I'm a bit late to the game on this one, but I finally got around to seeing Pixar's Disney's WALL-E. I had high expectations because of the Pixar association and certainly was not let down. Pixar does an absolutely fantastic job of appealing to both younger audiences and older audiences, which is something I'm continually impressed with.
I think WALL-E is a successful film—despite being a Disney endeavor—for a number of reasons, the most powerful of these being the lack of dialogue. It's unbelievable how skilled Pixar has become at getting the emotion they want out of the audience, and it's exponentially more impressive without character's conversing.
WALL-E is cute, it's hilarious, and it's worthy of admiration. I appreciate that we have something truly artistic in the main stream that people actually enjoy, even if they can't speak to why it is art.
As a side note I really enjoyed the homages throughout the film: HAL, Jonathan Ives' design (though he actually consulted with Pixar), Johnny 5, Ben Burtt (R2-D2 "voice"), and I'm sure many more.
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Daniel
Jul708
Totally agree about the dialog. I actually enjoyed the first half of the film more than the second because of it. I think the whole last part can get a little preachy but I understand they have to dumb it down a tad so kids can still have something left to enjoy. (Again, fat people rolling around = very cool.)
Pasquale
Jul808
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOo annoyed that it’s taking so long to come out here.
I’ve been following the production diaries and everything :(
Joshua Jenkins
Jul908
Daniel - I totally agree. The first part was considerably better (though I’m comparing near-perfection to excellence). The film in its entirety is preachy, but I was willing to overlook it.
Pasquale - that’s what you get for sometimes getting films a week or two early.
Lisa
Jul1308
possibly the best film i’ve seen in years (plural). i found the texture and lighting awe inspiring. i loved the use of lens flare and harsh lighting in the dusty earth.
the lack of dialogue suited me perfectly, as i get super annoyed at annoying celeb voices that taint an animated character.
i loved all the dorky techy references… Wall-e’s mac boot-up music, the mighty mices, iPod. Steve’s presence was certainly felt in this flick.
i loved the message of the film. save earth, people are slob, exercise, and hold hands with robots…
i kept meaning to write a post about this movie because it truly made an impact on me, and few things do. but, i had to talk about the stinking iPhone. gah.
ps. when are you coming up north??
Joshua Jenkins
Jul1308
I think Wall-E trumps the iPhone. But only because I don’t have an iPhone yet.
But yeah, this is definitely Pixar’s best showing to date.
I am coming up north… sometime. I don’t do plans well.