Witches in Fiction 2016

Firstly, I'd like to thank Magaly Guerrero for hosting the Witches in Fiction blog event for the sixth year running, and welcome you to my little corner of Blogland to peruse my humble contribution to the proceedings.

I have to confess, I feel like a bit of a fraud participating in Witches in Fiction, being that I'm neither a practicing pagan nor a writer. Even more so as the theme of this year's WiF event is "Spelling Healing into a Rotting World" and the "entry must include some sort of magic and a fictional storyline". I suspect the parameters of that rule will be stretched further than the elastic in a worn out pair of underpants by the time I'm finished, but anyhoo, here we go...

I want to tell you a tale about a magical animated film called The Iron Giant (1999), which is loosely based on the novel The Iron Man (1968) by Ted Hughes. Set during the Cold War in the fictional town of Rockwell, Maine, the film relates the story of nine year old Hogarth Hughes befriending a giant, mysterious, weaponized robot that has fallen out of the sky.



Now, I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't seen the film (and if you haven't seen it, I urge you to do so), but what I will say, is that against the backdrop of escalating Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, The Iron Giant is a celebration of friendship, tolerance, loyalty, individualism, misfits, and even art. One of my favourite characters is Dean McCoppin (voiced by Harry Connick, Jr.), who is a beatnik junkyard owner who creates sculptures out of his scrap metal. I defy you not to fall in love with Dean! But the main reason I chose The Iron Giant to spell healing into this rotting world is the film's central message:

"You are who you choose to be!"

We may feel powerless to do anything about the depressing events being played out across our TV screens on the nightly news, but we do have control over our own actions. We can each choose to be "Superman" rather than "Atomo the Metal Menace" (watch the film!), and then, just maybe, we might inspire others to take the higher road with us.

I hope I have convinced you to give The Iron Giant a watch, (or perhaps, a re-watch). You're bound to feel uplifted and positive after having seen it, and what could be more magical than that?!

Thank you for dropping by for a visit with me, and now, please head off to Magaly's blog for links to the other participants. There are also six giveaways to enter (SIX!!!), including a chance to win one of my crows, pictured above.