When a company like Pixar, which has had an unending string of successes, it would be tempting to create more movies using the same template, yet this is exactly what Pixar has avoided. Who would possibly consider making an entire film about the last sentient being on Earth, a trash compating robot, and targeting it at kids?
Despite having an unusual central conceit, Director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life) has been able to create a wondrous character as well as some beautiful scenery in its own right. From the very beginning, in which towers of compacted rubbish are seen piled high into the sky, the depiction of Earth is as bleakly dystopic as any 'adult' sci-fi could hope for.
The star of this show is quite clearly WALL-E, a persistent little robot with an amazing depth of personality somehow inscribed in his 'face', albeit being devoid of any characteristics usually associated with movie robots. In an amazing feat which must be commended, Stanton is able to keep the viewer thoroughly entertained, despite the only spoken words in the opening third coming from a VHS of Hello Dolly. Along with this he only ever has a dialogue of three words, with the rest of his communication done through beeps and whizzes (provided brilliantly by Ben Burtt who was behind R2-D2), and has a cockroach for a best friend.
When the narrative kicks off, love ensues for the hapless hero and the future of mankind is on the line. Humans have long since abandoned the Earth after the ubiquitous Buy 'N Large company destroyed the environment and whisked everyone away on the Axiom, a colossal spaceship. B'NL has provided robots for every job and people are all fat and lazy, a vision of the future which is terrifying for its plausability. It is also when WALL-E reaches the Axiom that the movie falters just slightly, getting a little entrenched in the humans who are, ironically, less human that our robotic hero.
Along the way there are many subtle references to classic sci-fi films like 2001 and Silent Running all of which create good moments for adults while children will find cleaner M-O hilarious. The funniest sequences are those of WALL-E living on his own in the wasteland of Earth and discovering uses for human left-overs.
WALL-E is not a brilliant childrens movie, it is a brilliant movie. It needs not be restrained to a genre to excell, but succeeds on all levels.
10/10
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