WALL-E

Disney Entertainment

R4 DVD

Single and Double DVD editions as well as Blu Ray

Reviewers: Jeremy & Renata Kong

Genre:   Animated family adventure comedy

Rating:  G 

WALL-E is a Pixar Studio production, directed by Andrew Stanton. The writer was Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, while the screenplay was written by Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon. WALL- E won the Oscar for "Best Animated Feature Film of the Year" and has also won numerous other awards as well.

WALL-E is a heart warming tale of a strange little robot.  The earth has been abandoned for 700 years due to toxicity from the level of garbage left from humans' consumerist society.  The humans have just up and moved into space to live on a giant ship called the Axiom. 

The WALL-E version robots were left behind in a bid to clean up the earth (they are basically mobile garbage crushers) however, all but our hero have broken down.  WALL-E is left alone to continue his work.  His survival is due to the development of his quirky personality and curiosity about humanity. 

The humans regularly send out probes (EVE) to search for sustainable life on planets. EVE is sent to check earth, and meets WALL-E.  It is through their friendship that WALL-E embarks on an amazing adventure that could save humanity.

When I initially saw this at the cinema with my kids, I thought it was "pleasant" but it took me a long time to connect with the characters, and I found the lack of dialogue for most of the movie was a bit irritating.  However, when it was released to DVD and we watched it many, many, many (!) times again we found so many more levels to this story. 

There is a lot of humour and warmth, especially in the portrayal of WALL-E & EVE.  In fact, as you watch you will find that the robot characters are more human in many ways than the human society that has developed on the Axiom.  You'll find this echoed in the detailed rendering of the robots and the surrounding land or space scapes versus the almost 2D look of the human characters on the Axiom.  The film makers have also used some live action segments to juxtapose humanity pre and post Axiom.

On face value, it's a fun and sweet love story, with an obvious eco-friendly message, that's great for kids and parents alike.  On a deeper level, it's a warning to get back to a more simple, less consumerist society in order to focus on what it really means to be human. 

Make sure you stay to watch the end credits, because there is a very clever and beautifully rendered 'history of man', set to an infectiously enjoyable Peter Gabriel song.

Overall, it's a very enjoyable and funny movie that kids will especially love.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.2 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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