Wall-E in 3 Words

Unconventional. Compelling. Beautiful.

photo property of Disney/Pixar

Unconventional
No dialogue between the two main characters. No poop and fart jokes. No signing animals or musical numbers. What kind of computer animated film is this?! With a few exceptions, today’s computer animated films are essentially all the same movie with clichéd characters and cheesy humor. Wall-E is a drastic outlier from this model, making the story more real and more lovable. A story about a lonely robot falling in love and a sharp satire about consumerism and environmentalism? What was Pixar thinking? Pixar was thinking.

Compelling
Even though Wall-E and EVE never exchange any words, the dynamics between the two characters is incredible. No words are necessary because the animation, facial expressions, and movements of the characters are so organic and believable. One feels sorry for the forlorn Wall-E, yet admires his curiosity and bravery. Wall-E exhibits loneliness, love, and self-sacrifice better than any (human) actor could. The satirical aspect of the film (humans pollute the world to intolerable conditions and rely on technology to live their lives) is just as compelling and plausible.

Beautiful
The beauty of this movie brought tears to my eyes, especially during Wall-E and EVE’s “dance” in space. Other wonderful scenes included Wall-E and EVE exploring the contents of his “house” and Wall-E’s departure from Earth. Visually, it is Pixar’s greatest achievement with an uncanny amount of realism (the credits were especially well done), but, more importantly, the content of the movie was truly brilliant. I am convinced that a strong story is the most important part of any film, and Wall-E gets it right on so many levels. Wall-E is a biting science-fiction satire of today’s world akin to something out of The Twighlight Zone, surrounded by a gripping love story between two robots. Sure this movie does not have the laugh-out loud moments found in Toy Story or Finding Nemo, but it is so wonderful in itself that it does not need them. Wall-E may be the first animated film that you will touch your heart and challenge your mind.