new special edition copies of X-Men, Die Hard, or Shawshank...you didn't see me buy your new and improved Terminator or MIB discs, did ya??***Anyways, it wasn't just the timing of the marketing, it was the fact that every trailer made the movie look like an 80 minute commercial for action figures. I had no desire to see this, especially in theatres, and immediately dismissed it as crap. God was I surprised when I finally watched the movie at home. And DAMN if the ending didn't make me weep like a little sissy girl (every fucking time I watch it too, every FUCKING time).
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The day I finally break down and buy the bare-bones version, this is announced. Great.
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I LOVE this movie! One of the best family films of the late 90's. Being secure in my manhood I can say..it brought a tear to my eye. The boyish dream of being Superman coming alive in the Giant while he's flying. Realizing that, in his heart, he can be Superman as he is sacrificing himself to save the town. Wow..just.wow!
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You think he'd be the first to post on this site.
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March 5, 2001, 9:21 a.m. CST
Great! Now, if only WB would wake the 'F' up and release a Speci
by Monkey_King
Iron Giant is one of the alltime greatest animated films to be put out by Warner Bros.(Titan A.E. being second best animated film). This film deserves all the accolades and then some. Brad Bird, though not a genius, comes pretty damn close to be an enlightened being in my book. Bring on the Batman Beyond:Special Edition........
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Since when do marketing campaigns for DVDs get mounted 6 months, or rarely 1 month, before they're released? Superman will be out in May, and I haven't seen or heard anything in magazines, on TV, etc. I agree that the theater releases should have marketing campaigns this far in advance, not necessarily a deluxe/special/collector's edition of a previously-released DVD. DVD-philes will know when it comes out. If the general public didn't pick up the current DVD (what reason did WB have to create a special edition?), who's to say they'll pick up this one?
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I can't wait. Frankly I'm surprised I've held on this long without getting it. Now I've just got to wait until August. :P (As if it wasn't bad enough I've almost broke down and gotten the bare-bones X-Men and Dogma discs). Yeah, it's a great movie. Oh, and Titan A.E. was made by Fox... One last note, bring on the Batman Beyond Special Edition baby! I'd pay out my ass for that sucker. I have a copy of the original version and it's amazing.
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Okay, there actually IS something better than sex...!
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Even though I own the original version of the DVD, I'm stoked to fucking hell for the Special Edition. "Iron Giant" is one of my favorite movies of all-time. I must admit I have turned a bit more cynical watching movies as I've grown up, but "Iron Giant" is one of the few movies that can both turn me into a kid again for two hours and break my hardened fuckin' heart at the end. If you haven't seen this movie, DO SO. And not to take away from my joy of this news, but HEY WB! HOW'S ABOUT A FRICKIN' RETURN OF THE JOKER: SE?
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This is one film that truley deserves the star treatment. Long before the films botched release, there were a couple of pencil test reels of the film floating around Hollywood. One included the mentioned dream sequence and it is totally cool, but the choice to cut it out was correct. It illuminates where Iron Giant came from and that info burdened the main story. It's more magical without it, but of course us I.G. junkies would eat it up. I hope they include the entire pencil test in the special edition. The power of this film was evident even in the rough test reel. And a Brad Bird commentary track would be incredible.
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Ah, Iron Giant....my favorite E.T. rip-off. I mean alien, single mother, dreamer kid....hummm coincidence? OK, cronies, let the bashing begin about me, my taste in movies, my mother, and whatever else you got.
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this is so amazing ive been waiting for this for a year and a half. Im giddy and we all know why, this is a great great day for me. I could get into everthing but all im gonna do is sit and pray and watch my VHS or old DVD version of it this weekend. Please warner i beg you not to fuck this one up. TODD WHERE ARE YOU??!!!??!
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Man, when he's flying up into the atmosphere and says, "Superman" That's it for me folks...I revert into a crying mass of something that was once a man... Ah well. Great movie. I think it's time to get a DVD player...
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Too bad 'The Iron Giant' was based on a 1968 Ted Hughes book called 'The Iron Man', a novel which appeared long before E.T. We won't question your taste, just the intelligence inherent in spouting off about something you obviously know nothing about.
