Wall-E (2008)

Wall-E is Pixar's story of a small robot that is left alone for hundreds of years. Charming, beautiful and with an important message, Wall-E is flawless.

When the people of earth cover the world in garbage, they take off on a five year cruise, but they leave a team of robots, called WALL-Es, behind to clean up the mess. As they live generations of lives in hover chairs, tied to their projected televisions and easy-come food, WALL-E works diligently and becomes ever more lonely. That all changes one day when a cute, white robot named EVE comes to earth and begins scanning everything.

As I watched Wall-E I was taken by beautiful acting by animated characters, who essentially did not speak, create such remarkable performances that I was sucked in from the first scene. The animators are like demi-gods, creating animated life and showing it to us on screen. WALL-E's mechanical eyes appear that they should be welling up with tears and his body language is easily the most expressive I've ever seen by an animated character. WALL-E's little mechanical arms squeezed my heart tightly and hasn't let go.

When WALL-E is on earth the lighting natural and radiant. It seems even the dust is shaded properly. When WALL-E is in artificial light, his appearance changes appropriately to a more artificial look.

When WALL-E watches TV the blue colors are spot on, his eye reflections bewitchingly realistic. EVE, the white robot, sparkles in the light and is luminescent in the dark. It is that level of attention to detail that allows the audience to believe completely that this little robot has come alive.

Wall-E isn't just easy on the eyes, it is chalk full comedy that nearly emptied my bladder and actually caused me to snort. WALL-E doesn't really talk so all his humor is done through expression and situation. WALL-E isn't really able to do slapstick, but if he could, he may be called the Charlie Chaplin of robots. No opportunity to bond with WALL-E through laughter was missed, but it was obvious the writer didn't force any comedy either.

Wall-E has a message about responsibility to tell children, and their parents. When you stop paying attention to the world around you and you let your chair be your entire universe, it effects more than just you. Moreover, you miss out on the things that are truly important and the amazing things people experience when their TV's are off. Sneakily, Andrew Stanton, the writer and director, peels away the curtain of what he feels is societal wrongs, but makes you feel good that you peeked behind the curtain. How often can we be told what we are doing wrong, face it and still love the experience?

Wall-E stole my heart right from my chest and for that reason I rule that Wall-E is criminally cute. Wall-E challenged my behaviors and for that I'm grateful. I promise, you won't regret seeing Wall-E.