I love Pixar. Although I have not seen the “Toy Story” series, I sincerely appreciate what Pixar has done since I first saw “Monsters Inc.” But “Wall-E” crossed the line.
For me, going to a movie is getting away from the real world. It always has been – from going on a magic carpet ride with Aladdin to laughing at a flatulent character in “Shrek”. Pixar makes funny, little kid, movies, as I expect. So when a ‘little kid’ movie crosses the line from fantasy to real world, I have to raise a brow.
I won’t spoil anything for you, but the premise of this movie is gloomy and apocalyptic. Earth is run by a corporation and is filled with trash. The world is so dirty, the corporation sends everyone to temporarily live in a new world and markets it as the next best thing. The problem is the living situation becomes permanent – 700 years into the future. That’s where the little, lonely robot comes in.
Wall-E is a trash compactor designed to clean up Earth and make it livable. But while he cleans, more trash comes. The many hidden messages in the movie are frightening to watch as an adult since the target audience are children who have no sense of hidden marketing. The messages, while seeming friendly is force fed throughout the flick – adults should recycle, kids will recycle. Oh, and Fortune 500 companies are the devil.
What makes it more frightening for adults and boring for some children is that there is no dialogue until about 40 minutes into the movie. There are only 7 character voices with Pixar possibly shelling out some cash for Sigourney Weaver, who plays the ship’s computer. Fred Willard makes a few appearances as the corporation owner/earth ruler and that guy from Cheers who makes it in every Pixar title.
Also, while Al Gore’s message is obvious, I get the feeling Steve Jobs helped consult on this movie. When Wall-E starts up after a solar-charge, he makes the Apple startup sound. Wall-E also owns an iPod and his love interest most likely has a “Designed by Apple in California” bumper sticker. Perhaps that was put in there to show the kiddies that not all Fortune 500 companies are evil. I looked into it, too. Al Gore is a board member on Apple with CEO Jobs. “It’s all about the experience, man!”
The only thing I was thankful for while watching the movie on Sunday was there were no screaming children in there. Parents were whisking away their seeds after the 30th minute of no dialogue.
If you can filter out the hidden messages reminicent of 1984, this flick is good to watch. But, while Pixar’s ninth movie sold tickets tall enough to build a skyscraper with solar panels and some wind turbines, this G-rated movie should certainly be rated “not for kids younger than 5 and George Bush Republicans.”
ADMorales
14 responses so far ↓
guy // July 6, 2008 at 5:50 pm
your crazy, WALL-E is being regarded as one of the greatest Pixar movies ever
JRL // July 8, 2008 at 12:43 am
There are many very fine laxatives on the market that will greatly ease the frussiness I sense in your review.
Clearly, you’re full of phooh, right up to your ears, having gone into the theatre with “Doom, Gloom, Despair and Despondancy.”
Speaking only for myself, “I Laughed, I Cried, It *Moved* Me…” as the old reviews used to say.
Rob A // July 11, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I think the title of this review pretty much sums up what the body entails. All I see here is criticism on the concept, and no mention of the actual story. I could write all of this stuff without even seeing the movie, but since I have seen it, I can tell that there’s so much that was not actually addressed.
I suggest going to films that are unfairly branded as “kiddie” flicks with a bit more maturity next time. You might be surprised.
Stan Baker // July 13, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I actually don’t have a problem with the message or the theme of the movie. My main gripe with Wall E is just how boring and full of holes it is. Sure, every critic seems to be jacking off to this little film, all the while oblivious to the fact that the script is, as I said, full of holes, the movie is incredibly slow and boring and that the main character is not appealing to kids at all. Nice Pixar… keep alienating your core audience with boring pictures…
jon // July 15, 2008 at 10:58 am
Although I appreciate WALL-E for what it was, my 8 and 12 year old sisters didn’t like it for simply one reason, the lack of dialougue.
doug // July 18, 2008 at 7:16 pm
i seen wall-e on boot leg it sucked n its borin i fell asleep the first 45 minutes n woke up with all of the explosions n to some guys middle finger yea i agree that pixar makes good movies but wall-e was not one of them…..oh and the toy story series was pretty good u should watch it lol
-ur nephew doug
kyle // July 19, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I think you’ve missed the point of the movie with your critique.
Yes, Wall-E is a cautionary tale…but it’s a buttered up, Disneyified version of one.
You can’t tell me that the message in this film (which can be simplified to “save the Earth”) is more heavy handed than that of Monster’s Inc. scream shortage (a very early 2000s commentary for oil), that of Poccahantes (don’t be racist) or even that of Shrek (”everyone’s beautiful in their own way) or Finding Nemo (even those with handicaps can be heroes).