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And to think, I was just telling my girlfriend that I have to get this movie on DVD, and now this news about a S.E. Now if I can just wait a few more months. And you talkbackers are right, WB should've marketed this flick a lot better than they did. Because of the kiddyish trailer I didn't bother seeing it at the movies. How is any animation studio ever going to hope to have a film to rival the behemoth that is Disney with such crappy marketing. WB blew it!! BTW, Titan A.E. was a major disappointment and made my head hurt...
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I just felt as though we were watching the first draft of the screenplay...something that was rushed into production. Too many holes and inconsistancies...ie. The Drew Barrymore character being captured by the aliens. Do the cold, heartless energy beings that blowed up our Earth summarily execute her (or try to)? No, they put her in a nice little pod and blast her into space. It made no sense...what would it have required to have her escape on her own that way? nothing extra, and it would have made a) her character more resourceful, and b) the aliens more frightening, 'cause they were trying to kill her in a realistic manner, not some dumb Blofeld trick. There were many many moments like this, and it ruined the movie. Animation was cool though...kinda big budget Heavy Metal feel.
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Actually, this film was everything that abyssmal HEAVY METAL:2000 wanted to be and more. Granted, Titan A.E. had the cutesy little ass shots and almost nudity, it excelled everywhere else that HM:2000 failed. No wonder it had a limited run on cable before heading straight to video and DVD, they knew it sucked. Titan A.E. was one of the best efforts FOX animation did, then they pulled the plug on the whole animation department. Ya know, I always wondered what a Don Bluth directed, Wendy Pini scripted ELFQUEST film would be like after watching his first theatrical feature SECRET OF NIMH. It could still happen, if only someone showed some backbone and interest.(I already know this film is being made, so don't reply to the ELFQUEST thing, but Bluth isn't directing. Damn!)
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But rather noting the animation style used in Titan was reminiscent of that used in the ORIGINAL (and I guess, style wise, the sequel) Heavy Metal, which kind of gave the whole movie a 'not just for kiddies' wink. But amazing (and nostalgic) animation aside, that still doesn't change the fact that Titan A.E. had some pretty serious screenplay issues (ie. Plot holes) which left me disappointed in the movie as a whole.
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Way to encourage debate and site usage Harry!
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Look, Iron Giant ruled! It was great! I even got the dvd (severlly discounted), but come on! In the world of possible special edition re-issues that Warner Bros. could give me, Iron Giant is way the hell down there. How about some sweet SE's of the Batman series (I know they're comin, but why don't they push back IG and get em to me quick!), Witches of Eastwick (it'll never happen I know, but WHY NOT?!). There are probably 3dozen others, but anyways, look, I know you all want IRON GIANT SE, so I guess that's what really matters and there's nothing wrong with more SE's, so...enjoy :)
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March 5, 2001, 8:34 p.m. CST
Hey there's a guy on this web site who looks just like Harry
by El Mikeo
http://www.jehu.cjb.net
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March 5, 2001, 9:23 p.m. CST
TITAN A.E. blew hard! The fact that geeks support it is why the
by ojy2k
Titan A.E. was so unbareably stupid that I was forced to turn it off half way through. I liked Transformers- the Move, Batman Beyond ROTJ, and the IRON GIANT, but what the hells the point of doing such great animation if the film has sloppy, unimaginitive characters and an even shittier storyline that was constantly painful to sit through? The fact that there are tons of nerds out there that think that it should be supported if you like animation just shows why animation isn't taken seriously- its success seems to be based only on its budget and the look of the film. Not only that, but for a movie that was touted as a more mature animated feature, the storyline could've been writen by drunk five year olds. The whole thing was a cliche laden mess. What a piece of shit. People who liked Titan A.E. don't deserve to breathe air or live. Fox isn't going to release another animation not because the public isn't into them, but because Titan A.E blew from the second the script went into production. That was Don Bluth's ego trip project of "Oh, it'll be awesome if then THIS happens, cuz it'll look cool" the same way Battlefield Earth was John Travolta's ego baby. Dumb, miserable, not even bastardized shit. If it was bastardized shit then I could see defending it, but it started out that bad. Animation should be treated like another type of feature films and not like something you go to just to look at the pretty pictures. If all the animation nerds out there would stop supporting any form of poorly written animation that just happens to be a visual wonder, maybe companies would release stuff that wasn't dick and animation would gain some respect as an artform.
