Okay, we may be entering the realm of reviews that I actually started, so they might be getting longer, hehe …

But it almost pains me to say, what can be said of this that hasn’t yet been said? I know, it’s taken me an unforgivable amount of time to see it. But it’s Pixar … their reliability level is almost boringly, consistently, humblingly high, I think I’ve said before. There are other animation mediums thankfully creeping back out of the woodwork lately after a decade of CG holding centre stage (Disney’s own stuff to come in the next couple of years fascinates me it looks like the ArtRage of computer animation lol) – but when it comes to computer animation, Pixar really does unfailingly put the other companies to abject shame, and Wall•E is no exception.

What struck me most about the movie I think was how much bleaker it was even than I’d been told. Right from the opening, the empty scenes of desolation that Wall•E rolls through to Thomas Newman’s lonely score, it’s extremely unnerving and frighteningly believable as to a place we could be headed. Once the movie goes into space, I actually found myself momentarily feeling very wrong indeed at the portrayal of today’s lazy humanity’s ultimate destination. It’s astounding that a movie that on its very surface is so scathing can still win its audience over with humour and emotion through a couple of hunks of metal.

For me it easily beats Cars and The Incredibles (sorry Vi!) – perhaps not Ratatouille though the running time helps it in the repeat viewing zone. I’m not sure if it’s up there with Andrew Stanton’s own Finding Nemo. I personally wasn’t impressed a few years ago when people wowed at the expressionless emotion of Gromit in Curse of the Were-Rabbit but the amount of emotion gleaned here from glances and gestures is frequently overwhelming.

A lot of reviews I’ve read or heard talked about the basically silent first half and seemed disappointed by the second half where it’s a little more traditionally Pixar but I really didn’t feel that – and the moment at the end where the “lovers” are finally together on the same page just melted me completely, the silence, stillness, and slowness of that moment are just astonishing – nevermind for a “kids” movie … for any movie today. There’s tons of competition coming up as the Oscars approach, but I’m still standing by my theory that this year will be a more commercial contest after 2 years of bolder film making taking the cake; my beloved Mamma Mia! predix may be dreamy, but this one certainly seems like it has a shot at being the second animated feature ever to be nominated for Best Pic.