Wall-E - 4 smiles

“Wall-E” is an amazing movie, full of life, love, wonder, and meaning, an animated film that adults can see alone or with children. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”), “Wall-E” has a solid story, strong characters, and subtle messages. Set 700 years in the future, the movie opens with a hazy view of an abandoned city and a solitary figure moving around. A closer look reveals a robot, Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class), a little worse for wear, completing his prime directive: scoop up trash, compact it into cubes, and stack the cubes. Towering trash skyscrapers loom in the background, evidence of Wall-E’s dedication. During this 700 year period, Wall-E has developed a consciousness and as he scoops up the trash, he saves items that catch his fancy: a Rubik’s cube, a spork, a Zippo lighter, an egg beater, a plant. He also has a pet cockroach and a VHS copy of “Hello, Dolly” that he watches over and over. One day a huge space ship lands, depositing Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), a robot whose job is to find signs of life on Earth. For Wall-E, it’s love at first sight, but Eve is no pushover. Wall-E tries to win her with his various treasures and only when he shows her the plant does she react. She takes the plant and shuts down. Alarmed, Wall-E does everything he can to revive her and when that fails, sets out to watch over her. When the space ship returns for her, Wall-E hitches a ride and we discover what has happened to the humans who abandoned Earth.

Central to “Wall-E” is the romance between these two robots. Neither has a real face nor do they speak anything more than a metallic approximation of their names. However, we grow to care about Wall-E and Eve as much as any flesh and blood couple. To watch these two interact is part of the pleasure of this movie and full credit goes to the creative genius of Andrew Stanton in collaboration with Ben Burtt’s inspired sounds. Even though there is no dialogue for the first 45 minutes, we understand that Wall-E is curious, that he is lonely, that he is first afraid of Eve and then enamored of her. We see Eve as initially focused on her job, but she’s also exasperated with him when she discovers that he has stowed away and is creating havoc. And finally, she fears for his safety as the situation aboard the ship suddenly turns ominous. And “Wall-E” also manages to convey a few cautionary warnings. It’s not going to be global warming that creates an apocalyptic event, but a consumption-based society where pollution runs unchecked. And the human race must never become so lazy that robots do everything for them. “Wall-E” is a most compelling film, full of fun and magic and at its heart, a robot that falls in love. It’s a definite must see. (6/27/08)