Sunday, September 29, 2013

In a distant but not so unrealistic future where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multinational Buy N Large corporation WALLE a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earths history and show tunes WALLE is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day EVE a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALLE falls in love with EVE. WALLE rescues EVE from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her directive EVE takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALLE doesnt understand what has happened to his new friend but true to his love he protects her from wind rain and lightning even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim EVE but WALLE ...

Review

I just returned from an advanced benefit screening of WALL*E and I want to be careful not to spill too much regarding the movie. I had the added privilege of watching the film at Pixar which in and of itself was amazing.

This picture is not a cartoon it is a film. In fact it even has the LOOK of film. One of my complaints of more recent 3DCG animated films (not from Pixar) is that they all seem to look the same... clean lines crisp colors and very "virtual" for lack of a better term. WALL*E transcends the typical look of CG animation and has a true to life "grit." The creators at Pixar are true artists and are indeed masters of their craft. Not only are they masters of the technology they are masters of telling a story. WALL*E is no exception.

The best way to describe the film is as a science fiction comedy dramatic love story. WALL*E as a character has dimension personality and heart... pretty impressive given that he is essentially a trash compactor. It is true that there is little dialogue in this feature but I personally did not feel it detracted from the story at all.

WALL*E is very much a different Pixar film from it's previous features. I will be curious to see how it is received by others but in my opinion I think Pixar has stayed true to itself demonstrating a commitment to telling great stories and pushing the edge of technology to leave your jaw dropping! My most sincere compliments to Andrew Stanton Jim Morris John Lasseter Ben Burtt and all the creative forces at Pixar. Can't wait to see what the future brings...