The message is so minute compared to the story of Wall-E, a beautiful love story with more heart than any Romantic epic I’ve ever seen, whose prime components are robots.
The humans and other robots are human and all want a change. The robots want to be happy and free and the humans want to go home to Earth.
The point of the consumerism and environmentalism of Wall-E is not to say “every should wide up and start to recycle”…it’s more Pixar’s way of saying, “listen, this future is a possibility - no doubt about it - but we believe in the human spirit and how it will always ultimately prevail.
Just for that, I believe Wall-E’s message isn’t heavy handed because its a light post-apocolyptic comedy - the first of it’s kind.
Leave it to Pixar for raising the bar and then bending it to their will. These master story-crafters have a 9 for 9 in my book and I believe Wall-E might in the future be considered their crowning achievement.
Prink // July 22, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Wall-e isn’t even intelligent enough to be anyone’s “cautionary tale” because its characterization was so two-dimensional.
For example, how does a space captain who’s spent his entire life living in an automated environment even have any -clue- as to how wonderful grass, trees, or dancing are? Suddenly he decides he’s “done nothing” his entire life? If you actually compare the accomplishments of this particular space captain to his entire society he’s the number one man up top. Assuming becoming a space captain in this society isn’t decided in the same way a monarchy would be, even in a society of immobile fatasses you don’t “do nothing” to become leader of the human race.
No fear of having to complete his objectives? No explanation as to why he even cares so much and wants to break the status quo?
Among other things. The movie was predictable, all flash, and no substance. This “green” message was just too weakly and superficially emphasized, and the movie made assumptions that we all accept the same type of environmental rhetoric without question. If you’re brain-dead you’d like this movie. Apparently all the critics are such.
Dan // July 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
My 11-year-old daughter and I both agreed that this was the worst Pixar movie so far. (And I’m a huge Pixar fan since before they did features.) Kung Fu Panda was better.
ben // July 29, 2008 at 6:38 am
i thought the apple references were funny, and have to admit the first image that popped into my head was steve jobs’ bald head. but did it really detract so much from the quality film that this is? while there are definitely some taste of a political message ingrained throughout, it was done in a storybook-style narrative that gave as much ‘info’ about corporate america as could be digested by the racy attention of a 5-year-old child. the movie didn’t throw it in your face. if you felt offended, or disagreed (?) with the messages, it was easy to disregard it.
i also disagree with the opinion that the first half hour was ‘boring’. i happen to have enjoyed the quiet. i felt that it was a successful attempt by the creators to instill the depth of personality in the character that is so central to pixar’s themes. while toy story (pixar’s first major) made novelty of talking, inanimate objects, wall-e instead appealed through implicit dialogue. this considered, i want to give credit to how far pixar has come in terms of mastering the art of CG. if i’m correct, wall-e, prior to production, had been in the plans since the humble beginnings of the company. the movie was a statement and a capstone on much of what has been said and done in the history of cinema. and the little details, for which we have the designers to thank, are composed of many popular genres throughout the last couple of decades.. since silent films.
AJ // August 1, 2008 at 3:36 am
You suck dude
go watch stupid B-grade movies & jerk off to it
If you don’t like this movie then you don’t deserve to see movies
f*** off
federico // August 5, 2008 at 1:22 am
Ok, comments like the one AJ made just point the braindead audience that popullate theaters these days… “if you dont like this movie you dont deserve to see movies”
F**king nazi, everyones opinion counts.. so if you cannot use half brain cell please keep your mouth shut…
Honnestly, I found this film boring, light, over sweetened, and with the Disney politically correct cr*p written all over it.
The story is plain, two dimmensional with a pathetic excuse of a message..
There is no character development and the plot is so predictable it hurts to see..
Personally, I´m getting kinda sick of the apple products placements, besides, I find it quite hypocritical to criticize the consuming society with apple ads all over the movie…
I could go on, but I dont want to make it to long..
I found Wall - E boring, predictable and hypocritical. Personally I enjoyed the short movie of the opening best..
Gary Ash // August 10, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Didn’t it occur to anybody at Pixar & Disney, two major ‘Pushers’ of merchandise, that they’re telling kids that too much ’stuff’ is going to clog up the Earth.. Doh!
Readers really like when I use these words… « Me today. // August 18, 2008 at 1:26 pm
[...] big post on “Me today.” are ‘Wall-e sucks’ and my story about the secret iPhone 3g trick, which turn out to be not so [...]
Leave a Comment