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The Iron Giant (1999) is a modern classic, an animated film directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol) about a young boy who befriends a giant alien robot during the Sputnik era of the Cold War. Based on the 1968 book The Iron Man by poet Ted Hughes, the film is a marvel of heartfelt storytelling, with timeless themes of friendship, caring and self-determination.
Creating the Iron Giant's beautiful, sympathetic score was Michael Kamen—one of his last major scores and his first animated film, miles away from the action blockbusters for which he had become known, but much closer to his heart. Kamen's gorgeous score is full of melody, humor and sensitivity, grandly performed by the Czech Philharmonic. It scales as big as the threat of nuclear annihilation, and as intimate as the goodness that connects nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes to the alien machine—who decides he would rather be "Superman" than a weapon.
Varèse Sarabande released Kamen's The Iron Giant score as a 49-minute program in 1999. This Deluxe Edition fills an entire CD, with a 64-minute score program plus 13 minutes of alternates, outtakes and rare demos—including a piano-and-guitar attempt at an unrealized song, "Souls Don't Die," based on Kamen's theme, performed by Kamen and Eric Clapton. Tim Greiving's new liner notes feature new interview material with director Brad Bird, music editor Christopher Brooks and orchestrator Blake Neely, going deep into Kamen's working process and their adoration for the gifted, late composer.
- Varese Sarabande
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