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Bookmark this pageWALL-E (2008)
Director: Andrew Stanton
Synopsis
Lonely cleaning robot Wall-e is the last sentient being on Planet Earth, now an intergalactic waste disposal site. But one night a gleaming ship appears, whisking Wall-e away on a dizzying adventure among the stars. Disney/Pixar's latest animated marvel is sure to equal the success of 'Toy Story' and 'The Incredibles', featuring a powerful ecological message, a cast of outlandish characters and some jawdropping digital spacescapes. Overseen by 'Finding Nemo' director Andrew Stanton, Wall-e is a visual feast that's completely out of this world.
Movie review
From Time Out London
Humans land a raw deal when it comes to animations. We upright, two-legged creatures regularly have to give way to the superior intelligence or endless fascination of a deer or a dog or a penguin. It’s part of the bargain: we draw them, they make us look stupid.And so it is with ‘Wall-E’, except this time we have only ourselves to blame. Pixar has drawn inspiration for this bold, bleak and often very beautiful film from the worst approximations of the future we’re shaping for our planet.
In Pixar’s last film, ‘Ratatouille’, it was a sewer rat who brilliantly grabbed our attention and revolutionised French cuisine. For ‘Wall-E’, humans again take a back seat, and it’s a robot with a cube for a belly and binoculars for eyes who’s bleeping for our love. When we do, finally, encounter humans – living on a self-sufficient spaceship, waited on by robots, sucking on straws – they’re fat, sedentary, greedy and unpleasant.
Plus ça change: from Cruella de Vil to our fellow folk in ‘Happy Feet’, cartoons have always held a mirror up to our selfish instincts.This time it’s 2700, and we’ve polluted ourselves out of existence. The only humans left live a sterile, bloated life high above earth, where we decamp for the second, more frenetic and less inspired half of the film. But everything that comes before is magical. The only animate object left in the lifeless, rust-coloured, dusty landscape of urban desolation that we used to call earth is one tireless mechanical waste-collector called Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class). He lives in a cluttered container and spends his days buzzing about, piling up junk to look like skyscrapers or Mayan temples and sucking up sun for his solar panels. His only company is a lonesome cockroach.
So that’s one robot, a cockroach and a vision of earth gone to pot. This is a cartoon that offers an uncompromising, imaginative, angry portrait of the future. It’s daring in its simplicity: for the first 40 minutes, we watch in wonder as Wall-E goes about his business in near silence; it’s the sharp intelligence of the detail, always so painstakingly rendered, that most amazes. At one point, Wall-E finds an abandoned diamond ring in a jewellery box. What does he do with it? He throws away the ring and plays with the hinges of the container. Of course he does: hinges should fascinate more than precious minerals. Shame on us for not realising that before.
By rights, Wall-E shouldn’t be cute in the Bambi or Dumbo sense of the word: he’s battered and fading and the only noises he makes are computerised drawls not dissimilar to ET’s limited lingo. But Wall-E is alluring, and not because he’s got big eyes or dangling eyelashes but because he’s smart, hard-working, with a romantic side, and is hopelessly addicted to watching clips of Michael Crawford and Barbra Streisand in Gene Kelly’s ‘Hello Dolly!’ on a video screen. He’s everything we should have been if we hadn’t put all our energy into destroying the planet.
But none of this is preachy or obvious.
Environmental destruction is only the breathtaking backdrop to the film and it’s more the minimalism of Wall-E’s existence that fascinates. By the time a sleeker, feminine robot called Eve – who looks like an iPod shaped into a pepper-pot – arrives, we’re craving her company in sympathy with our mechanised friend. Pixar has done it again. I wonder a little what kids will make of the long silence of the first half followed by the disorienting mania of the second, but there’s nothing here that’s not wonderfully imagined and lovingly presented.
Author: Dave Calhoun
Time Out London Issue 1978, Jule 17-23, 2008
User reviews of this film
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- rtl said...
- Posted on Sep 11 2008 18:48 Borring rubbish
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- Martin R said...
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Posted on Sep 04 2008 19:42
This is a REALLY GOOD FILM.... ! Well done Pixar !
The striking things about this film for me were;
1) The imagery of the Empty Earth / the first 40 minutes or so - this is pure sci-fi, great to see someone elses impression of what that might look like (not unlike the recent "I am Legend", although apart from the imagery I found this to be a poor film).
