someguy: Welcome to Pixar Planet. HOpe you enjoy it here.
Wonderfully good point. Yes, I did mean R2D2. My, it’s been far too long since I’ve seen those movies. Not the shiny guy, the little kickbox with the strange noises. Could make for some awesome toys 
(or a new line of trash compactors that walk and have eyes??)
“I’m excited about this one because, since the film is about robots, it gives the folks at Pixar a chance to go all-out when it comes to high-end graphics and realism. In most of the previous films, the amount of detail and cartoon-vs-real balance has been determined by how appropriate realism would be with the plot and characters. For instance, the images in Nemo were greatly simplified and cartoonified simply to make it a visually accessible film. They COULD have made it all but indistinguishable from reality. But with robots, and as the preview already illustrates, there is a very high degree of detailed realism happening in this film. It’s going to be awesome.”
I doubt anyone cares if any of Pixar’s films looking so-called “more realistic.” Live action does that just fine. More realism isn’t the point of anything Pixar has made or will make. “Believeable?” Yes. “Appropriate?” Sure. “Realistic?” NO. Nemo was hardly simplified and/or cartoonified “simply to make it a visually accessible film.” Pixar not only has “had a chance to go all-out when it comes to high end graphics” for nearly 2 decades, but that’s never been the point. They’re so far ahead of the game NOT because of their superior graphics, but because of their ability to create characters and worlds we care about. As far as I’m concerned, that’s more real and priceless than any so-called “realism.”
The graphics side of things is not the only reason I’m excited about this film. Pixar presents stories that are important; they present struggles that have meaning for just about all humans. I probably wouldn’t care much about the films if it wasn’t for that fact.
If you listen to pixar’s own words and the extras footage on Nemo, you will hear them talk directly about simplifying things from a point of visual accuracy specifically to fit the film. I didn’t say it was a bad thing that they have been doing this, I simply think it will be cool to see something that includes a higher level of detail from a technical standpoint than has been done before. Yes, things like Sully’s hair and the intricate movement of the rats in ratatoille are clearly inspired, technically-insane genius… but they have been details, not the everything of the film. Characters in nemo were given unnaturally bright (literally glowing) colors, and obviously, in order to make an animated film, fish, people and toys have been artistically modified (with genius) to make for an appropriate level of detail and expression. I didn’t say this was bad, uninspired, or anything other than ideal. The balance between getting too real and too cartoon is a part of pixar’s artform in itself.
I think it’s pretty obvious that the teaser footage for Wall-e already looks considerably less like a cartoon than previous pixar footage, and that is due to the already-present level of detail in textures; this time the balance is different. Wall-e can be animated and show expressions without adding limbs or functions that don’t look robotic-- this was not the case with characters in cars, who were given mouths and were animated in ways that cars would not naturally move (steel… or in today’s cars, plastic, doesn’t stretch like that). Making him (or perhaps her) a deep character in some ways may mean making a believable robot out of detailed parts, wear, and mechanical movement. Since the subject is a robot, it is possible that everything we see of him will be of a stunning detail level similar to the cars in toy story, the stained glass window in ratatoille, etc.
You’re right, it is the characters and stories that make these films a hit, but part of the experience that makes pixar distinctive from other 3d animation groups is the commitment to realistic detail. In the end, my point is that this upcoming film gives more opportunities for the animators to create stunningly real-looking moments… and while the storyline is more important, those moments are part of what makes pixar films so enthralling.
Here is the official WALL-E Synopsis as courtesy of the very very kind folks at Buena Vista International.