The Iron Giant (1999)

Hogarth's friendship with a giant robot first plays as a thrilling secret. Later, the adults' fear of an unfamiliar power becomes just as absorbing: protection can slide into pre-emptive aggression. The Giant learning to distinguish what he can do from what he chooses to do gives the Cold War adventure its moral weight. The humour is gentle, but guns, death and sacrifice can make it a wrenching family watch.