The older get, the less I like kids’ animation, especially the ones not-so-subtly tagged as ‘for children but there’s plenty here for adults.’ Yes, I liked Toy Story when my offspring were at the age to revel in it, but hey, aren’t the franchise sequels just the pits?
Sorry to rant but the point of this is that I’d normally avoid watching Disney/Pixar nonsense without bothering anyone about my dislikes. But WALL-E kept being mentioned by friends, and then came up on 2008 Top 10 lists (mostly as an honourable mention), so I put it on my roster of DVDs to backtrack to. Only now have I secured a copy and watched it. And, blow me down, it’s definitely worth a viewing and more.
That this isn’t kiddieland is clear from the opening scenes: subdued, gloomy views of a devastated earth in which roams one remaining sign of life, a small, beaten-up rubbish compactor called WALL-E (standing for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) still working away. But somehow WALL-E has evolved some kind of a soul – he collects trash and memorabilia of the former human occupants. And he loves watching a crackly portion of a videotape playing “Hello, Dolly.” Into this dystopian landscape arrives a pristine, modern robot, eons more advanced in capability than WALL-E. And guess what? WALL-E falls in love.
These opening scenes, maybe three quarters of an hour’s worth, are as fine and evocative as any animation I’ve seen in recent years. I found myself genuinely transfixed. The quality of imagery is superb, the direction by Andrew Stanton is assured, and the mood echoed the grand pessimism of 1960s sci-fi.
But then WALL-E finds himself in space, meets humans, and the film begins a slow decline. It’s nothing crass – the action is wonderful and I stayed hook, and this future world’s fundamental premise, once it is revealed, is nifty and entertaining. It’s just that a smouldering stink of Hollywood committees seeps in. The plot almost stays strong, but almost is not good enough for a film like this, and the ending, which I won’t spoil, is as false as the opening scenes were starkly real. What a pity – by all means watch WALL-E to verify that animation can have a point, but don’t expect any creative revelations.