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but i normally dont like preachiness
at least in abundance.
so, thanks for the warning.
I will just screen out the preaching and enjoy the rest of it .
I think this is fundamentally true, so I also think that just like live action movies do social satire, so too can animated films.
Regarding the heavy-handed-ness of the film, I was almost specifically looking to see if they would fall into the trap, but the way they dealt with it in the movie seemed to balance the criticism with much more hope than scores of other dystopian sci-fi flicks. Think of how "Planet of the Apes" or "Soylent Green" ended. There's such an air of pessimism in the genre, it's refreshing to see it end on what is essentially *spoiler* a "second Renaissance" for mankind. *end spoiler*
I look forward to (hopefully) the day when we see animated westerns, dramas and other genres, themes and attitudes not traditionally associated with animation to be taken up by not only Pixar but other studios.
Such a versatile medium is finally being pried open to take better advantage of its capabilities, and I for one find it very exciting.
If I have any criticisms of Wall-E as a film at first glance, I would have to say that the story seems to lose focus for a bit while on the ship, but it regains it's focus before too long. Of course, since the plot is primarily visually communicated instead of verbally I might have lost track of some visual cues somewhere that would fill me in on the necessity of those scenes. I mentioned this elsewhere, but I think this really deserves a second viewing. I left the theater somewhat in a blur from the experience.
here is a plot for you:
members of an enviromentalist group
place themselves in suspended animation
because they cant stand to watch humanity destroy the earth.
but when they wake up everything is PERFECT!
humanity has evolved into a race of highly intelligent superbeings,
and they are taking such good care of the planet its going to last for another 100 billion years!
which means the newly awakened enviromentalists have NOTHING to Protest!
so they end up HATING the future!
just an idea
for a movie making fun of "the earth is dying" genre .
Vic
That is a great idea for a movie. If it would ever get made.
For me, it's the line between being persuaded to buy into the film's ideas and being talked down to.
As it applies to this movie, I never got the feeling I was being talked down to.
Vic
Vic, nice review, I think the message was put into the film by the Disney people. That would fit their M.O.
Should see more of this in future Pixar films as well.
Enjoy....
The textures and animation on the humans was very poor compared to wall-E and all the in-movie videos featuring actual human actors, it didnt make sense. And it took away the feel of the film it created prior to these scenes.
More importantly, the movie never once delved into why Wall-E is the only survivor and why he has emotions and a personality...or why any of the random bots on the ship do either.
I'd say it was good but not great, I was actually bored at some moments.
Some of the greatest science fiction out there satirizes human fallibility (just seems to be a natural vehicle for such themes), and few are as well balanced in that respect as this one. It's not guilt-inducing or misanthropic. It's not laying blame, just recognizing that we're subject to temptations and showing us that hope exists in spite of the times when we succumb to them. That's what I got out of it, at least.
What does this do? It increases the cost of health care for me and my family even though we take care of ourselves. The diseases brought on by obesity are preventable.
And we have an epidemic of adult-onset diabetes in children in the U.S., which sickens me because it's TOTALLY preventable. When I see a parent giving a one year old an ice cream cone or giving a three year old a can of soda or a power drink, I want to walk up to that parent and slap them upside the head.
Vic
Now there's an in-your-face message ;)
I think thats taking it a little bit too far. Soda or ice cream once in a while is ok, especially if its just a day where the family can go out. Feeding them junk every single day might deserve a slap or two though : ) Anyways kids that little dont usually finish the whole thing, just half and their happy lol
Of course it's ok once in a while but notice I specified a particular age range. You don't give ice cream to a child that barely even knows how to walk yet. And do you know why? Because once they get a taste of concentrated sugar/high fructose corn syrup, good luck trying to get the them to eat anything healthy that doesn't have that intense taste.
As far as soda, are you aware that one can of soda has 12 teaspoons of sugar? Can you imagine adding that much sugar to a cup of coffee? Now give that to a 3-4 year old and then in 30 minutes get mad at him because he's acting "hyper."
