WBoon: What makes WALL-E so great is the emotion, the character development, the eye-opening messages. Not just in the environment, but what makes WALL-E different is that unlike the usual romance film, it removes the normal transition from “like” to “love”. No, since WALL-E is such a unique character, the movie is about him trying to win EVE who doesn’t have the emotional capacity for love. When have you seen THAT before?
Wall-E is my favorite movie ever! I’ve been counting down the days to the DVD release. The only person in my family who’s excited for Wall-E is my little sister. Everyone else thinks I’m weird, and I don’t get it. I have to agree that many of them don’t like it because it’s an animated movie, but this is a very different movie. On Yahoo! movies, Wall-E got an A- from both critics and users. I’ve never seen a movie with higher ratings.
Oh, let’s see. Vesper from Casino Royale; she almost had no essence of love in the first place. Then there’s Camile from the latest bond flick, Quantum of Solace. Her parents died in a horrible murder (and rape) case, and she was filled with only the essence of vengeance in the first place - no love, just ‘going to bed’ with men to get to her goals, something like a female Bond, if you will. 
Now, if you are to relate EVE to a normal person, I’d pretty much say EVE was just merely touched by WALL-E aiding her throughout her dire moments; something Bond did for both Vesper and Camile, not to mention the hundreds of other equally deep characters with emotions much more real than… say, a junk yard robot.
Also, lemme add that this movie might appeal the majority, but that could still possibly occur in terms of biasness rather than neutral criticism, as the critics of The Dark Knight had shown in contrast (here on Pixar Planet forums anyway, don’t really know the reason why you people wouldn’t give the film a break, but you don’t see me posting a thread about it).
WBoon- On the one hand, I really want to mention that all of the films you mentioned in contrast to WALL-E are films that I, personally, wouldn’t take my six-year-old to see (if I had one 
), and that the reason WALL-E had a cliche ending is the reason why most, if not all Disney and Pixar films have a cliche ending- because, at the end of the day, little kids as well as adults are going to be watching it.
On the other hand, I totally respect that you perhaps didn’t enjoy the film as much as Pixar’s other outings, especially when you don’t get the ‘feel’ for a film. For example, I was very excited about Ratatouille before it came out, but when I saw it, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would. In comparison to other non-Pixar films, it’s brilliant but, for me, it’s not as good as their other films. I don’t know why, but I think it’s partially to do with the ‘feel’ of the film as well as my dislike for Remy (a character which many others love). That’s just the way it goes, sometimes.
Haven’t seen them.
But still, two movies doesn’t make it a clique (I know, I know, I can’t spell). And they aren’t really the same concept. WALL-E is a about a soul that is in love with someone who CAN NOT love him back, but he just keeps on chasing her anyway. From what I do know of Bond, it’s not like that.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Have you SEEN any of the avatars around? I think I’ve seen more Joker references than any other character in any other movie. I know some people don’t like it, but that’s no reason to say that this forum is anti-Dark Knight.
And I think that is wasn’t a serious thread, it was more playful than really asking “what is wrong with these people?”
Hello? Are you listening to yourself or at least, reading your post as you type? It’s called ‘hard-to-get’ in real life. Ever got into a relationship before? Seriously… That’s SUCH a cliche. I’ve seen so much of those examples of films before (I just couldn’t remember a lot of those films myself…).
Okay, so say that you’re trying to claim that EVE is incapable of loving WALL-E, and thus, that would be a ‘different’ genre of romance, but that is seriously just reading too much into it.
EVE is a robot, which should be considered NOT to have any feelings, but since she already displayed her capabilities in expressing feelings before she even fell head over heels, before WALL-E even aided her in any manner, that proved that she is capable of having feelings and thus, she IS just like any ordinary human when put in comparison, playing hard-to-get.
It’s no difference. The only difference is that she has no interest in love because she was not programmed to love, so she doesn’t know what love is till her feelings got onto her; something I’ve seen in The Island, a film with a much more mature concept, but the idea is the same.
Avatars. That only meant that people are fascinated by the film. They like it; just don’t think it’s any good. WALL-E, on the other hand, kinda got more credits than it should have.
And I don’t really see how we feel about other people’s opinions towards this is related to the judgment of the film’s quality… I mean, we are all merely just expressing our opinions. How you Americans would say, ‘the freedom of speech,’ right?
Oh, and the starter of this thread seems to present more of this ‘seriousness’ you refer to than I ever did. Everyone has the right to love something and to hate it; no real need to go, “Oh, I’m trying to understand why you guys just won’t love that cute little junk-bot!” 
He’s saying like it’s wrong for us not to like the guy (WALL-E), like WALL-E’s messiah or something.
Well, WALL-E is a PIXAR MOVIE, and it is a PIXAR FORUM.
But seriously dude, where have you been? 
I have seen three Dark Knight threads AT LEAST. Trust me, there are more people talking about how great it is then how it’s not that good. There are less now, I guess, since the movie has been out for a while, but still.