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But it chould have been so much better. First that piece of shiznit rock soundtrack, better suited for a Freddy Prinze Jr teen comedy, needed to be booted for some nice orchestral music. What's wrong with tradition? Second, the Drej really never revealed why they hated humans so much. It was vaguely hinted at, that's it. Third, I liked Bill Pullman's character better the first time when he was called Han Solo (with a little of Lando Calrissian treachery thrown in.) Visually this film kicked ass. But the story was as limp as Ice Pirates or Starchaser. It seemed less like a real motion picture to me than an attempt by Fox to show George Lucas that a Star Wars sequel could be done in animated form. (Why bother to beg Harrison Ford to play Han Solo as an old man when you can get him to sit behind a microphone for minimum salary and a slice of the merchandise profits?) Far-fetched, maybe, but I bet at least one Fox exec suggested it in pre-production: "Hey, this looks good enough to be Star Wars! Hmm...I wonder...is Lucas still saying he's stopping after Episode 3? Get me the Ranch on line 2."
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Titan AE had the exact opposite problem. That script had 15 writers...they only gave credit to the big three or four of them. This is the reason why the film makes no sense all they did was cut and past scenes that seemed to work from different writers. For example, Ben Edlund jokes stick out like a sore thumb in the movie... I would by the DVD if just had his original draft on it.
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Titan AE had the exact opposite problem. That script had 15 writers...they only gave credit to the big three or four of them. This is the reason why the film makes no sense all they did was cut and past scenes that seemed to work from different writers. For example, Ben Edlund jokes stick out like a sore thumb in the movie... I would by the DVD if just had his original draft on it.
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I never meant to imply that we were actually seeing the first draft...that never, ever happens with a studio movie. I meant that, with so many glaring plot holes, the movie just seemed sloppy. That's all.
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Well, dude, did Titan A.E. suck or didn't it? First you say , " T.A.E. wasn't horrible", then later you say, "...many, many moments like this and it ruined the movie." I think maybe you WANTED to enjoy the movie more than you actually did, huh? Just an observation. I'll give you that the animation was cool, but it just wasn't enough to carry the movie. How about a coherent plot and characters you could care about?? The Iron Giant had those and more.
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I thought Titan was average. Not average as in mediocre the whole way through, but alternatingly great and crappy. I didn't really care about it going it...it wasn't my idea to go see it...but I think that I was struck by the potential of it and thought it wouldn't have taken much work to achieve (or come closer to achieving) that potential. So I stand by my comments: It WASN'T horrible, but those many moments DID ruin what could have been great.*** But in no WAY do I mean to suggest that it even holds a candle to The Iron Giant, which to me is the greatest superhero movie, animated movie, and family movie of all time. I've never experienced a movie that so deftly blended side-splitting humor, social commentary, a didactic tone, and genuine heart-wrenching pathos...and I've watched a LOT of movies. DAMN, I think I'm going to go watch it again right now.
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Okay, but you're talking about what the movie could've been, not what it actually is. You're struck by it's potential, not by what's actually on the screen. Hell, I've said those exact words many times myself. "That movie,blah, blah, blah, would've rocked if only they would've blah, blah, blah." You know how it goes. A.E. was just a lot of warmed over ideas from a dozen other, and better, sci-fi movies. I mean I literally got up halfway through the movie to get a refill on my Coke. Not because I was thirsty, but because I was so bored and I just didn't care. Not to mention that it literally was giving me a headache with it's abuse of visual effects. I was gone about fifteen minutes, came back, asked my friend if I had missed anything, and he said "No." 'nuff said.
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March 7, 2001, 5:05 a.m. CST
of course i'm talking about what the movie could have been
by JonQuixote
my biggest 'compliment' on the actual finished movie was 'wasn't horrible'. and it wasn't. horrible, to me, gets reserved for movies like BlairWitch2 or Gone in 60 seconds. The irredeemable flick. I didn't feel totally ripped off...I thought Titan had it's moments (one being the failed attempt to sneak in wearing the robes...that made me laugh)...but also felt it was sloppily put together. Anyways, I guess we're agreeing, so peace out.
