WALL-E
Posted on April 9, 2009 - Filed Under Film | Leave a Comment
I’ve never been a big fan of Pixar films, but pretty much everything about this one is beautiful. The story’s simple yet elegant, it looks fantastic, and there’s remarkably little dialogue throughout (which is just one of the ways in which it subtly echoes 2001). Plus, much of what little speech there is in the film is provided by Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Jeff Garlin, who voice-acts the role of the ship’s captain with deft aplomb. The message of the film, such as there is one, is right on the money too.
The real stars of the film, of course, are the two robots WALL-E and EVE, and they’re a perfect example of what CGI animation studios can do well. They’re expressive, they’re funny and they’re human without being too human. In WALL-E Pixar have somehow succeeded in crafting an endearing love story around two robot characters with no facial characteristics other than eyes (and even then, WALL-E’s are little more like movable light-bulbs; EVE’s are essentially a flat, computer-light glow). However, right from the open sequences WALL-E is entirely believable not only as a living thing, but as a being with complex emotions and anxieties. Maybe Pixar have been pulling this stuff off in films for years (I haven’t seen too many of their films; the ads always deter me), but it seemed pretty remarkable to me.
If you haven’t already seen this movie for whatever reason then I highly encourage you to do so. It’s charming, warm and perfect for what it is, and, much as I am loath to admit this (given how often I’ve decried CGI films to a friend), probably one of the ten best films I’ve seen.
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