2) Pixar are really taking a chance with their audience - the eco aware generation could have nightmares about us trashing the planet. Well, this is what I would look like. As well as that, Americans (and the peoples of other 1st world countries) DO have very sedantry lives - full of adverts, time savers and short cuts. This film may wake its viewers up to the full consequences of that kind of lifestyle. As I said - Pixar taking a risk here.
3) The attachment WALL-E has to the imagery it constantly refers back too - the music and dancing of Michael Crawford in Hello Dolly. This is simply wonderful, and opens up many interpretations for the viewer. Quite brilliant.
4) The "love at first sight" WALL-E has for Eva had me hooked immediately too - because this "love" is somehow lifted from the music and pictures from Hello Dolly. The music is a strong reference point.
5) The last 30 minutes or so are much more routine Pixar/Disney - complete with inevitable happy ending. This was less satisfying - but it had to happen !
I viewed the film with my 5 year old son and he loved it. We adults also loved it. Outstanding, and outstanding too because unlike Toy Story, Incredibles, Nemo, Cars, etc - WALL-E takes risks. For this alone Pixar deserve a slap on the back. - Report as inappropriate
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- sky said...
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Posted on Sep 01 2008 09:49
Overhyped, boring, heavy handed, no storyline, nothing of interest happening onscreen, silly action, improbable ending, repetitive.
Fair enough, stunning animation, but that alone does not a good film make. - Report as inappropriate
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- katie said...
- Posted on Aug 26 2008 16:27 i think it is brill all you ppl who are saying it is rubbish have no life obs x
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- hugh dixon said...
- Posted on Aug 26 2008 15:56 A truly wonderful film for all those with imaginations. If you give yourself over to the magic of this film then there is no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it just as much as the 6 year oldf down the isle. Its only a misguided sense of adult cynicism that stops anyone from taking pleasure fronm this heart warming film.
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- york students said...
- Posted on Aug 24 2008 19:12 Virtually non-existant story line, almost as bad as Happy Feet - We are all for making people aware of consumerism and human impacts, but preaching through cartoons is not how it should be done! Disagree with the idea, disappointed with the ending, the animation was good (but then this is Pixar, they have the best people working on it!), that is all that might save the film. They had it right with Ratatouille, but have gone very wrong with this...! They're trying a bit too hard to make a point by the looks of it...
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- oliver & verity said...
- Posted on Aug 24 2008 14:03 "it was brilliant - lots of good parts and funny parts and especially MO - always cleaning up. Now seen it twice, got the game, and the toys and bought the T-shirt " (Oliver age 6)
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- Dianne Love said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2008 17:21 I didn't enjoy this film as much as I thought I would so I felt a little disappointed but there were some heartwarming moments. I loved the fat people idea lol. In contrast my daughter enjoyed this film much more than she anticipated. I definately think its boring for younger children, I'd say aged 10 upwards.
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- cutie said...
- Posted on Aug 20 2008 12:43 loved every bit of it
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- H said...
- Posted on Aug 19 2008 12:34 The Worst Film I Have Ever Seen In My Hole Life ! Disney Pixars Worst Film BOOOORRRIINNNNGG!!!
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- hwuizishaa china said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2008 17:25 it was brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrillllllllllllllllllll
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- ben said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2008 14:08 good for 3-6 year olds but for older ages a bore and rubbish storyline pixars worst film to date!
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- Andy said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 15:12 Look, the film as some people have been saying is, in terms of animation, fantastic, wall-e is a really touching film, but from many people I have spoken too it is too slow for young children, Infact I would say your child yould need to be at least 11 to fully appreciate this film, younger then that and they will soon get bored of the slow story line this film offers. From only being 15 my self, I liked it, although having 3 cousins aged 10, 9 and 8, I know for a fact the film can be boring for children without alot of patience and maturity. Overall a great film.
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- Andy said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 15:12 Look, the film as some people have been saying is, in terms of animation, fantastic, wall-e is a really touching film, but from many people I have spoken too it is too slow for young children, Infact I would say your child yould need to be at least 11 to fully appreciate this film, younger then that and they will soon get bored of the slow story line this film offers. From only being 15 my self, I liked it, although having 3 cousins aged 10, 9 and 8, I know for a fact the film can be boring for children without alot of patience and maturity. Overall a great film.
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- twist said...
- Posted on Aug 14 2008 19:56 Lovely animation...Dull, trite story. Worst Pixar yet.
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Now showing
This film is showing at these cinemas near Leicester Square, Greater London
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Cast & crew
Director: Andrew Stanton
Genre(s): Children's
Rated: U
Duration: 97 mins
UK Release: Jul 18 2008
US Release: Jun 27 2008
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