Wall-E is the last surviving robot of his kind, left behind on Earth to clean up after it became uninhabitable for mankind, because of the amount of rubbish we'd produced. After years of being alone, Wall-E has developed a personality. He collects interesting items from the trash he tidys up each day, is friends with a cockroach and watches old musicals. Unfortunately for Wall-E though, he also has the drawbacks that come with sentience and is incredibly lonely. However, all of this changes when a spaceship arrives carrying a robot probe called Eve to search for signs of life. Wall-E falls in love and embarks on a journey that will carry him very far away.
This is storytelling at its purest and bravest, with not a single line of dialogue spoken in the first 30 minutes of the movie. You don't notice for a moment though, because Pixar's visual language is so strong words aren't simply aren't required. Pixar might have invented a new form of movie experience, but their films are grounded in the art of story and feel as magical as the fairy tales Walt Disney told to you as a child.
Wall-E also delivers a tough message for your average mainstream audience to take. That our rabbid consumption with complete disregard for the planet will destroy us. I wondered to myself what people watching the film with their mega cokes and super size popcorn buckets would make of it all. Of course we also have robots falling in love and caring enough about their masters to try to save humanity in spite of ourselves.
But enough about the serious stuff, let's concentrate on the amount in this film that there is to enjoy. Wall-E himself is a wonderful creation, all determined innocence and inquisitiveness. The rest of the robots on show are an entertaining bunch too, including a fantastic gang of 'rogue robots' who subvert their mundane programming and rebel to help our hero. There's even a lovely nod to Apple computers in amongst it all, which you'll have to listen out for.
In conclusion, Wall-E is already the film of 2008. Personally, it has taken a place on the shelf reserved for my favourite movies ever. Pixar have proved themselves the master storytellers of their generation and should be celebrated by everyone who enjoys cinema.
