Earth has been abandoned for 700 years, and yet faithful little machines continue to clean up the waste left behind. I don’t know of any American technology that can last that long. There’s only one explanation…WALL-E is Japanese.

WALL-E

Starring – Well, nobody really. Some guy does robotic clicks and beeps, comedian Jeff Garlin plays the human captain, and Sigourney Weaver is the voice of the computer system. Fellow Galaxy Quest fans may have snickered at this realization.

Rated – G

IMDb Rating – 8.9 (Top 250, Number 20)
Rotten Tomatoes – 96% Fresh (WOW!)

Sample Review:

More impressive than its ecologically minded message is its modestly profound portrait of loneliness, obligation and the desire for reciprocated affection.

Hey, look, a movie that critics can slather with praise and exploit for every imaginable subtext. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed WALL-E. I do not, however, think it is one of the best science fiction films ever produced, as some critics are claiming.

Pixar rocks. They produce very high quality animation that actually has a message. Often, the plots are intricate and the writing hilarious yet heartwarming. This can all be said of WALL-E; he is a charming little hunk of junk, with a penchant for collecting and watching musicals. His “eyes” are luminescent, reflecting the scenery and giving a sense of depth to an otherwise rusty piece of equipment. And his voice, what little he says is perfect. Remember what you felt for R2D2? This is a similar feeling.

After 700 years of cleaning up after very lazy and careless humans, WALL-E has developed a personality. Perhaps it was out of loneliness, but then robots shouldn’t have the capacity to be lonely. That would happen after the personality came about. Whatever the case, when a new, shiny robot named EVE comes calling (searching for signs of plant life on the otherwise uninhabitable planet), she dazzles the poor little trash compactor. Romance blooms. I’ll let you decide how that works.

The most polarizing aspect of the film is that at times it comes across as the animated version of An Inconvenient Truth. While I appreciate the message of the effects of consumerism and outright laziness, I do not agree with the film’s sentiment that it is not the fault of people, but rather of corporations. We are all contributing to our downfall, and yet for Pixar to assert that humans will lose bone mass and become flabby masses who do nothing but sit and chat due to the commands of the BnL company is simply unbelievable. I firmly believe that people control their actions. To portray a futuristic world where every single human being is white and fat is simply caustic.

I really enjoyed the film. I feel that I’m able to critique it because WALL-E is being held to a much higher standard than most animated movies, and even most films in general. While it may seem that I am being critical, and maybe I am, I do encourage everyone to see this film and form their own opinions, because that is essentially what WALL-E really has going for it; it makes you think.