Pixar hits gold

Pixar has tackled many amazing locations over the years: the toy box, the backyard, your closet, the ocean, the West and even France. Now it’s taking aim at the final frontier.

“Wall–E” is the story of a waste robot left to clean planet Earth after mankind is forced to leave. During his journey across the stars, he just happens to fall in love and save the world. It’s also the last movie planned after the success of “Toy Story” (along with “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters Inc.” and “Finding Nemo,” the rest of them developed later).

“Wall–E” is the best Pixar movie yet, despite the fact that it is very different than anything the company has done before. This isn’t a story about a group of toys and their journey home or how a town is forgotten on the side of the road; it’s about one robot on an abandoned planet.  

This simple plot makes the movie slower than the previous Pixar works, but not in a way that drags the movie down. Each scene is perfectly paced to display Wall–E and his lovable quirks. It’s spread out in a way that keeps you interested throughout the duration of the film, as jokes are balanced evenly with emotion and action.

The animation is quite possibly the most amazing feat that Pixar has accomplished so far. Gigantic landscapes as well as the tiniest details are done crisply and cleanly. The voice acting is perfect, even though it’s almost non-existent.

While the humans in the movie are the only ones with actual dialogue, the robots use simple reactions to show their feelings, sometimes seeming more human than the actual people. It’s almost as if director Andrew Stanton watched hours of classic silent movies to learn how to do it right.

The soundtrack is a mix of composed pieces and classic 1950s songs, which works perfectly with the story. All of this comes together to give the film a more retro feel, tying into the themes, which are another big change for Pixar.

The movie has two major political messages. Without ruining too much of the movie, it speaks against pollution and reliance on technology. Although previous Pixar movies have had some message to them, never have they been as blatant as in “Wall–E.”
Pixar has proven once again why it is one of the greatest animation studios in the industry, and “Wall–E” is proof that Pixar can do no wrong.