I thought that Pixar was one of the greater animation studios of the new millennium; after seeing Wall-E, I'm convinced that Pixar is the greatest modern animation studio, and perhaps one of the most talented and treasured film companies period. Writer-Director Andrew Stanton has not only managed to create a technical marvel with Wall-E, pushing the boundaries of computer animation technology to the limits, but also a work of pure art that's more intelligent, heartfelt, thought provoking, and flat-out masterful than any movie in years.
The film start's off on a simultaneously sweet and sour note: The opening reveals the gorgeous backdrop of galaxies and stars, with music from the movie 'Hello-Dolly!' overlapping it all in a sugary visual treat. Not seconds later, the camera traverses space to slowly close in on the planet Earth which, 700 years in to the future, has gained a sickly green tint to it along with an orbital atmosphere of pure garbage. Further zooming reveals a desolated city (New York, maybe?) its buildings and bridges rotted way. The entire opening is very reminiscent of the recent I Am Legend, except much, much more ruined. It is however, technically beautiful; the images are so photo realistic that you're amazed that they've been generated by computer.
The only remnants of humanity are monstrous skyscrapers of compacted trash and billboards aplenty advertising the bright and colorful, yet somehow ominous company known as Buy n' Large, a thinly veiled Wal-Mart clone. And, of course, Wall-E itself.
Wall-E is far more than a mere 'it', however. Through hundreds of nuanced and heartfelt animation quirks, as well as the "voice" given by Ben Burtt, Star-Wars veteran and creator of another famed beeping robot named R2-D2, Wall-E has been imbued with enough life to fill three-dozen cheap summer kids flicks, all without ever saying more than two or three actual words.
Wall-E has been operating for centuries, long after his other Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class counterparts have shut down or broken apart, scouring the wastelands of earth and compacting the land's garbage in to neat little cubes.
It's a lonely job, with the little robot's only companion being a spunky little cockroach. Wall-E has over the years collected an impressive amount of junk with which he passes the time, including lighters, toys, spare parts, and an old VHS copy of Hello Dolly!, which is Wall-E's instructor in the ways of life, love, and keenly choreographed dance. Indeed, Wall-E gazes upon two lovers holding hands and the look in his binocular eyes is both heartbreaking and beautiful.
It all changes however, when a beautiful robot from the human colony in space arrives; her name is EVE. Despite here tendencies to blow up anything that moves, Wall-E is smitten at first sight, and EVE comes to eventually share those feelings. After taking note of a very unique possession of Wall-E's however, EVE reports back to the Earth ship Axiom and is whisked away back in to space. Wall-E, being as devoted as he is, follows her into the unknown, and it is there that the movie really gets going, with Wall-E and EVE taking part in an adventure with the fate of humanity itself in the balance. Characters like the Captain of the Axiom (voiced by Jeff Garlin) appearing to flesh out the film's plot, as well as a gaggle of amusing "rogue" robots that aide Wall-E and EVE in their quest.
As the movie develops, however, the leading characters' romance becomes the core of the movie, with Wall-E and EVE's love being one of the few genuinely lovely and convincing romances of recent cinema. The touching moments Wall-E shares with EVE in his workshop, as well as their first "kiss" preceding a marvelous dance through space highlight a relationship that tugs at the heartstrings and moistens the eyes far more than movies like Fool's Gold or What Happens in Vegas. The romance between the two leads is the very soul of the movie, and could not have been better executed.
The film is gorgeous to boot: With colors and images that dazzle and linger long after the film is over. Films like No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, as beautiful as they are, seem to revel in the gloom of browns and blacks. Wall-E, on the other is vibrant and alive, turning even the beginning's post-apocalyptic wasteland in to a marvel.
The biggest surprise of Wall-E, however, would be its surprising amount of maturity. Wall-E deals with themes of pollution, rampant consumerism, societal complacency and obesity, media desensitization, and other themes that would frankly fly over a child's head. Kids will see a world full of people who are humorously fat and happy; older members of the audience, however, will see a society that tells of a future not centuries ahead of us but perhaps only decades. The overblown laziness and rampant consumerism is evident already today, and the notion of Wall-E's future being so similar is funny yes, but also a touch unnerving.
It is for this reason that I hold Wall-E in such high esteem: It is a heartfelt work of inarguable art that not only entertains but holds enough conscience and commentary to get even the most casual of moviegoer thinking about the future. It is beautiful and it is heartbreaking. It is funny and it is also a tad scary. It has two supposedly life-less robots teaching humanity the very meaning of being human, as well as learning the meaning of true love themselves. It made me laugh, it made me (almost) cry. It has the distinction of being Pixar's best movie, as wells as the hands down best movie of the year (so far); an almost perfect, if not completely perfect summer movie that kids and adults will almost assuredly love.
