Cinema review
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Starring the voices of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Sigourney Weaver
Release date 18 July 2008 (UK)

In the future, the Earth has become so choked by litter that humans have fled the planet, leaving a series of robots to clean up the mess. Eventually, WALL-E is the last remaining ‘bot, diligently devoting his days to trash compacting – until one day a cute reconnaissance robot arrives…

Even by Pixar’s skyscraping standards, WALL-E is a very special movie. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that it eclipses Toy Story 2 as the studio’s finest achievement to date - it’s that good.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the film is the way it effortlessly flits between genres: robo rom-com, knockabout family adventure, dystopian sci-fi epic...Yes, we said dystopian sci-fi epic. Despite the cute characters and physical comedy, the first half of the movie presents an extraordinarily haunting vision of the future; one of trash towers, atomic storms and a broken, rubble-strewn city. It’s a world away from the cute seascapes of director Stanton’s earlier Finding Nemo, and the bleak-but-beautiful future world seen here puts last year’s I Am Legend to shame.

The landscape may be cold and cruel, but the little fella at the heart of it sure ain’t. With his yearning telescopic eyes, dust-blown body and unwavering sense of duty, WALL-E is far more engaging company than any of this summer’s human heroes. He’s also filled with all the wonder of a day-old child. When he's not dutifully compacting rubbish into cubes, WALL-E spends his time obsessively collecting strange discarded trinkets (a Rubik’s Cube, a lighter, knives and forks) and watching an old video of Hello, Dolly! on repeat, which offers him a link to a world of complex human emotions he only partially understands.

WALL-E and the smart, sleek robot of his affections, EVE, converse purely through a series of bleeps, shuffles and the occasional laser blast, meaning that the first 45 minutes almost feels like a classic silent comedy. The story eventually changes direction when WALL-E and EVE wind up on a space cruiser that’s been on its pleasure voyage for centuries. And if the second half is more typically Pixar than those stunning early scenes, ‘typically Pixar’ isn’t anyone’s idea of criticism. The sight of a pampered, porcine human race unable to even squeeze out of their seats is hysterical, while a madcap chase sequence in which robots break free of a repair room is brilliantly realised; frankly, it’s difficult to see how the studio is ever going to top this.

For once this is also an animated adventure with as much substance as style, with some pointed swipes at big business and consumerism and the message that we need to take responsibility for our environment. Thankfully, this is never forced down your throat, so you can just sit back and enjoy the charming story and truly staggering animation (if recent CG jaunts have looked rather anonymous, WALL-E proves that 3D animation can be just as distinct as any traditional 2D ‘toon). Even better, the movie is preceded by a great short entitled Presto! Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 9/10
This robo-themed comedy could well be the best SF movie we've seen so far this century. Absolutely essential for adults and nippers alike.