Animation is Film Review: Iron Boy is a warm, transcendent coming-of-age story
Childhood takes on a warm shine that doesn't buff out the bumps of adolescence in the supremely charming, endlessly lovely Iron Boy , which hails from director Louis Clichy. Clichy previously worked at Pixar, but this is the first film that he says comes from him himself. During his pre-film introduction at Animation is Film (sadly, I missed the post-film Q&A, as I was rushing to another screening), Clichy was as sparkling and funny as the film itself. He talked about the inspiration the film draws on from his own childhood -- like the film's protagonist, Clichy grew up on a farm and wore a brace as a kid (he sometimes still does) -- and noted that the film is very French, including some of the characters' forceful, "rude" way of speaking. In short, he set the stage perfectly for the film to come. Iron Boy is one of my favorite movies of the year, and hopefully will factor into the coming award season. We meet Christophe in the late eighties. He's ten year...
