Wall-E Delivers Garbage

By DeWayne Hamby
 
Centering on its namesake robot, the last working model of its kind, the new Pixar film Wall-E forges an E.T /Short Circuit hybrid for the new millennium. Wall-E is adorable, the kind of character that will have kids pleading with their parents for their own when the film is over. His unwinnable sanitation war on a garbage-filled earth will endear audiences to his whimsical, curious and loyal nature. He works, he collects and he watches romantic musicals on VHS (when was this movie made?).

As soon as the lovable hero leaves the planet for a galactic cruise ship to follow his love interest, the sleek robot Eve, however, the movie trips, preaching not-so-subtle and not-so-clever messages about consumerism, pollution and laziness. That’s probably why the previews only hint at that part of the adventure, smartly highlighting the better first half.

Fred Willard, curiously appearing in live action while the rest of the movie features cartoonish CGI humans, acts as the chief executive officer of a large Wal-Mart-type corporation that took over the earth and left it as a trash heap – by the way, did any of it happen to include Wall-E toys? He speaks through archived footage, using Bush-isms like “Stay the course” (get it!?) while humans are too fat and lazy to walk anymore, gliding around on hovered chairs (take that, American porkers!).

No doubt kids will love it, as the ones hopping around in my theater proved. Pixar’s animation is once again truly magical, transporting the audience back into a fascinating world of wonder and colorful environments. I think if it had been released earlier in the new wave of computer animated films, it might have benefited from more of that “wow” factor. But now we’ve been spoiled with wisecracking pandas, slapstick toys and fanciful middle-age superheroes. We know how good it can be. In fact, one of the main things working against Wall-E is Presto, the hilarious short about a magician and his rabbit preceding the film, alone worth the price of admission. 

Ultimately, for all of his cuteness and hard work, Wall-E fails to un-clutter a mishmash of messages and weak second act that drag the movie down. We love you, Wall-E, but fire your agent and get a better movie!

Visit DeWayne’s blog at dewaynehamby.com