Rating: Sizzling Popcorn

WALL-E brings the magical Disney experience, over 700 years into future, to a galaxy not so far away. WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has been working alone on Earth ever since humans left the garbage infested planet for an all-inclusive 5 year cruise in outer space. WALL-E’s life changes when he meets EVE, a robot sent by humans to scan the Earth for vegetation. The two robots embark on a journey of friendship and discovery as they help mankind return to their planet.

WALL-E is written and directed by Academy Award winning writer-director Andrew Santon (Finding Nemo) and features the innovative soundtrack created by Academy Award winner Ben Burtt (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial). The Disney-Pixar computer-animated film features the voices of Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver and an appearance by Fred Willard.

Some people may judge WALL-E to be boring as 30 mins elapse before we hear the first human speak, but the images in this computer-animated movie speak louder than words. Remember watching the Disney classics, such as Pinocchio, Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast? Remember the imagination and magic these movies brought to your childhood experience? WALL-E brings the same imagination and magic but to the next generation of children. Through the movie, we become attached to the characters. When WALL-E’s having fun, the audience is too. When he’s hurting, so are we. At one point in the movie, EVE is carrying WALL-E, who is pretty banged up, and his little green plant that looks like it’s dying too. This image brings back the childhood memory of watching E.T. the Extra-Terrastrial, when Elliott is taking care of E.T., who is dying. At the same time, we also see E.T.’s plant dying. The audience begins to cheer for the character, hoping that he’ll return to life.

With all the awe and wonder the film brings, Disney has a greater message to share with its audience. Disney shows us through the movie that if people around the world, especially North Americans, keep polluting Earth with all our garbage, we might end up with no living space and having to leave the planet to live elsewhere. The film also touches on the subject of obesity and warns us that with our culture wanting to stay in its comfort zone and not work for anything, we might end up like the couch-potato society found on the film’s Buy-n-Large space cruise ship.

With its stellar graphics, soundtrack and direction, WALL-E is a masterpiece of the 21st century that is bound to be nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature-length film. I have no complaints about the film and highly recommend seeing WALL-E in theaters for the cinematic experience. It might be an expensive trip to the theater if you have children, but if I had to recommend one movie to bring the whole family to the cinema to see, WALL-E would be the answer.

Release Date: June 27, 2008

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