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WALL-E
By: Clayton
Davis
WALL-E is the best
film of the year so far...
Animation is a key element in the lives of children but somewhere around
adolescence, a young person feels they’re “too mature” or “too cool” to
be watching “cartoons.” Then a change occurs in adulthood, which the
same young person misses something from their childhood and a film they
watched while playing with Lego’s brings them back to that. As of late,
animated films have tried to be something their not, perhaps lost their
spark. In the new millennium, I haven’t really experienced the Bambi,
The Lion King, or The Fox and the Hound of our time.
Finding Nemo and The Incredibles raised the bar but still
hadn’t been the perfect dose of entertainment, writing, and emotion.
WALL-E, has achieved where its predecessors failed.
WALL-E
is the most touching, real, emotionally moving film this year so far.
The film is about a little robot named WALL-E, (Waste Allocation Load
Lifter Earth-Class) who has become exceptionally lonely on the desolate
planet of Earth, that has become a wasteland of filth, debris, and
pollution. Life has ceased to exist on the once populated planet until
a rocket lands and drops off a “surprise,” to say the least. Enters our
heroin, which might be an understatement, EVE, a robot with an edge,
that is searching for “something” that might be the key to life’s
existence. But alas, WALL-E falls in love with her charm, wit, and
blaster gun and when circumstances force her to be picked up, WALL-E
will travel across the galaxy to find his love.
WALL-E
makes a statement loud and clear about today’s political factors, from
pollution to exercise, love, life, it speaks of it all in volumes
without any words; it uses images to baffle the viewer as we are thrust
through the film. Writer and Director Andrew Stanton creates wonderful
details as we are engulfed into WALL-E’s world and within seconds of the
film starting, fall in completely in love with the robot.
The film doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not and Stanton isn’t
afraid to let the film be both for the mature and the innocence of our
youth. With limited dialogue, Stanton takes a chance of losing his
viewers but rest assured, there is never a dull moment and while the
film does lose a little flavor from the start, resonance of childhood
and contentment fill the viewer in images of awe and splendor.
As
the already declared by many, Animated Film frontrunner of the Academy
Awards, the film studio Pixar may have a winner on its hands to make a
strong push for Best Picture. Not since Beauty and the Beast has
an animated film been nominated for Best Picture and we’ve had some
potential candidates over the years. But with the induction of the Best
Animated Feature category, voters feel there’s no need to validate the
films twice so to speak. WALL-E is technically beautiful
which makes it a contender in the Sound and Editing categories, and
Stanton is more than just the writer of the film as he directs the film
with power and precise. I’d go so far as to say this is the best
directed animated film I’ve ever seen. That is where Stanton’s magic
is, his direction, but writing is definitely a strong suit for the film
as well. We’ll have to wait for the upcoming awards season to see how
it plays out.
But go and catch WALL-E on the big screen, and enjoy the
masterpiece for what it is and the wonderful short film at the beginning
of the film which is a treat for all.
***½/****
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