It began the day Sputnik was launched, October 4, 1957, with the robot's arrival on Earth. Most obviously, it was moved across the Atlantic. It was the stage production that led Warner to option it for what eventually became the 1999 animated version.Īs animated, the story was very different from what it had been before. Three years later, Pete Townsend of The Who adapted it into The Iron Man: A Musical, which was first released in LP recorded form in 1989, then performed live in London in 1993. In 1986, it was read aloud on BBC, by actor Tom Baker (Dr. Animation made its feature film, the story had already been done twice in the performing media. It was illustrated by Andrew Davidson, who has also helped visualize the writings of early 20th century American author Jack London.īy the time Warner Bros. But before it could be printed in America, not only did the title have to be changed to avoid violating Marvel Comics' trademark on the name all of its references to the character himself had toīe changed to the legally-neutral term 'The Iron Giant.' The author was Ted Hughes, whose other works include Wolfwatching and Crow ( little or no relation).

It was originally a 1968 children's novel published in England, titled The Iron Man, tho it had nothing to do with the comic book character of that name. Please contribute to its necessary financial support. If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, THE IRON GIANT Original Medium: Prose fiction

The Iron Giant by Andrew Davidson