Does anyone know this film from a very vague description

[DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult]

My dd wants to watch a film she has seen before and I cannot fathom out what it is at all.

Description is

A film with real people in it.

There are some little boys and a man, the man needed car parts, the boys would get a square of chocolate if they got a good car part.

Oneof the boys found something and a monster thing started chasing the boy around the world.

The monster may possibly look something like a war of the worlds robot.

The boy ended up at a house a woman fed him and let him stay, he went out onto the balcony in the morning and the robot/monster thing was there and he had to run again.

Any ideas? I am absolutely stuck.

TIA

How old is your child? (I mean, can we rule out films rated 12/15/18 for example?)

Mortal engines is something that comes to mind.
Or Box Trolls.
Or Robots.
(If they're young, and a little confused)

Shes 12 and watched it when she was around 7 or 8 apparently.

She doesn't know if it's an old film or new one at that time though.

I'm totally puzzled.

Scrub mortal engines then, too new.
Box trolls?

Oh but that's animated, not live action, sorry!

None of those ones, it's not iron giant either, although it sounds like the script for that.

Thanks for trying.

It’s not The Iron Giant is it? Not sure I’ve seen it so going via the image on the poster, not the plot.

We thought Iron Giant too but that's animated.

Oops!

Transformers?

There's a bit of Star Wars Phantom Menace in this description. When Anakin is working in Scrap Yard.

Where did she watch it? At a party/ sleepover or at the cinema?

Hugo?

I thought box trolls!

Monster trucks?
Possibly Peres dragon if she’s got the idea a bit wrong?

Is there a chance it's "Spare Parts", came out in 2015, so about the right amount of time ago? The boys use salvaged car parts to build a robot (but for a robot wars type thing, not to defeat another invading robot).

Or Robot Overlords? Also 2015