In the early nineteen-nineties I remember looking over my brother’s shoulder at a computer design periodical which featured some early images of the characters from Toy Story, including this disturbing doll-head-spider thing*. From that moment on I’ve been amazed by Pixar’s visual artistry.

    And, other than during the late nineties when they seemed in danger of becoming the “buddy picture” factory (see Toy Story 1 &2, Monsters Inc, and to a lesser extent, Finding Nemo), they have consistently surprised me with story choices that avoid the handful of approved Hollywood formulas normally seen in children’s fare.

    Wall-E is no exception. Consider this: an animated movie for which the first half hour takes place in a bleak, post-apocalyptic metropolis on a seemingly dead Earth which nonetheless manages to be light-hearted and delightful from the first frame. A movie with a robotic protagonist who only speaks a handful of nearly unintelligible words and yet manages to more effectively convey emotions than your average overpriced human star/starlet.

    I loved this movie, and while I don’t discount the possibility that I’m suffering from a cinematic infatuation, I am tentatively putting it in my top ten movies of all time**. Congrats, Pixar, you now have earned a place in the worlds least significant pantheon***.

    No, this isn’t a full review of the movie. Many many others have already done it and far better than I probably could. But there are things in this movie I want to talk about, and I have no one to talk to about it, so…

* This character is named “Babyface,” and is actually quite friendly. He/she/it is willing and able to reassemble you should you become unexpectedly dismembered.

**** Unless it gets turned into a ‘quirky’ small-town indie film in time for this year’s Sundance titled Unwrapped Hope