Four out of
Five stars
Running time:
90 mins
Thoroughly delightful animated adventure from the geniuses at Pixar, this is a beautifully designed, superbly written and brilliantly directed family movie that is both moving and laugh-out-loud funny.
What's it all about?
Directed by Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), WALL-E is set hundreds of years in the future, where WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot on Earth, left to clear up the enormous amounts of trash after mankind was forced to leave the planet. WALL-E spends his days collecting little knick-knacks, watching Hello Dolly over and over again and building enormous structures out of compressed squares of metallic junk, with only a tiny cockroach for company.
However, WALL-E's routine is interrupted by the arrival of a sleek search droid called EVE, with whom he promptly falls in love. And when EVE discovers something that could have massive implications for the future of mankind, her programming forces her to head off into space to report back to the humans... with WALL-E in hot pursuit.
The Good
It's practically traditional to say this whenever Pixar release a new movie (Cars excepted), but, well, those geniuses at Pixar have done it again. WALL-E is an utterly charming character and the fact that he doesn't really speak should make him a huge hit all over the world.
The character designs are wonderful, but it's the terrific sound design work, courtesy of Ben Burtt, (who did similar work on E.T. and R2-D2, so clearly the best in the business) that really brings WALL-E to life. There's also a fabulous soundtrack by Thomas Newman, which similarly incorporates weird robotic noises to impressive effect.
The Great
Everything about the film works beautifully, from the robotic romance to the delightful supporting cast and a clever script that delivers a strong but effective message. There are also tonnes of wonderful sight gags that'll ensure the film is a massive success on DVD.
Worth seeing?
This is a delight from start to finish. It's also showing with an utterly brilliant short called Presto that will have you in tears of laughter. Highly recommended.