Warner Home Video is preparing to release a Special Edition of The Iron Giant, one of the very best American animated features of the past decade.  In spite of strong reviews The Iron Giant didn't do all that much theatrically when it was released in 1999, but since then audiences have discovered the true quality of this superb film and have purchased more than 4.5 million Iron Giant DVDs and videos.  The Special Edition includes 8 never-before-seen sequences including an alternate opening -- all of which include commentary by director Brad Bird, who is currently putting the finishing touches on Pixar's The Incredibles, sure to be one of the major hits of 2004 when it debuts in November. 

In addition to the extra scenes, the Special Edition also includes 13 mini-documentaries highlighting key sequences and a featurette, 'The Voice of the Iron Giant' hosted by Vin Diesel, the voice for the giant metal robot (Jennifer Anniston and Harry Connick Jr. also provided sterling voice work for the film).

Based on Ted Hughes'1968 novella, The Iron Giant is set during the cold war, and like ET it is the story of kids befriending an outsider, in this case a giant robot instead of a little green man.  With no cornball songs, no embarrassing sidekicks and no forced 'happy' ending, The Iron Giant is a gentle, but surprisingly mature film with plenty of elements to please both kids and adults.  A lot of films that get the 'Special Edition' treatment, don't deserve it, but The Iron Giant definitely does.  The Special Edition of The Iron Giant is due out on September 7 and carries a very reasonable SRP of $19.97.