After “Ratatouille,” critics and audiences everywhere were wondering how the indestructible animation studio known as Pixar would find a way to top what many were calling the most original film they had ever created. With a credits list including films that revolutionized animation films, their successive film always carries high expectations of a quality experience in entertainment. With so much momentum building on a never ending rocket to perfection, the weight of continuing the unbelievable batting average rests on the shoulders of one tiny little robot named Wall-E.
With their newest film simply titled “Wall-E,” Pixar asks the question, “What if mankind had to leave earth and forgot to turn the last robot off?” The trash compacting robot named Wall-E is now the only moving thing on the lifeless planet we call Earth. As we learn that Wall-E has been repeating the same task of cleaning up after humans for nearly 700 years, our sympathy for a lonely robot is immediately apparent even when a sleek surveillance robot appears from outer space and catches his eye. As Wall-E is desperate to make a new friend, the surveillance bot, named EVE, discovers that Wall-E may have stumbled upon the key to the future of the planet. Soon, Wall-E and EVE take their adventure to the reaches of outer space where they meet up with the long lost inhabitants of Earth.
During the course of the story in “Wall-E,” the gifted storytelling techniques of Pixar now take on forms unlike anything they’ve ever experimented with. In an opening sequence that solely focuses on the routine days of Wall-E’s life, the film establishes a haunting narrative made gleefully acceptable with a significant robot. With a wondrously expressive main character that charms his audience to the classic style of Charlie Chaplin’s silent films, it’s apparent that Pixar is stepping into territories we would least expect.
After nearly an hour of the runtime has inevitably whisked by with only a few lines of dialogue, Wall-E’s adventure takes us to outer space with transparent references to “Star Wars” and other classic science fiction films. After we meet a colorful cast of misfit robots and witness the monstrosity that the human race has become, the climactic impact of the film comes with praiseworthy execution. By incorporating a timely environmental lesson with an unexpectedly glowing love story, Pixar once again succeeds in the impossible task of creating a film for children between the ages of 1 and 100.
Even with all of the classic film references, including a cherished snippet from “Hello Dolly,” the story of Wall-E stands as one that is composed of sheer originality and an undying sense of character. By giving a life to a character who is otherwise considered lifeless, Pixar builds Wall-E into a fresh bundle of joy anyone would want as a lifelong friend. By further extending the boundaries of animation, Pixar even creates a character better than most live action films could create with today’s most talented actors.
Without sounding too much like a broken record, it’s safe to say that Pixar has once again outdone themselves. With one of the most creative and imaginative original stories ever told, ‘Wall-E” raises the bar for not only animation films, but those of all shapes, types, sizes and colors. As one of the most extraordinarily conceived, brilliantly depicted and ultimately heartwarming films of the year, “Wall-E” could possibly rank among the most memorable films of all time.
WALL-E’
LETTER GRADE: A
RATED: G
RUNTIME: 103 minutes
VOICES: Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver and John Ratzenberger
DIRECTOR: Andrew Stanton