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How can somebody love Transformers The Movie, then criticize Titan AE on plot, characters, and all around bad stuff? When I was a kid, I missed out on Transformers the Movie in theaters. Years later, after the cartoon ended on TV, I finally saw it, and was let down. (I did get to see the Go-Bots movie in theaters... some trade-off, huh?) and I recently purchased the Transformers movie. It was worse than I remembered. It wasn't even a full film, just an overly long prologue to the next season of the cartoon! Even the ending had the narrator saying something to the effect of "More adventures on the way between the Autobots & Decepticons!" Titan AE was far more coherent than Transformers, and had more character development, even if the characters were all cliches. Transformers touched a bit on some character development from the original series, then promptly killed off half the original characters and left viewers with a bunch of new cool-looking robots with zilch development. The new Decepticons were all puppets of Unicron, who was, unfortunately, not much more than a robot Galactus. The new Autobots were somewhat redundant. Hot Rod was basically Bumblebee, just a bit wilder... Kupp was just a futuristic-looking replacement for Ironhide. When the video finished, I was left going "Eh? That was it?" I watched a tape of a couple old episodes that I bought the same time, and felt they did a better job in storytelling. Titan AE was enjoyable. It had holes the size of the Grand Canyon, but it was a fun ride at least. Okay, soapbox off... oh, and Iron Giant kinda got left aside in this post, but what can I say? Awe-inspiring. Hope for the animation community.
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First off, I love the Iron Giant and now I am glad I hadn't yet bought it on D.V.D. (I had just been borrowing my brother's copy)... I just watched said brother's copy of Titan for the first time and I liked it ok. I know if I was 12 I would have probably thought it "kicked butt" but it was pretty good overall. At any rate the Drej don't hate the humans, they just figured out that the Titan harvests energy and could potential harvest them... Their survival was at stake and the ending... Which showed that humans are no better by killing off all the drej (now they get to be the colony bums if there are any survivors). It was self defense though so all is well in moral land. Haha.
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As far as a special release of Iron Giant I am all freaking for it. It is one of those movies that I have to watch in a really good mood because it rips out my freaking heart at the end. A wwell put together movie with great period animation and and even greater vocals. As far as batman, I thought this was an oustanding movie, that should have honestly had some addtional material. I was unable to locate the DVD in the first place as most places that I went to said that they only got three-five copies of it. A release of the DVD should have some infortmation on the history of the character himself as well as the bat-mythos as a whole. WB seems to be a bit stingy on thier tenn-marketed DVD's and while most of the demographic may not be overtly concerned with paying 27.99 for a movie with no extra's. I AM!!!
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TITAN A.E. at times didn't even make sense. Everything went too fast, except for all those really long, boring scens, obviously thrown in just to showcase an animated project with a big budget. By the way, you probably got the lame ass shit version of Transformers if it says some hokey message about further adventures at the end. I bet you got the English video from Rhino, you twit! Try the DVD or Canadian uncut edition. Try watching the REAL movie and see if you like it more. TITAN A.E. has characters that were all Cliched and so did Transformers, but at least the Transformers were confronted with a much more epic story than TITAN A.E. could ever hope to have achieved. Titan A.E. just blew up the Earth and acted like that was suppossed to set the grim, dark undertone of the movie. Titan A.E. was embarassing to watch even when I was alone- aside from some swearing (was there swearing?) and blood and some really stupid deaths (it isn't that mature if a character's lips keep moving when they die) it was written on the level of a five year old. Not only that, but the characters regurlarly contradict themselves and aren't even decent cliches. At least Transformers had some bad ass cliched characters, that stayed consistent throughout the movie. And even though it was an obvious marketting ploy, the fact that so many of the earlier characters die set a much darker tone for the movie. In the end, Transformers is more than the sum of its parts, and even though it was intended for six year olds, the authors decided to give it enough kick to that it is still enjoyable today. Titan A.E. was rotten dog shit that was less than half the sum of its parts and pretended to be some dark PG-13 animation, when it was obviously just some G movie with some superficial blood and death thrown in. It does bad and all these people say that that's going to bring down USA animation. Maybe it'll just show studios not to throw money at shit scripts and ideas.
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Sincerely, I think the more they stuff onto the DVD the better...I mean, how can one get enough of that sexy Iron Giant voice? The movie is a masterpeice... Why nto add alittle extra info! I can't wait for the SE of IG! and by the way, Titan AE sucked.
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I've gone all the way through this Talk Back for one reason and one reason only -- to get Todd's take on this fantastic news. Instead I got to see his nipples ripped by a 3,000-year-old very-high-priest or wizard, and though that was cool, it's somehow not the same.
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