Vic
Looked like he just tried freaking heroine for the first time.
Don't. Give. Infants. Sweets.
Vic
Vic
As far as your wallet argument that's not the persons fault that has to do with the many flaws in the medical system I mean it could be worse this could be Canada.
My main problem is you call it taking care of your self I call it enjoying life. People should be able to eat what they want when they want as long as they are an adult. With one exception don't eat me and I'm happy.
So you saw the movie then? What did you think?
http://images.google.com/images?q=obese+people
Vic
Now the vast majority of schools ONLY serve health food. This would be a terrible time period to grow up in and go to school. So many kids use to look forward to lunch now what do you look forward to?
I don't police anyone but when it starts affecting me directly I get my back up. If I buy a ticket for a flight and I have to lean sideways in a seat for 5 hours because the guy next to me takes up a seat and a half or two, that affects me directly. When they have to start redesigning ambulances to accomodate people who otherwise wouldn't fit in a standard ambulance that's not a good thing.
Hell, by your definition, being addicted to porn is just a natural extension of admiring a pretty girl who walks by on the street, and that's just "enjoying life." Someone being a heroin addict, although it might not affect me directly, is also just "enjoying life," right?
Anything taken to an extreme can be very bad.
I highly recommend you go rent Morgan Spurlock's documentary Super Size Me.
That's my final comment on the matter.
Vic
Warning super fat people !!
Nobody here is suggesting that we form the fat police. Being mostly libertarian myself, I'd never advocate state interference in what people do to their bodies as long as it doesn't somehow harm someone else.
That said, we can't say we truly care about people who go well beyond simple "enjoyment" of life and go full bore into gluttony. First of all, it's sometimes the sign of deeper issues and secondly, there's nothing offensive or coercive about trying to express our love for each other on a human level than in telling each other when we're in trouble.
To get back on subject a little, that's all I felt the movie was doing.
Do we still ultimately have the individual right to be wrong? Absolutely. I think we all recognize the need to honor free will. But we can still care, and express that concern, right?
That said, we can’t say we truly care about people who go well beyond simple “enjoyment” of life and go full bore into gluttony - if we say nothing.
Next time the site upgrades, can we get an "edit" feature for these things? ;)
I think attempting to police people is exactly what you are trying to do. Like it or not pretend that your not doing anything wrong but at the end of they day you are telling grown adults that they can't eat the food they like because looking at them and being near them makes you uncomfortable.
I recall reading comments (on Screen Rant) about how Disney had changed, and that their acquistion of Pixar was great news for the medium.
Now see the change. Its subtile to some glaring to others.
Interesting times.
At some point, it becomes self-abuse. This is not a case of the occasional indulgence. The people who eat themselves into morbid obesity are abusing their bodies. It's their right to make that decision for themselves, but people have the right to free speech as well, and that includes telling people you care about them enough to tell them when they're killing themselves in a slow, painful, and debilitating way.
You keep using language like "policing" when nobody here is talking about using civil authority to get the desired result. You're telling us we can't even use polite, non-coercive persuasion to help anyone.
This film has been in development for four years, and the idea itself was generated at the same time as Monster's Inc. and Finding Nemo - well before Disney bought Pixar, and it's in their agreement that Disney stays out of Pixar's creative development process anyway. It was the primary condition for the sale.
If Disney exerted any pressure at all, a film like this would never have gotten made. This is somewhat hard, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story, reminiscent of the classics from the 70's done as a cute robot romance with an upbeat ending. Disney's simply too "safe" and image conscious for that to originate out of their minds, and I'm sure the execs were apoplectic until this weekend's returns came in.
Obesity is an addiction that this culture enables people to have...
Just like movies and popcorn.
(Butter on that? or would you like that Super Sized?)
Odd coinsidence I guess ???
Guess will have to compare notes on the next Pixar film.
