The Iron Giant opened on this day 25 years ago. The movie is, of course, considered a beloved classic now, but that hasn’t always been the case. Released as the second fully animated film from the very short-lived Warner Bros. Feature Animation, the studio was hoping that Giant would deliver financially where the previous year’s Quest for Camelot hadn’t (and no, I didn’t just mention that to shoehorn in a reference to Quest for Camelot, and I have no idea why you would assume otherwise). Unfortunately, despite glowing reviews, that wasn’t the case, with it flopping hard against a $70 million budget (which was nearly double what Camelot had cost).

There was still some marketing. I had this comic book they gave out for free at movie theaters which told the film’s story up until the part where the Giant flies (it just said “TO BE CONTINUED,” with the last page consisting of an ad for 3 Musketeers bars). Pretty nifty. I wish I knew where I put it.

But let’s be real: The Iron Giant is a fantastic movie, however, it’s also a very difficult one to sell. It’s set during the Cold War, and kids just love that stuff. So how do you pitch it to the tykes? By promising them a rock and roll adventure! For some reason, this wasn’t enough to propel it above The Sixth Sense at the box office, but it should have been (and yes, The Iron Giant and The Sixth Sense premiered on the same day, along with the cult classics Mystery Men and Dick).

Have a rocking night, y’all!