WALL-E

Copyright 2008, Walt Disney Pictures

Part of the remembrance of film in 2008, good and bad, though this series will be admittedly shortened.

What can you say about a movie whose lead, a robot, manages to be the most heartfelt and emotionally true character of the year? Is it any surprise that WALL-E, arguably the best animated film of the last ten years, is a Pixar creation? I've grown up with Pixar, having seen their first feature film, 1995's Toy Story, when I was only 10, and I find myself more eager to see their latest now than I was back then. What is more exciting for a film buff than a studio at the top of its game, and what is more exciting for that company to be expressing emotions and images rarely touched in live action?

I will be the first to admit that hearing the quick synopses of Pixar's most recent films originally filled me with great unease. Their 2006 release, Cars, while a major achievement in animation (and a great way to show off a Blu-ray system) and a hugely successful merchandising property, is the film that impresses me least. After having watched the film more than once, I can say it's grown on me, but not in the same way that any of Pixar's other releases, even Monsters, Inc., have. Part of the issue remains the derivative plotline (switch out cars for humans, and Owen Wilson for Michael J. Fox and you have Doc Hollywood), and part of it is that the film meanders, perhaps appropriate considering the moral, but still a meander.

So when I first saw that their next film was about a rat who wanted to be a chef in Paris, it didn't matter that Brad Bird, the man behind The Incredibles, was the director. All I thought was, "Can they pull it off?" My faith was bolstered in watching Ratatouille, one of last year's best. Though the entire film still works wonders for me (even its shift in focus from Remy to Linguine halfway through, much as WALL-E seems to shift), it's the review by Anton Ego that solidifies my eternal love for this movie.

I vividly remember seeing the film last year the Saturday of its opening weekend, in a theater filled with families and, obviously, many children under the age of 10. I almost wish I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate Brad Bird's philosophical musings on the nature of the critic-artist relationship masquerading as a potentially evil character reading a restuarant review. Can you imagine what the kids were thinking? I wouldn't have grasped it, and I remember thinking that was exactly the point. That Bird and company could pull it off--making an animated film that's far easier to appreciate if you're not a kid--impressed me immensely. Though The Incredibles does touch heavily on adult themes, the main idea--that greatness is suppressed in favor of mediocrity--wasn't as developed as I hoped. Of course, that idea was shifted in place of some great action sequences, so I won't complain.

It was at the screening of Ratatouille that I saw the teaser trailer for WALL-E. I knew of the movie somewhat, that it was from Andrew Stanton, who'd been with Pixar for a long time and had helmed Finding Nemo. In fact, the teaser, which gave Stanton more face time than the title character, didn't garner my whole attention and some unease until the very end, when the film's title appears onscreen and is repeated by WALL-E himself. I sat up straight in my seat and wondered. Were these guys getting in over their heads? A movie about a robot with, if not knowledge of English, a strange and possibly creepy voice? After finally seeing WALL-E, I learned to stop being uneasy. My faith was bolstered again with this journey into the future.

To humor you, let's get the plot synopsis out of the way; WALL-E is a small trash compactor robot. His mission is to clean up Earth so it can be sustainable for humans again; the humans trashed the planet and have vacated it for a cushy space station. WALL-E is the only one of his kind left and is very lonely, until he meets EVE, a probe droid sent by the humans to check on the progress of the clean up. They fall in love, WALL-E first, and he ends up chasing her back to the space station, where much action takes place.

But before that action takes place on the Axiom, the humans' space station, what magic there is and in such a desolate place. Earth in 2800 is an awful thing to look at, the biggest landfill in the world. Thanks to sloth and gluttony, there's so much trash that skyscrapers can be constructed from it. How could this not be a turn off to viewers, not only in the brown-tinged landscapes but in its message? How to place a strongly worded message about promoting environmentalism? What Stanton did was something Pixar's been looking for: a memorable character. Yes, Woody and Buzz are memorable characters, but not lovable on the same level as WALL-E, the best character they've created.

Again, this has been something they've been trying for a while. First, it was Sully in Monsters, Inc. Then, it was Dory in Finding Nemo. Mater in Cars. Excluding Brad Bird's films, where lovable is not a necessary trait, Pixar has wanted to created someone or something kids and adults could latch onto. Lo and behold, a binocular-inspired Chaplinesque robot.

His charm is what pulls us through the first 40 minutes (yes, 40; it does take just under 40 minutes for us to be introduced to the humans of the future and, thus, any real dialogue), where not only is WALL-E the main character, but he is frequently the only character. Watching a robot play with a bra, a diamond ring, and bad showtunes shouldn't work, but dammit if WALL-E isn't the elixir. When EVE comes on the scene, her realistically crabby nature at her presumably futile job is a strong contrast for WALL-E's childlike optimism and determined focus. Getting struck by lightning, having a welcome gift snubbed...nothing truly wears him down with her.

Who knows? Maybe WALL-E knows instantly that EVE is a kindred spirit (or maybe just after she attempts to blow him to bits). That EVE warms to WALL-E is part of the magic this film holds, from her initial coldness and anger to humming his favorite tune to rouse him out of his stupor. Despite the criticism leveled at the film (mainly that the humans having such a major role in the film's second half), there are few moments in film this year to rival EVE and WALL-E's last scene; the emotion there in EVE is this close to heartbreaking.

Recently, there's been talk of the film getting nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. No, it's not likely (though not as unlikely as you may think), but it's a film that lingers far more than earlier releases from the year, and even more so than some year-end releases (I'm looking at you, Slumdog Millionaire). Love in its purest form, between robots or humans or anything else, is a powerful bond, one we can link ourselves to as strongly as we do to anything else. I'm not sure that WALL-E will get a nomination for Picture (though I'd be thrilled if it does), but I am relatively certain its message, its characters, and its many perfect scenes and sequences will be thought of fondly in years to come, more so than the live-action spectacles being offered to us as Oscar fodder.

If Pixar can impress people so thoroughly this year with a lovestruck trash compactor, perhaps they'll do the same with their next release, May's Up. You want to talk about crazy premises? How's this: a 78-year old (Ed Asner!) decides to forgo a retirement home, so he lifts his house from its roots with thousands of balloons and flies to South America to fulfill his late wife's wish. Consider me psyched, and here's why: it's not that this is from Pixar...it's that I wonder if this film could be equal to or better than Ratatouille and WALL-E. Is it even possible? One can only, as WALL-E does every night, hope beyond hope and dream.

Four stars out of four