To put under another term, ‘biasness.’ 
Maybe I have put my point under a dim light. See, what I was trying to say is that WALL-E was smothered with extreme compliments, with reviewers of Pixar using terms such as ‘genius’ or ‘masterpiece’ (not exact terms, I know, but you get the idea). It just seems to me that with all biasness put aside (which they normally do, so my comment above is redundant), they would still shower the film with such comments.
Now, people like me (or at least, I alone ), are trying to put a sort of balance in between, so that people would know that this is a good film, but like many reviewers of The Dark Knight said, it’s not perfect. It’s not a genius masterpiece bestowed upon by the hammer of Asgard (XD).
So, yeah. I like the film, but I love good movies being credited for what they deserve even more.
Well, given our Pixar obsession, yes I would say we are a bit biased (;
Though I agree that I wouldn’t call WALL-E “genius” or “masterpiece” it is really, really good. “Genius” and “masterpiece” are what I call things that effect the way we live our lives, think of ourselves, society, and life itself. So you can say I don’t consider many things those.
I love WALL•E, and even though I understand that it may not be someone’s cup of tea, when someone says “Yeah, it was ok…” or “It wasn’t THAT great” I’m like “WJGNSWQ How can you say that!!!” I just find it hard to believe that they couldn’t like at least some aspect of the movie. Others just can’t buy into the whole “animation thing” (I’m looking at you, Margaret from At the Movies) or even into robots, because it reminds them of the eventual robot sentience. But come on! That opening sequence would have to be one of the best in film, ever, you gotta give it that. And the first third of the movie is just brilliant: scary, haunting, too close to home.
But there are movies, TV shows, books that you either get or you don’t. It’s just a matter of taste.
Funny. 'Cause WALL•E ticks all of those boxes for me.
At the technical level, WALL-E is indeed a masterpiece. By the “traditional” measures of film criticism, it is nearly flawless. In particular, the screenplay is so good that little dialogue is needed, the sound design and score instantly flesh out mute characters and set the mood, and the art direction and sets are top-notch. The cinematography and film editing are excellent but unexciting. Judged by the standards of animation, this movie is indeed genius. Animating non-human characters with so few degrees of motion so well that they can carry a love story is nothing short of the pinnacle of the animator’s art. The CG is also technically brilliant, particularly all shots on earth with “natural” lighting. It is not Citizen Kane or Battleship Potemkin (the ultimate films technically), but it is close.
Whether the theme, plot and characters “work” is a very personal thing. I find it actually a good sign that WALL-E provokes such extreme reactions, good and bad. Something that produces mild, pleasant reactions from everyone is merely entertainment. WALL-E is art. Art must provoke. Years from now, people will still ask if you cried at the end of WALL-E, whether AUTO and BnL were evil or simply miguided, or what you thought of its portrayal of mankind. For that matter, they will also ask if you thought the Joker in The Dark Knight was right about humanity, and whether Batman was justified in his actions to stop him. No one will ask you anything about Iron Man or Hellboy II except if you thought they were cool. Not much about Kung Fu Panda either, rounding out this summer’s better movies. That’s the difference between art and entertainment.
People will indeed write theses about WALL-E for years to come due to its sheer depth and symbolism. One will portray it is as a thin biblically-themed allegory about the fall and redemption of humanity through love and communion, complete with Adam, Eve, Noah’s Ark, base man vs incorruptible angel, and a voice crying in the wilderness. Another will argue that it is a transhumanist essay about the difference between humans, humanness and humanity, with two different hells, one lacking humans and the other humanness, eventually reunited into a heaven filled with humanity. Yet another will insist that it is a psychological study of the relationship between loneliness and duty, which all the main characters (WALL-E, EVE, AUTO, Captain) are affected by and respond to in their own way. High schoolers will instead write less ambitiously about how dancing is used as a metaphor or the clever use of foreshadowing. And so on. The movie is a literary masterpiece.
It is one thing to dislike the movie. That is completely subjective and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, by critical standards it is objectively a masterpiece and very probably a work of genius, even if you do not agree with the critics or think that their criteria are irrelevant. Best of all, unlike other works in this category it is also great fun and very entertaining – a very rare quality. That gives it an extra gold star in my book.
Bravo! I don’t go to church anymore, but feel like I have in some way after reading reviews like this one…
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[Edit a month later: came across this link and wasn’t sure to put it in this thread or the ‘Environmental Message’ thread. It’s about the movie’s ‘Fatso Message’:
gawker.com/5024220/wall+es-big-f … ve-problem
The first person that I managed to convince to see this movie said he liked it a lot, but lamented the plight of the humans in the future. It makes interesting reading.
Also, this link about Pixar’s liberal bent and being a haven for former hippies:
gawker.com/5022351/how-pixar-joi … -bandwagon
The opinions expressed aren’t my own, but read the title of this thread. End of edit]
Very nice review, kaikaun. You’ve linked WALL-E to some themes that I’d never even thought about before, especially the comparisons with the Bible and the study of the battle between lonliness and duty. You’re right, it really does have many different levels that everyone can appreciate.
