Three years? Man I feel old. But seriously, I haven’t watched it in a while, even though I still consider it my favorite film, but the fact the film itself remains to impress me is a large feat to say the least.
Argh! I’m out of shape.
I can’t really think of anything else to say about Wall-E right now. I guess because there’s nothing extra to accompany the film outside of work from fans. I know this is how it is for every Pixar film (outside of Cars and Toy Story), but it still makes me sad that outside of its annual DVD release short, there’s just Wall-E alone. This is why I can’t bring myself to watch it again.
I had brought up so many memories from this film. It converted me from some guy who liked the Pixar movies, to a life-long fan of an animation studio and its people. I honestly care more about John Lasseter, Pete Doctor, and Andrew Stanton, than The Incredibles or Up. Wall-E is what brought me to this realization. So I began a two year tribute spreading more than 100 pages. I recieved an autograph from Lasseter and Stanton two years later, but the reward didn’t matter to me. All I wanted was to tell Pixar what they meaned to me, and how they inspired me to be a better person. Wall-E isn’t just a film, it’s everything.
This film has brought me so many memories. Spending days looking up every visable piece of art on deviant art. Staying up the entire night until the sun had risen just to finish some lengthy fanfic (even though the story itself was incredible). Being scarred for life with rule 34. Writing a review that would later earn myself several awards. These are all moments I’ll never forget, but the film itself has been untouched.
It rose and died years ago, and I highly doubt we’ll be seeing any George Lucas-esque special editions any time soon. It’s probably for the better most people don’t see Wall-E as anything else than a kiddie film. It just makes the film feel all the more personal, and all the more special. However, I still find it hard to watch it. Not because of the film itself, just because of all those memories of old. Wall-E completely changed who I am. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have come to PixarPlanet, I would have never become a Pixar fan, and in a way (just because of how it altered my views) I wouldn’t have become a brony. The reason why I can’t watch Wall-E is because it makes me so sad that I simply can’t finish it. The film deserves so much better. It deserves all the praise in the world. It deserves fan-cons devoted to it, merchandise, attractions and clothing, it deserves spin-offs and special editions, it deserves a sequel, it deserves to be studyed and analyzed not just by film fans, but by college professors, scientists and psychiatrists. It’s definitely for the better that these things will never happen. I’d hate a sequel, re-imagining, or television series, but the film still deserves so much more.
Wall-E will always be seen by thousands, always be adored by thousands. Wall-E will always be known as a huge success financially and critically. It has been nominated for more different Academy awards than any other animated feature. It has been labeled by At the Movies as the greatest film of the decade, and by Time as the greatest animated film of all time. Wall-E will always be remembered.
Wall-E will never be recognized as more than a success. I know some fans share my opinions, and I know I’m not alone in believing that Wall-E is more than a film. However, when you look at the facts, we’re a sliver of a pie, and Wall-E will sit in obscurity as one of the best Pixar films of all time. Nothing more. Wall-E deserves to be seen on its own, with its only connection to Pixar being the references. If people were more open minded, perhaps Wall-E may have gained more recognition.
-However, whenever somebody mentions how great Wall-E is, they almost always mention Pixar.
“It’s so much better than any other Pixar feature.”
“Pixar’s done it again.”
“Wall-E proves that Pixar is one of the great studios of our time.”
-People who dislike Wall-E fall into the same category.
“If only it had been like the more fun Pixar features.”
“It was more boring than other Pixar movies.”
“Pixar tried something new, and unlike the box office results, it didn’t soar as high as I hoped.”
Pixar and Wall-E are both two things that mean more to my life than most anything I can recall, but both as stand-alone factors.
Pixar and Wall-E.
I know this passage is full of flaws and comments that may be treated as ‘off the wall’. But even amidst my non-straight forward opinions, I just wanted to get this off my chest. I love Pixar. I love Wall-E. It’s just that the state of Wall-E and how it is treated by the world is so far from what it deserves, that it makes me too emotional to endure watching it.
And lets face it folks, Wall-E is just a movie. In a way, the fact it has connected itself to me so greatly is almost scarier than any study of human actions presented in the film.
tl;dr: Happy birthday to my favorite film of all time. Now if you excuse me, I think this movie has made me insane.