And it is also one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.
The film start's off on a simultaneously sweet and sour note: The opening reveals the gorgeous backdrop of galaxies and stars, with music from the movie 'Hello-Dolly!' overlapping it all in a sugary visual treat. Not seconds later, the camera traverses space to slowly close in on the planet Earth which, 700 years in to the future, has gained a sickly green tint to it along with an orbital atmosphere of pure garbage. Further zooming reveals a desolated city (New York, maybe?) its buildings and bridges rotted way. The entire opening is very reminiscent of the recent I Am Legend, except much, much more ruined. It is however, technically beautiful; the images are so photo realistic that you're amazed that they've been generated by computer.
The only remnants of humanity are monstrous skyscrapers of compacted trash and billboards aplenty advertising the bright and colorful, yet somehow ominous company known as Buy n' Large, a thinly veiled Wal-Mart clone. And, of course, Wall-E itself.
Wall-E is far more than a mere 'it', however. Through hundreds of nuanced and heartfelt animation quirks, as well as the "voice" given by Ben Burtt, Star-Wars veteran and creator of another famed beeping robot named R2-D2, Wall-E has been imbued with enough life to fill three-dozen cheap summer kids flicks, all without ever saying more than two or three actual words.
Wall-E has been operating for centuries, long after his other Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class counterparts have shut down or broken apart, scouring the wastelands of earth and compacting the land's garbage in to neat little cubes.
It's a lonely job, with the little robot's only companion being a spunky little cockroach. Wall-E has over the years collected an impressive amount of junk with which he passes the time, including lighters, toys, spare parts, and an old VHS copy of Hello Dolly!, which is Wall-E's instructor in the ways of life, love, and keenly choreographed dance. Indeed, Wall-E gazes upon two lovers holding hands and the look in his binocular eyes is both heartbreaking and beautiful.
It all changes however, when a beautiful robot from the human colony in space arrives; her name is EVE. Despite here tendencies to blow up anything that moves, Wall-E is smitten at first sight, and EVE comes to eventually share those feelings. After taking note of a very unique possession of Wall-E's however, EVE reports back to the Earth ship Axiom and is whisked away back in to space. Wall-E, being as devoted as he is, follows her into the unknown, and it is there that the movie really gets going, with Wall-E and EVE taking part in an adventure with the fate of humanity itself in the balance. Characters like the Captain of the Axiom (voiced by Jeff Garlin) appearing to flesh out the film's plot, as well as a gaggle of amusing "rogue" robots that aide Wall-E and EVE in their quest.
As the movie develops, however, the leading characters' romance becomes the core of the movie, with Wall-E and EVE's love being one of the few genuinely lovely and convincing romances of recent cinema. The touching moments Wall-E shares with EVE in his workshop, as well as their first "kiss" preceding a marvelous dance through space highlight a relationship that tugs at the heartstrings and moistens the eyes far more than movies like Fool's Gold or What Happens in Vegas. The romance between the two leads is the very soul of the movie, and could not have been better executed.
The film is gorgeous to boot: With colors and images that dazzle and linger long after the film is over. Films like No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, as beautiful as they are, seem to revel in the gloom of browns and blacks. Wall-E, on the other is vibrant and alive, turning even the beginning's post-apocalyptic wasteland in to a marvel.
The biggest surprise of Wall-E, however, would be its surprising amount of maturity. Wall-E deals with themes of pollution, rampant consumerism, societal complacency and obesity, media desensitization, and other themes that would frankly fly over a child's head. Kids will see a world full of people who are humorously fat and happy; older members of the audience, however, will see a society that tells of a future not centuries ahead of us but perhaps only decades. The overblown laziness and rampant consumerism is evident already today, and the notion of Wall-E's future being so similar is funny yes, but also a touch unnerving.
It is for this reason that I hold Wall-E in such high esteem: It is a heartfelt work of inarguable art that not only entertains but holds enough conscience and commentary to get even the most casual of moviegoer thinking about the future. It is beautiful and it is heartbreaking. It is funny and it is also a tad scary. It has two supposedly life-less robots teaching humanity the very meaning of being human, as well as learning the meaning of true love themselves. It made me laugh, it made me (almost) cry. It has the distinction of being Pixar's best movie, as wells as the hands down best movie of the year (so far); an almost perfect, if not completely perfect summer movie that kids and adults will almost assuredly love.
And it is also one of the greatest movies I have ever seen.