As much as I’m a Pixar nut, I have to say Wall-E’s probably my least favourite of the Pixar films, for several reasons. I found it boring, annoying and had too much of a political agenda behind it. Now, even though I found it okay, I wouldn’t say it’s the best film of the year, not even the best animated film (I actually liked Kung Fu Panda more than this). But maybe it could just be that when I saw it, the theatre quality was probably the worst it’s ever been, and that ruined it for me, and maybe the Blu-ray might change my opinion, but I stand my me not loving it.
Uh, I’d read some interviews with Mr. Stanton before you say the movie has ANY political agenda behind it.
Mister Incredible: I see you and I have similar, if not identical, opinions on WALL-E. I totally, 100% agree with you.
Yes, the movie is very underrated, indeed, and this really gets me down 
It wasn’t as succesful as (in my opinion) not-so-brilliant Madagascar or Kung-Fu Panda. It hasn’t gained so great popularity. And that’s a pity.
I haven’t read the entire thread because there’s too much of text. Maybe, I won’t say anything new. It seems to me that only one out of six people liked Wall-e. Among 12 men I know who watched Wall-e only two except me liked it very much. They were one of my best friends ZEUStiger and my 3-y.o. brother. Others either didn’t like it, or liked it but less than Ratatouille. I asked them about the reasons. Here they go.
My barberer liked Wall-e, but she told it was too scifi. Some of my friends claimed that the graphics was great except the peeps on the Axiom - ‘they could have been drawn more realistically’.
Some of you say that one of the reasons for so big ‘detest’ is a lack of dialogue. As for me, each dialogue, and the language overall has the only purpose - to help creatures share their thoughts about objects. Language is made in order to make communities of the peers, because if there is a language for each person, everybody will name the same thing in the different way and they will never understand each other. So, dialogue only helps to share opinions. If everything is clear without a dialogue, it is not necessary. Wall-e doesn’t need too much dialogue, imho.
For those who didn’t like ‘the Gels’. This is a cartoon. It resembles a movie, but it is still a cartoon, so it needs some cartoon characteristic features. If everything was designed in a realistic way, the movie would lose its points. The feeling of a cartoon soothens us and prepares us to receive something important.
The only reason I suppose to be true is the message. Most people have a lifestyle of a jerk, not caring about what is happening around him. They like their lifestyle and they decline everything that goes against it. The movie deals with that problems, and… so… no one likes to be punished.
I am writing that for you, because I want you to understand what I have understood. The message is very important, trust me. You should get it. Really.
Although I do not have any figurine of any WALL-E character, do not have the second disc and have no merchandise stuff (it is not sold here), I’m still a devoted fan of WALL-E and I love this movie. Each detail seems proper and apt to me…
Maybe I’m wrong, but Pixar seems not to worry about its box office. I hope I’m right. Thay were coining their idea of Wall-e for a long time and finally they have it implemented! I hope, it doesn’t bother them that the movie doesn’t seem to be so succesful as the others - they had a longing to make the world better, and they … did it… If even only one of you has changed a bit after watching WALL-E, this is a real success!
Thank you
The only thing I didn’t really like were all the fat people, since I’m pretty fat myself. I’m not as fat as those people, but I was afraid someone would say ‘hey look, it’s you!’ xP Otherwise … I can understand why they’d be fat, considering the sort of lifestyle they lived.
I also didn’t like the idea of the earth dying without the people there - if people were gone, Mother Nature would take back what was rightfully hers in the first place - but since the humans sorta poisoned the world with all their chemicals and crud, I can understand why it’d need the humans help to come back.
Well, there were people I know who said WALL-E was okay, because the characters were pretty lovable, but they are just used to more dialogue in movies, that’s all. There’s this one guy who said he’s not into movies or anything that doesn’t have dialogue, and he did not like WALL-E, personally, because it mostly lacked what he was looking for.
Yes, the soothing in this movie is important to provide optimism against the ruined world and open up one’s mind to all the troubles and solutions. Since the movie doesn’t play the blame game, everyone comes away with only a little guilt.
By next summer probably 100 million people will have seen this movie. The people at Pixar are indeed concerned about the bottom line (money), it’s their job. But they have often said that they do movies that they like to make, this means originality, high quality and polish, and pictures that will be seen by kids and families who demand action, comedy and value for their 10 dollars. The ‘schlockmeisters’ may croon about Madagascar2 (which is only a decent animated feature, certainly better than real ‘schlock’) as the ‘cream of the crop’ to such a viewer. -Sorry, these idioms may be a bit difficult to understand for a non-native English speaker.- But no matter how much those people crooned over Mad2 or Hellboy2, our cultural intelligentsia and even the masses voted Wall-E a smash blockbuster movie, exceeded only by 3 extraordinarily well-known franchises: Batman, Iron Man, and Indiana Jones. And only the Batman exceeded our friend when it came to dvd sales.