Seen: September 2nd, 2008
Format: Theater
Rating: 7
But this is one that I vacillated over. Not because of the subject matter; to be frank I wasn't very informed as far as plot went. I hesitated simply because I found Ratatouille such a grave disappointment.
While I'm not here to review that film, let's just say that for me it fell far short of the mark which Pixar has consistently set for itself.
Wall-E is a return to form, of sorts.
The themes are fairly simple and straightforward. We are again chided for our shortcomings as a culture. We are again shown our folly by the simple and directed actions of our anthropomorphized stand-ins. We've had toys, insects and cars previously. This time around it's robots. The characters are interesting and fairly original, but not so striking as to become the icons we have from the past.
There are the obligatory references to classic films of the past; all of them reasonably subtle and well done. There is slapstick. There is love and wonder. There are lessons both simple and complex, abject and heroic. Their learning is not without pain, but there's little here that should cause your toddler any deep distress.
In short, it's fairly classic Pixar. And that's the problem.
I wonder whether Pixar hasn't been allowed to grow up a bit due to its contract w/ and eventual ownership by Disney. Wall-E is good, but still really the same beautiful, glossy pap that we've been fed several times before. The whole shtick is losing it's originality. Both Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. were fresh and original. The Incredibles cashed in on the comics craze, but was action-packed and frenzied enough that I can give it a pass. Since then, we've been in a slide.
And I can't help but wonder if it will be the norm for a Disney owned Pixar
The Good: Pixar edges closer to its roots
The Bad: Not as deep as might be expected
The Ugly: Dystopian future in family Fare
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