Two writers, one highly anticipated blockbuster!

Two A 'n' E Vibe correspondents hit the theatre this week for the film WALL-E and give their honest thoughts on whether Pixar`s newest film hits the mark or misses completely...

Film Title: WALL-E
Director: Andrew Stanton
Studio: Pixar Animation
Principal Actors: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Running Time: 103 minutes
Rating: G
Released: 27 June 2008

Reviewed By: Lauren Eldridge (Port Moody Correspondent - Canada)          

After the global take-over on Earth by one company, Buy N Large, the planet overflows with garbage and must be evacuated. All humans are loaded onto a titanic star ship and sent off to cruise the galaxy while a barrage of WALL-E robots are left to compact and stack the garbage on a five-year cleanup mission. 700 years later, the humans on earth have literally gone soft, no longer able to walk, drinking all of their food in liquid form, aided entirely by technology. When an EVE robot sent to Earth discovers plant life and the WALL-E that has developed both a personality and a crush on EVE, they return to the star ship in an attempt to bring humanity home. 

Despite the fact that there is no dialogue for the first half hour of this film, no one in the audience seemed to mind. The humming and other various noises made by WALL-E, as well as his rather expressive ocular equipment (his eyes) are enough to evoke collective laughs and "aw"s at the appropriate times. This animated film has done an excellent and innovative job of connecting us with a robot that has grown the same needs and wants as we have, as well as being completely adorable.

The character development of this film is also remarkable, since a robot without a personality (EVE) manages to evolve one without it being a rushed or unbelievable process. Their lack of verbal communication does not stop them from communicating nonetheless, and I find that the star ship robots that actually do have voices are much more difficult to understand. 

How interesting it is that this "kid's movie" that many adults may refrain from seeing because of the young age of it's "target audience" is also an analysis of the human condition, no matter how subtle. It is this fact that would inspire me to classify the film as "sci-fi" rather than animated, since sci-fi is just as much about the human condition as technology. We see a rather realistic projection of where we as a society are heading if we continue on in this fashion, and how the conglomeration of companies can result in a mind-numbing takeover that robs us of our resolve and our ability to walk.

Do not despair! This film also offers many reasons to smile, laugh, and sigh during this adventure of a restless, if robotic, soul.

Film:  WALL-E

Studio:    Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios

Director:  Andrew Stanton

Principal Actors:  Ben Burtt (voice); Elissa Knight (voice); Jeff Garlin (voice); Fred Willard
Release:  June 27, 2008
Film length: 103 Minutes
Rating:  G    

Reviewed By:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas City Correspondent - USA) 

Pixar brings a science-fiction triumph to the screen with WALL-E.  With brilliant animation and very little dialogue (almost none in the first half of the film), WALL-E goes farther in entertaining and giving a message than most of the summer's live action offerings.

The year is 2700.  Earth has been abandoned, its population orbiting in a giant spaceship that serves as a cruise into gluttony.  Back on the planet, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) continues its directive of cleaning up, one compacted load of garbage at a time.  WALL-E is a robot with personality, evidenced by the expression in his headlight eyes, his collection of special items he retrieves from his work, his friendship with a cockroach, and his fascination with a much-watched videotape of Hello,Dolly!  Though dedicated to his work, somehow he senses there is something more out there somewhere, something called love that includes holding hands with another being. 

EVE, a robotic probe from the spaceship arrives on earth.  Like the dove released by Noah, EVE gathers evidence of whether Earth is once again a habitable planet.  WALL-E inadvertently aids in the research and finds himself reaching the spaceship as well.  There, it becomes robots and human captain against a machine reminiscent of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey.  There, the action truly begins in a contest that will affirm the strength of the human spirit and give one pause about shopping at "big box" stores and setting multiple garbage cans at the curb.

Without giving too much away, WALL-E is a reminder of all that is great about Pixar.  It's a love story, a science-fiction fantasy, and an action-adventure film all rolled into one.  The animation is amazing, looking not at all "cartoon"-like, but truly presenting a world in ruins.  For example, a closer shot of skyscrapers reveals they are, in fact, meticulously stacked squares of compacted trash. 

Be sure and get to the theatre in time to see the Pixar short, Presto, the story of a magician with a less-than-cooperative magic rabbit.  Animation continues through the closing credits of the film, too, so keep your seat until the lights come up.