Pixar is not what it used to be. The animation studio was once an absolute powerhouse with both critics and at the box office, but more recently, its track record has been more checkered.
This makes it the perfect time to watch Wall-E. The movie, which became a phenomenon after its release in 2008, remains as sadly relevant as ever and might just be the pinnacle of what Pixar is capable of as a studio. The amazing movie follows an abandoned robot that collects trash on Earth. Here are three reasons to check it out.
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It features some of Pixar’s best animation
Although Wall-E is almost 20 years old, it still features some of Pixar’s best animation. While CG animation has become the dominant form, it doesn’t always age all that well as the technology continues to advance.
Wall-E is something of an exception to that rule, in part because so few of the things that it animates are familiar to us. Even all these years later, Wall-E is still a remarkably beautiful movie and one that wouldn’t feel out of place in today’s animation landscape.
The first 30 minutes are a remarkable achievement
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Wall-E is its opening 30 minutes, an almost wordless section of the film in which we meet the titular robot and watch him go about his normal routine.
Because this movie is primarily about robots that can only say one phrase, it’s remarkably light on dialogue for a movie that’s ostensibly aimed at children. It’s entirely possible to watch these robots without even noticing that there’s no dialogue in them. They’re gripping enough to work without ever feeling like a gimmick in the slightest.
It’s ultimately a hopeful movie
One of the fascinating things about Wall-E is that, more than 15 years after its release, everything the movie is about feels more relevant than ever. This is a movie in which humanity has abandoned Earth because of a climate catastrophe and, in the process, turned basically everything about their lives over to machines.
The movie’s final moments, however, are about humanity reasserting control over its own destiny and realizing that it cannot allow itself to become totally controlled by machines or anything else. Wall-E is a reminder that we are never too far gone to rebuild, and the first step is always just to try.
You can watch Wall-E on Disney+.
