Brad Bird — the director of the 1999 animated cult classic, The Iron Giant — announced today via Twitter that the aforementioned film will be rereleased as “The Signature Edition” in select screenings between September and October of this year.
The kicker? The film is now 10 minutes longer with never-before-seen material. It’s essentially a director’s cut with two new scenes.
Of course, not everyone will make it to the screenings, but it’s likely that the Signature Edition will be packaged as the Blu-Ray release we’ve all been waiting for. This will also be the perfect way for longtime fans like myself to introduce The Iron Giant to a younger generation.
You can check out Fathom Events to attend a screening and for more details. We’ll also learn a lot more, as Brad Bird suggests, about all of this as San Diego Comic Con gets underway.
A director’s cut with two extra scenes 17 years after its release.
Don’t you think that’s a bit late for that?
I think it is kind of a classic thing to do, like Aladdin and Snow White both had scenes that weren’t in the movie that were director’s cut. They were released YEARS after their releases. Granted that was because they hadn’t found them before then, but still. Same thing.
Great News! I’ve only seen The Iron Giant on DVD. It would be so cool to see it on the big screen. It’s one of my Top 5 favorite animated films.