Directed by Pixar's Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo)Starring Pixar
Synopsis A (pixar) robot who has been doing his lonely job for hundreds of years, is suddenly confronted with change... from outer space.
Brought to you by Pixar
Expected Release Date June 27th, 2008
Nathaniel: I am compliant as a robot. If Pixar makes it, I go. Are you similarly programmed?
Glenn: Most definitely! I've loooved every single thing that they have done. Even Cars! And this one just looks like yet another marvellous creation. How come these guys (and gals, I presume) can be so imaginative, yet Dreamworks and Sony just continues to dole out movies about green ogres and penguins? If I have one hesitation it's that WALL-E is about "the meaning of life" so I'm sure it will receive the same sort of "it's a flop!" writings that Ratatouille received when it somehow didn't make five bajillion dollars. Sigh. Commerce!
Gabriel: I'm usually a Pixar fan, but I've been underwhelmed by the trailers and photos of this. Looks like E.T. meets Wonderbug. Ain't I a stinker?Glenn: See, that's part of why I am looking forward to it. It seems, pardon the cliche, quaint and old fashioned in a way. I guess it's because I grew up with these sort of movies that were these adventure type movies that embraced sci-fi and technology. I freely admit that I'm a sucker for nostalgia. As I already said, I loved Cars and that was nostalgia threefold.
Joe: I always tend to devalue the upcoming Pixar releases until I see them and remember how fond of their output I usually am. But I have to say I'm with Gabriel here. "A robot shows us how to be human" is one of my very least favorite sub-genres, right up there with "an alien shows us how to be human," "a dog shows us how to be human," and "Robin Williams shows us how to be human." I'm sure my enthusiasm will be raised eventually, just not yet.
MaryAnn I haven't loved every Pixar film -- I hated Cars -- but I still love what they do, and how they do it: they tell stories that are universal without turning their characters into dull stereotypes, and those characters are so wonderfully expressive. Toys are expressively "toyish," rats are beautifully ratty. (Cars didn't work for me because those characters were not carish.) And the little bits I've seen of WALL-E make it look like they've got a robot who is beautifully, expressively roboty.Nathaniel: Totally agreed. I'm all for the anthropomorphics of nonhumans as long as they don't betray their own genetic code in the process. And cars who sleep in hotel rooms? Ugh. Anyway, this little "Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class" is a cutie. And a little bit of cute (provided it's of a certain quality) can be perfect for blockbuster season when everything else is about stuff blowing up, men beating the crap out of their enemies, or New York City being destroyed (Poor NYC. It can't catch a break).
Bonus points: No lazy leaning on movie star voices. WALL-E doesn't speak (as far as I know) and for the other roles, Pixar just casts those who might do the best job. What a revolutionary recruiting concept. [my top 8 Pixar ranking]
the countdown
#10 Sex & The City: The Movie
#11 The Lovely Bones
#12 WALL-E
#13 Stop-Loss
#14 The Women
#15 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Introduction / Orphans
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