The Iron Giant: Collector's Edition Blu-Ray: Director Brad Bird Needs Your Help!



All of us know Brad Bird as the director of Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille (both Oscar Winners for Best Animated Feature), and of the upcoming "Tomorrowland", but we always remember him as the director of Warner Bros's 1999's animated masterpiece, "The Iron Giant". It continues to be a classic in animation today, but most people find it hard to believe that it was initially a box-office dud. This happened because of Warner's poor marketing and promotion and competition with "The Sixth Sense". I feel sorry for "Giant" not faring well on its initial release because I have to agree that it should have been a huge box-office hit. It would have established Warner Bros. as a competitor to Disney like "Anastasia" had done for 20th Century Fox in 1997. However, at least it opened to good critical praise and performed much better when released on home video. But while we got an excellent Special Edition DVD released in 2004, we've been anticipating "The Iron Giant"s debut on High-Definition Blu-Ray. 

According to a recent interview with Den of Geek, Bird and Warner Bros have been in discussions about releasing "The Iron Giant" on Blu-Ray. Bird said on his Twitter account that they wanted a bare-bones disc (that would NEVER do), but Bird wants something better than that, and so do the fans who have often called it their fave animated flick. I agree with that too, because I think Warner Bros. should give "Giant" the ultimate high-quality Blu-Ray edition it deserves, fully-loaded with cool extras and special features. Now that there is a renewed interest in traditional animation, Warners shouldn't treat this classic like dirt. Real animated classics like "The Iron Giant" should get royal treatment like Disney does with the likes of "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", and "The Lion King". @TheTrekNerd on Twitter says that  "Us consumers want better too. It's a classic, not fodder for the $1.99 bin at the grocery store."

There is still a chance that this can happen. Apparently, Brad Bird has stated that the only way to help give The Iron Giant the Collector's Edition Blu-Ray release it deserves is to tweet at @WBHomeEnt. I have been taking part in this action since the announcement. If you like this film, you can take part too by going on Twitter and tweet at @WBHomeEnt. saying that you want a fully-loaded Collector's Blu-Ray of "Giant". If you're dying to see this film get the kind of treatment it deserves, take action by going on Twitter! Remember, there are many animated classics waiting to get the kind of home entertainment release they deserve. "The Iron Giant" is one of those films.

Introducing... The Animated Media Guy

Welcome all you animation fans! In case you want to know a lot about me, I am on a mission to pursue a career in animation when I am grown. I also intend to be an animation historian just like the great Jerry Beck himself. I have heard a great deal that most animators and directors get into animation because they grew up with many animated cartoons. A certain film also taught me that all writers, or in this case, all bloggers start out by seeing things.

I will let you in on a little secret: I understand what animation fans think about their favorite animated films and TV shows, and also what they desire, like what they think about today's animation world and how classic gems of animation should get the kind of royal and proper treatment that they deserve. After all cartoons are not just for kids, they are also for teens and adults as well.

As an animator and historian-in-training, I have a theory that every animated cartoon, whether they're most-liked or most-hated is a classic and favorite to everyone and should never be forgotten. With this new blog, I will guide you to my own personal thoughts and opinions on the animation industry, past, present, and future. I will also post to you news about the animation industry and sponsor certain petitions that I am starting via change.org. In addition, I will be sharing certain memories with you all; I can't keep them secrets forever. Anyway, pursuing your dream career and choosing your own path is important, but friends and family are important, too. And if you can have them both then it is a wonderful life.

Until next post, I remain your faithful and talented animation knowledge blogger,

Frank Henry Coufal.

And remember, you can never fail if you are true to your heart. If you can't hold your memories back anymore, then let it go.