Artistic License – Statistics: Richard claims that because 8% of all household accidents involve ladders and 3% involve trees, interacting with ladders and trees together results in an 11% probability of an accident. Given that the film is about getting over his fears, this is probably an in-universe example. Genre Blindness: As the characters approach a frightening mansion in the Horror section, Fantasy reads the names of the residents: "Dr. Jekyll...Mr. Hyde...( Beat)...Must be a duplex." Naturally Fantasy wouldn't know anything about the Horror genre. Evil Laugh: Mr Hyde, the deranged psycho version of Dr. Jekyll. He laughs maniacally even when he falls to his doom. Lyttelton, Oliver (2012-08-06). "5 Things You Might Not Know About Brad Bird's 'The Iron Giant' ". IndieWire . Retrieved 2019-10-05. Davis, Sandi (January 1, 1995). "Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year "Forrest Gump" The Very Best, Sandi Declares". The Oklahoman . Retrieved July 20, 2020.

Reading Is Cool" Aesop: They certainly tried to do this, but as many people pointed out, it doesn't really encourage reading, instead name-dropping a few literary classics and using loose approximations of their plots and characters for action scenes. The satyr with the panpipes and the little dancing blue fairies are respectively references to the Pastoral Symphony and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in Fantasia. A raven cawing "Nevermore!" while swooping down from a bust of Pallas above the archway in Dr. Jekyll's manor. Kids Are Cruel: The other kids in Richard's neighborhood who make fun of him for his cowardice when he sets out on his bike to buy nails at the hardware store. A number of books based on the film exist, including an illustrated book attributed to David Kirschner and Ernie Contreras, illustrated by Jerry Tiritilli, which contained large passages from the Casci screenplay without giving Casci writing credit. The film was well into production by the time this book was introduced in the 1993 F. A. O. Schwarz Christmas Catalog. Other properties based on the film include a novelization of the film, children's story books, pop-up books and other film ancillaries such as toys and games.Ultimately, a settlement was reached, and Fox released the film with both Kirschner and Casci receiving story and screenplay credit, with a third writer, Ernie Contreras, also receiving screenplay credit. Public Domain Character: Tons of them. In fact, none of the worlds that Richard and the books travel through feature any literary characters that debuted in the last seventy-two years (at the time of the film's release date), which means you will definitely see Dr. Jekyll, Captain Ahab, and Long John Silver in this movie, but not Aslan, Bilbo Baggins, or James Bond. Whoopi Goldberg as Fantasy: A fairy-styled lavender fairy tale book. She can be opprobrious, aggressive, and hotheaded. Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal Ed Begley Jr. and Mel Harris as Alan and Claire Tyler, Richard's supportive parents. Alan considers himself a bad father due to his continuous failed attempts to help Richard get over his fears.

Just Eat Him: The "Alive and Whole" subtype is enacted by the dragon. It could easily incinerate Richard but prefers to do this instead. Fantasy and Long John Silver are voiced by Goldberg and Cummings. The two of them (along with Cheech Marin) voiced the three troublesome hyenas in The Lion King, another animated film released the same year. Loony Librarian: Mr. Dewey, the "loony" part of his character provided by Large Ham Christopher Lloyd. Contrary to any claims, the screenplay and film are not based on any book. David Casci's screenplay preceded all novelizations and illustrated books by several years.

Rate And Review

The animation, directed by Maurice Hunt, is dingy and dreary. Many of the scenes seem to be glimpsed through a yellowing, dusty pane, at twilight. There's not much color and sharpness. The artistic approach makes the drawings seem unfocused. And the content (one hair-raising close call after another) is more of a rollercoaster ride than a story. The film was a production by Turner Pictures. 20th Century Fox handled U.S. distribution, while Turner Pictures Worldwide handled international distribution. [10]

Popcultural Osmosis: The movie seems to run on this, and depends somewhat on a passing familiarity with famous literary characters like Dr. Jekyll or Captain Ahab, etc. Siskel & Ebert even felt this was a major flaw; that the film didn't convey to audiences why these characters were so great. Strengths and weaknesses: This book had several strong points: something of a survey of multiple genres, very nicely illustrated, and a book that manages to promote reading to young readers, however, the book was admittedly somewhat derivative. Still this movie had good. It has a good lesson, that kids should face their fears and that when they do, they'll come out stronger. Kids will never apply it, but it's a good lesson. Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.

Stealth Pun: The dragon eating Richard. Kind of clever when you consider the dragon is supposed to be Richard's fears incarnate and manifested into physical form. Get it? He was consumed by fear? Also "Dream Away" by Babyface& Lisa Stansfield which plays over the end credits. Unlike Whatever You Imagine, it wasn't co-written by James Horner. Richard Tyler ( Macaulay Culkin) is a young boy who is — much to his parents’ annoyance — timid to the point of neurosis. He is tremendously afraid of heights and generally obsessed with quoting the statistical risks involved in countless everyday actions, which, of course, explains why he isn't the most popular guy. One day his father runs out of nails while building him a tree house and sends a very reluctant Richard to buy more.