I interpret "global agenda" as implying a coordinating authority, law or treaty binding the behavior of individuals through some kind of international law. Simply asking people through persuasion to their better natures not to value their stuff, consumption and routine over personal relationships is no more a global agenda than the message to parents that they can't protect their kids from the risks that enrich life that was the message in Finding Nemo.
Do you see a political angle in the film?
As for Pixar's next film: "Up", it's about a widowed man who never was able to fulfill a promise he made to his wife and goes on a Don Quixote style adventure with a young scout.
(790 hates Pixar).
Naw I'm just going by the comments I'm reading here and on other sites.
I've read lots of people's impressions, and the one thing I've gleaned from the whole bunch is that those that see politics in the movie end up only revealing their own politics.
Truth is, you can read into the movie any political agenda you're partial for or against. Though "Buy 'N Large" is a corporation in name, it's also a global monopoly on - well seemingly everything making it a de-facto government going so far as to emulate the Seal of the U.S. on the podium of the CEO. So you can see it that way, or just see the title "corporation" and read it as an indictment of corporatism. The ship's computer is authoritarian in it's devotion to it's protocol, so there's an anti-authoritarian angle if that's how you want to look at it. Wall-E and EVE break free of their programming, so there's a strong individualist streak there if that's what you're inclined to see.
The message of the film was best put by the director himself when he said that irrational love defeats life's programming. The humans let themselves get 'programmed' by their routine and their stuff. Wall-E defeats his own programming by studying a copy of "Hello Dolly" (irrational love).
^
Such activities as cleaning up after ourselves and keeping healthy are things our families should teach us; not the movies. Political issues should be kept in the debate halls. After seeing the movie, I do not think I exaggerate Disney/Pixar's political involvement.
I'M READING ALOT OF BUZZ LIKE THAT. ;-)
The movie isn't pushing carbon credits or lobbying the people to push for adopting the Kyoto protocol.
I agree that families are absolutely the first and most important teachers we'll ever have, but they're not the only ways to learn. When so many families aren't doing this (and I live in a part of the country where many adults seemed to never have learned about not throwing trash just anywhere), and I certainly don't want government to take on this responsibility, then we are left to social institutions like our communities of faith, educators, the arts and humanities to be secondary leaders.
Are we forbidden to pick on our fallibilities within our arts? Is social satire taboo?
I find it odd that it's conservatives having a hard time separating the social from the political in this case, considering that inability has often been a criticism of socialists.
The movie isn't pushing us to buy carbon credits or push our representatives to acquiesce to the Kyoto protocol.
I find it odd that it's conservatives having a hard time separating the social from the political in this case, considering that inability has often been a criticism of socialists.
The movie isn't pushing us to buy carbon credits or push our representatives to acquiesce to the Kyoto protocol. Just trying to encourage use to prioritize in more meaningful ways.
They weren't showing up after hitting the submit button.
Guess there was a few hours delay?
Anytime you submit a post and it doesn't show up, rest assured it's in the system somewhere - it's either flagged for moderation or is caught as a false positive for spam.
Vic
Making a mental note of it now...
How many movies that have environmental subtext are also nuanced enough to relate it to, or rather, make it dependent upon love for each other? I mean, this is still primarily a love story first and foremost.
Glad you agree with me, but to steer this back on topic a little more, would you elaborate on your thoughts of the movie a little more?
(One example/-case and point).
The Feds want everyone to use flouresant lightbulbs to save energy. They say "go green so we can save the earth for the children."
Meanwhile these new flouresant lightbulbs contain a mercury catalyist. Mercury poisoning cannot be taken out of the human body, or the ground water.
There's no warning on the lightbulbs so if one breaks near an infant and its inhaled , well what about that kids future?
Also when these bulbs go bad they get thrown into the garbage where they are crushed and taken to a landfill. Mercury is a substance so toxic that hazmat teams are called when there's an accident involing mercury.
Landfills are prohibited by law to knowingly except Mercury, yet this situation continues to this day.
Green adgenda trumps logic. Most people don't polute anywhere near the scope of the Military or big Coporations.
