PHOTO PROVIDED The Iron Giant, voiced by Vin Diesel, with 9-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) in a still from “The Iron Giant.”

Buckle up everyone because we’re about to talk about the saddest children’s movie ever. I know what you’re thinking, “Laura… what about “The Lion King” or “Bambi?”

Nope, “The Iron Giant” definitely takes the cake for the movie that makes me cry no matter how many times I watch it.

“The Iron Giant” is a 1999 Warner Bros. animated film based on 1968 novel “The Iron Man” by Ted Hughes.

The movie includes the voices of Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal, Jennifer Aniston and Harry Connick Jr. and is set during the Cold War in 1957.

Nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes (Marienthal) is living with his widowed mother Annie (Aniston) in the small rural town of Rockwell, Maine. Just after the Soviet Union has launched Sputnik One, an object from space crashes into the ocean just off the coast of Rockwell, terrifying local fishermen.

After hearing about the encounter in a local diner, Hogarth decides to investigate the following night and finds a 50 foot tall iron giant at Rockwell’s power plant.

The Iron Giant is attempting to chow down on some metal when he gets caught in some electrical wires. Hogarth comes to the giant’s rescue and manages to turn off the plant.

Over the next few days, Hogarth befriends the giant, who’s too pure for this world frankly.

Hogarth begins to teach the confused metal creature about earth as well as warns him he can’t go too close to other people. Eventually, after a few close calls, the giant is able to settle at beatnik artist Dean McCoppin’s (Connick Jr.) scrap yard.

Meanwhile the living embodiment of absolute trash in a trench coat and fedora Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) comes to town to investigate the strange happenings in the area. Mansley is the absolute worst guy and is clearly the villain from the second you lay eyes on him.

Mansley’s maniacal insistence that the giant is real and a weapon sent by the Soviet’s eventually leads to the arrival of General Shannon Rogard (John Mahoney).

Upon his arrival, Hogarth and Dean are able to convince the general that the giant is nothing but one of the artist’s complete projects.

Of course we can’t just end there happy can we? While playing make believe, the giant — as his favorite character “Superman” — accidentally activates his self defense mode and nearly kills Hogarth.

Dean shoos the giant away but soon realizes that he never meant to harm Hogarth. The two set off to find him before it’s too late.

Before he can leave, the giant rushes to the rescue of a pair of boys falling from a watch tower — just like his favorite comic hero. The entire town, with Hogarth’s help, comes to realize the giant metal man isn’t there to hurt them.

While the convoy of soldiers is leaving the area, Mansley sees the giant standing in the town. Screaming like a banshee he insists the giant — who again is STANDING there — is going to harm the towns people.

Rogard and his soldiers rush back to the town and begin firing on the giant and Hogarth who was standing in the palm of his hand speaking to the town’s residents. The giant springs into action and runs away, shielding Hogarth from the blasts and fighting his instinct to fire back.

After learning he can fly, the giant is shot out of the sky by a fighter jet and crashes to the ground. Hogarth is left unconscious from the ordeal. Unfortunately, the giant doesn’t know and believes his friend has died. Overcome with grief he begins to fight back, transforming into an alien weapon of mass destruction.

When Hogarth comes to, he rushes to the robot and reminds him “You are who you choose to be.” The words manage to draw the giant back to himself, but not before Mansley (I really really hate him) steals Rogard’s radio and orders an atomic missile be fired at the giant’s location.

Faced with the possible destruction of the people he’s come to care about. The giant launches himself into space to meet the missile and stop it from reaching Rockwell.

I don’t think a kids movie has ever managed to make me so sad, so many times throughout it. “The Iron Giant” doesn’t shy away from discussing very real topics such as death, self discovery and understanding you are more than what people may believe you to be.

I think as a kid I didn’t fully grasp what it was trying to tell me. As an adult, however, those themes are clearly apparent and can really cause some introspection. I highly recommended this movie to anyone, young or old.

“The Iron Giant” is rated PG and can be rented from YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.

And remember: this movie will make you cry, or at the very least a little misty eyed, and that’s okay.

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Laura Jameson is a staff reporter for The Express.