Written by: Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy
Rating: [4/5]
The impact we have on the environment will not fully be realized until it’s too late. Something we just have to come to terms with when we get to the point where life will mimic the world we see in Wall-E. A film with plenty on its mind even while focusing on the love story between two robots. Displaying the power of Pixar in all of its effectiveness and cuteness, this feature well and truly packs a punch while also containing plenty of heart for all to cling to.
In the 29th century, Earth has become a barren wasteland filled with trash. All that remains is a Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth Class also known as WALL-E (Ben Burtt), which essentially compacts the trash and stacks it up. When a probe ship arrives back on Earth, an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator also known as EVE (Elissa Knight) encounters WALL-E as it detects a plant leading to the possibility Earth may begin to be livable once again for the remaining humans up in space can return to.
For all of the fun we can have with the story within WALL-E, the first thing that must be pointed out is the complete accuracy it displays on how exactly humans will destroy Earth. Completely desolate and filled with trash from our rampant consumerism and wishes to accumulate junk just to fill the planet with it to the point where we can no longer live there. On top of causing this issue, humans decide to not fix the issue but to go up to space and occasionally send back robots to check if the problem somehow fixed itself without us doing the work. Truly a chef’s kiss from everyone involved in showing us our future. This alone serves as a strong enough reading on the film but on top of everything this feature speaks on when it comes to the environment and rampant consumerism, the love story at the center captures something wonderfully beautiful.
Opening essentially like a silent film with a robot that cannot speak just going about its days compacting its trash. WALL-E exists solely to do this task and it spends most of its days doing just that. The arrival of EVE into the story adds a different dimension and every moment they spend together getting to know each other creates this magic where they do not speak to each other but build this bond. WALL-E absolutely adores EVE and it’s quite a cute experience to watch. Love between two robots certainly would not sit on my list of romances I thought would work but the connection they build between each other sells the entire story. Distinct scenes they share together like their moment gliding in space together immaculately display everything that works at its best in this feature and it leaves quite the impression giving it such lasting power.
When we eventually get to the ship carrying all of the overweight humans awaiting their time to return to Earth does have some good nuggets even if it signifies the lower points of the feature where it gets a bit too silly for its own good. However, it presents many cogent points as it demonstrates that even with destroying the Earth and making it unlivable, rampant consumerism simply continues to quite a ridiculous degree. The ship essentially gets run by the robots, specifically AUTO, which its bright red light certainly feels like a callback to the legendary HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It displays a certifiable difference in the way humans and robots interpret information and therefore maintain this status quo, especially when the existence of the plant becomes evident.
On a visual level, what this feature manages to capture through its animation sits atop the peak of anything Pixar has ever created. Particularly the moments on Earth where WALL-E goes about its day and then in space, it makes something so brown feel so incredibly vivid and lived in. Contrasting that with the sleek white exterior of EVE contributes to the contrast of what remains on Earth versus the vessel carrying all of the remaining humans. So many shots deserve to be paused to appreciate the majesty within the frame.
Truly a wondrous piece of art that hits some of Pixar’s best in some regards, but does not fully round out to as something that matches the films at the very top of the mountain. Regardless, what we get in this feature says so much about humanity as it does about how these robots operate on a daily basis to make something so thoroughly entertaining to take in while also attacking our blissful ignorance about what we will do to this planet if we do not change our course. One that will continue to hold its power long after we’re gone.
Films with Josh 