Sheesh Disney itself buys products from China and Mexico all the time. There's no EPA down there. Their polluting those countries like its the norm.
(These are just a few examples of the BS green adgenda). Its a big buSINess and a marketing buzzword nothing more.
I agree with that, but how does that apply or relate to the movie, or diminish it's point?
I loved the interaction between Eve and Wall-E especially the dance sequence...I still think Pixar is showing off and have been since Cars...I'm just baffled how a film that can be "preachy" about obesity and how wasteful we are as a society is being mega-promoted by the Disney marketing monsters...Disney is one of the world's largest purveyors of non-physical "interactive entertainment" I think the adults in the movie were like infants in that they never knew how to behave or interact with the real world and they never actually had to. This speaks volumes about how technology is really spoiling us and making us lazy and obese...Play video games, watch movies & TV, surf the web but God forbid don't interact with the real world...We have become complacent as a society and there is no need to change because as a whole our society acts like since we have everything great why rock the boat and start doing the really tough things that it will take to turn it around for our planet...I REALLY DID LIKE HOW WALL-E WAS A FORCE EVERYWHERE HE WENT...It was an homage to the fact that one person can make a difference... but it still wasn't the tour de force I thought it could have been...It just left me wanting something more and I can't really put my finger on it...
Cheers
Actually, I had the feeling that I had enjoyed the movie more after it was over than I did when I was watching it. I do intend to see it again.
I think I set my expectations so high going in that I wasn't as relaxed watching it as I would have been had I just not read any reviews or watched any clips offered. I think I had seen 80% of the first third of the movie from press release clips and previews. Trying to 'cleanse the palate' now so next time I'll go in fresher and more at ease.
Ironically, the same thing happened with "Ratatouille", and it got better the second time around. I really should start learning from my mistakes :)
I actually think I may enjoy this more upon a second viewing (not that I didn't enjoy it the first time).
Vic
What is this thing of which i speak ... well just a small thing called "entertainment" - this is THE one thing ALL movies are attempting to bring to us, and if vast majority manage to do this even in some small digree - then guess what they have done there job!
I've not seen Wall.E yet as it's not been realised over in the uk - but i will go to see it, and i allready know i will enjoy it becuse all i expect from it is something fun and lighthearted - i could decide to look at it deeper and any "message" it seems to deliver.
I've seen all Pixar movies and not one have i ever felt that i was taught something - yes i'm not toaly stupid or blind you can usealy tell what the over all theme is and what the CHARATERS learn throughout the movie, but again it's up to you to decide it's telling YOU that same message.
My overall point is i'm betting this movie isn't pointing at any one socity (america isn't the only place in the world guys - there are places else were with the exact same problems, anywhere that gives easy access for conveint "food"...so most of our planet then!!!
If it made you feel guilty about your lifestyle maybe it was becuse of YOU - YOU pointed the finger at yourself and thought "hang on maybe i'm like that". personaly i go in watch the movie and go out again i very rarely get affected by something unless it's a more thought provokeing movie, which i very much doubt this is.
This is fun, upbeat, cute and entertaining overall - essentialy it's for kids and it's not going to make you feel bad - in fact i think you all lost it's point - it sounds like it's saying one person CAN make a diffrence, you can wait for that person or you can BE that person.
Next time you see a movie go in with your mind open and expecting only to be entertained - and you will be, as Vic himself said he found himself enjoying the movie more the second time he watched it becuse he knew exactlly what to expect from it and wasn't putting any pressure on the movie to do more!
Sorry for the long post, i just had to vent out, i'd just like to see more positive opionions please.
I don't know which site you've been watching, but I'm guessing if asked, Vic would say it's been a pretty good year for movie fans so far, going on his reviews (which have been mostly positive), and 4 out of 5 for any movie is pretty damn good.
Why not wait for the movie to come out where you are, see it, and then compare notes with the rest of us? You'll be a more informed movie-goer for doing it and you'll have a solid foundation from which to discuss your thoughts.
