-Some Spoilers-
Ratatouille, Cars, Finding Nemo; movies that fans and critics enjoyed, but I found to be forced, awkward, even insulting. I took my 7 year old niece to see Wall-E expecting more of the same, and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. Instead of bombarding the audience with noise, jokes, explosions, loony behavior, etc, we are treated to subtle (for Disney) behavior and emotion. The two protagonists technically can't even speak (though they manage a few words) so their thoughts are expressed through "body" language and "facial" expressions. Yes, very ironic for two machines, hence the quotes. The love story that develops between them was far more moving than the majority of movies, including live action movies. (The embarrassing excuse for a love story in Matthew Vaughn's "Stardust" for example) Other reviewers have tried to say that the message of this movie is an environmental one, I have to strongly disagree. When you see the movie you'll understand where they are coming from, but any "environmental" message is incidental at best, and not the goal of the movie.

In terms of the Blu Ray transfer Wall-E is very much worth owning, even if you pay a premium over the DVD. Both the video and audio are very good, but strangely I did not find them to be as good as most claim. The extras are a delight. There have been some strong words said about the difference between the two disc and three disc versions; just make sure you know which one you want and which one you are getting.

This movie is great. It's amazing how Pixar can make a 90 minute movie with only about 500 words of dialogue and have it keep your 2 year old's attention the entire time. As with all Pixar movies your kids will watch it again and again. I love the shorts too. There is an extra short that wasn't released in the theater, so check the special features menu.

A word of warning to anyone that has a Sony Blu-Ray player. I have the BDP-S301, which for the most part has been trouble free. I received this movie last night and tried to watch it. THREE TIMES during the first 60 minutes of the movie the player locked up and I was forced to reboot it, which takes a long time. I tried again tonight and the player locked up two more times. It's a good thing I bought the DVD as well (for the car and traveling). I want my money back!!!

Okay,there are 2 Blu Ray versions(2 disc and 3 disc,the only differnce being the 3rd disc on the 3 disc set is a digital copy for an Ipod,etc,other than that the contents ARE the same,okay!!!) of this soon to be classic with a true environmental message!!! My prediction come Oscar time is this WILL definatley get best animated film,hand down,Peter Gabriel's great song at the end of the film will probably get the best song statue,probably can't go up for best picture due to it's being an animated film,the Best Film Oscar will probably go to The Dark Knight!!! This IS a great movie!!! The 2 Blu Ray disc version is perfect for those who can live w/out the digital copy,like me,if you need it,get the 3 disc version!!! A perfect film for all ages!!! Very recommended!!! A+

It is my understanding that director Andrew Stanton (along with screenwriter Pete Docter) had a couple of ideas that came to fruition prior to WALL-E. Things you may have heard of like, oh, Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life. Wall-E was the final "idea" in the animation pipeline for Disney/Pixar and it is obvious to me why this was so after watching it. Let me explain...

Let's start with the aforementioned Finding Nemo. Here was a story that was 95% focused on the main characters: fish and those around the fish (crabs, seagulls, pelicans, etc.). The dentist -- a human -- was a side-story; a vehicle for the plot, sure, but he wasn't what the film was about. The audience became enamored with Marlin (Nemo's father) and his adventures to find and save his son. Again, a great character scheme that got the audience attached to the title character and his father (and we can't forget Dori, the forgetful sidekick).

Moving ahead several years we get to Wall-E, a story that isn't so well-formulated as far as characters go but has a decent message at its core: the survival of our planet.

If the story had stuck to Wall-E's adventures and his need to connect with someone (anyone!), the story would've turned out just fine. True, the decent message may have gotten lost but film makers need audiences to feel empathetic toward the characters, and that's where Wall-E short circuits. The humans don't come into play until 20-plus minutes into this 98-minute feature and then we're completely given over to them and lose sight of Wall-E altogether ...for a while. This extreme detachment from the title character made the film feel more like two separate ones than a consistent whole.

There are, however, some profoundly funny moments ...and some just plain profound things, too. Fred Willard (Date Movie) is the first human we see (but only through billboard displays) as the loathsome Shelby Forthright, CEO of the BnL corporation. His last name is a cautionary note to not trust someone just because of their name. John Ratzenberger (Ratatouille) is John, an Earthly human in an un-Earthly ship where his every whim is cared for by automatons, turning him and his spaceshipmates into worthless sloths (another cautionary note to not let computers or technology run rampant over us). The spaceship's computer voice is probably one of the funniest of note, because it's narrated by Sigourney Weaver (The Ice Storm). Anyone who's seen the Alien series and Galaxy Quest knows how Sigourney's previous characters feel about computers.

Better known for his sound work in the more recent Indiana Jones 4 flick, Ben Burtt lends his electrified voice as the main character, Wall-E. Although not much speaking takes place from Wall-E's standpoint, he does have some human moments of loneliness and tenderness (once another mechanical being arrives). EVE, Wall-E's love interest, is also electrifyingly voiced by voice actress Elissa Knight (she was Tia in the other Pixar hit, Cars). Her arrival on Earth heralds new hope for Wall-E that his life of loneliness might come to an end.

Despite all its character and whiplash faults, Wall-E is a movie of environmental importance. It shows us what we as humans might do to the only planet we can call home, and what might happen if we allow ourselves to go too far in damaging her. That, at the very least, makes this a watchable film.

I think that Wall-E is a dismal failure as a children's film. Oh, yes, throw in an environmental message. Forget to use any meaningful dialogue throughout the film. Use songs from the 1960's with which children cannot begin to identify. Show earth as a desolate planet. Take Wall-E's purpose of making garbage cubes and repeat it over and over. Bore little children, whose parents thought they were bringing their kids to a quality family movie. Love story? Oh, yes, children really like a love story between two robotic personalities who don't talk. Lastly, everyone has got to be attracted to a film with fat people floating around, being too lazy to care for themselves. Ah, that captain figure was really something. What ever happened to Wall-E during that detour? What a sad waste of Walt Disney/Pixar talent!