"Wall-E" (Walt Disney Pictures)
The Al Gore Story
"Wall-E" is the latest animated film from Pixar Studios. As such it follows in the tradition of "Finding Nemo," "Toy Story," and "The Incredibles." It is a beautifully and skillfully created film that has a strong ecological message which is a benefit and a detriment to the entertainment value of the movie. A strong message is delivered but it beats you over the head a million times, or so it seems.
The plot focuses on an earth of the future totally without human life. Mankind has used up all of earth’s resources and has fled the planet leaving behind junk and waste. Robots have been assigned the task of stacking up the junk in neat, tall piles. Most of them have long since stopped functioning but one is still at the job. Its name is Wall-E, an acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class.
Wall-E passes his days doing his job and watching a VCR tape of "Hello Dolly." His favorite scene is the musical number "Put On Your Sunday Best." He also likes "It Only Takes A Moment" which is more romantic. This musical and a cockroach he befriends are the two pleasures of Wall-E’s life.
One day a spaceship lands and a robot is sent out to search for life. Wall-E names her "Eve" and follows her from place to place. They finally develop a friendship and Wall-E presents her with a plant he has found. Once she has the plant Eve is recalled to the spaceship and taken back to the mother ship where the humans live. Wall-E tags along.
There are stretches and stretches in this film where there is no verbal communication at all. It is all beeps and screeches. After the initial fun of watching Wall-E the movie gets a little tedious. Once Wall-E and Eve get to the mothership things pick up – some.
The film is rated G.
The message in "Wall-E" about humans wasting the resources of this planet is a good one, but it is a bit preachy. Because it is so message oriented there is very little emotional impact in the story. We are amused by Wall-E and Eve but we don’t identify with them. They are after all non-human beings.
Kids will enjoy much of "Wall-E" but may get tired in the middle. Of course you could say the same for adults. It is a well made movie and it will certainly prove to be popular, but not as popular as some may think. A movie about a bleak future is not the stuff of happily ever after fairy tales.
I scored "Wall-E" a robotic 7 out of 10.