Yeah, I follow Pixar movies the way you followed "Iron Man" :) As I recall, your only criticism of Iron Man was that the pre-release material didn't leave very much to the imagination by the time you're in the theater.
Once you've had those scenes from trailers and other assorted material etched in your mind, they lose their impact on the screen.
Vic
At least you're doing a better job than AICN when it comes to restraint. I read an early Dark Knight review over there a few days ago that ended up revealing a very specific development in the film that I'm trying hard to forget (stopped reading the review at that point).
For your reading pleasure, I didn't know this and I was pleasantly suprised...I mean I knew where the songs were from but not that they were the inspiration..
http://movies.sympatico.msn.ca/features/article...
Cheers
Thanks for the link. Interesting, indeed.
I found a couple other ones with Stanton talking about what drove the story for him.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/intervi...
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/07/04/the-m...
Liked the first article and another piece falls into place but didn't like the second as that site was just a lot of conservative rhetoric to me...propaganda of the worse kind..
Whatever happened to the golden rule live and let live...
Here's the full interview:
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14127
It certainly is not...To answer your question; as soon as someone gives their opinion(s) on any issue or topic it will be biased.Such is the nature of opinions.No one can ever be truly neutral on any issue regardless of how unbiased or practical they think their opinion is. While I am not a conservative I am also not a liberal either. I have opinions that would be considered both liberal and conservative as my belief system and how I was raised have largely influenced what I believe and what I think is propaganda... NOt everything on the site was propagenda but the things I did read were just that IMO.
For the Brits out there and the initiated that have had the experience, the comments and reviews have been nothing short of Marmite like – You either love it or you hate it…
I chose to watch it with both a “Pixar fan” biased view and an open mind and was left stunned by the efforts of Pixar with a film that in my humble opinion is nothing short of genius. From the inquisitive opening sequence where we see Wall-E busy working on his daily task (while being side-tracked with new things to discover), through his efforts to get close to EVE followed by his showing her all his "things", all the way up to his attempts to "wake" her up. It is fair to say that this is the most spell binding portion of the film, with the more natural feel and flow to the story. What follows once we discover the humans and the other robots may not feel quite the same, but it is still lights years ahead of the competition.
I saw Kungfu Panda last night and while it was certainly better than most of Dreamworks recent dross, it still didn't come close to the magic of cinema that Wall-E evoked in me both the first and the second time I watched it... If I was reviewing Wall-E I would have no hesitation to give it 5 out of 5 and put it up there with my personal Pixar favourites Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.
One last comment - the short animation Presto is comic brilliance and is reminiscent of the classic era of Tex Avery cartoons...
Anyone feeling another Pixar Oscar on the cards?
the cards?"
Well there's not much in the way of competition for best animated film, so, yes.
Vic
I'm interpreting this 'enjoying life' stance as a lazy way of saying: "don't tell me what to do." being healthy is happiness, I feel like a different person, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
looking forward to owning Wall-e
thanks vic
I do want to watch this, but I guess I'll wait until someone else rents it or if someone I know owns it I will borrow it from them, but I don't think I will be giving any of my money to them anymore. That's just me.
Thanks for the excellent review.
Vic
But at around the middle, they start hinting at a "humans are evil" type message, then they attack zoos, then in the end, it get's into an all-out preach fest, even dragging the UN into the picture...
It was stupid, don't watch it.
I guess it isn't a Pixar trend, but it appears they have jumped on the bandwagon...
Oh well, I'm sure someone I know has a copy of it so I can see it.
I just watched this (on a not-so-great quality bootleg DVD).
The human actors took me out of the movie, too. I don't get why they didn't just animate humans instead. Strange decision.
I also felt a lack of story and connection with the characters, and the ending was a bit unbelievable (all those fatties fixing up a ruined Earth?).
I enjoyed the Toy Story films much more, probably more than anything Pixar has done since.
Ich liebe Wall.e und ihr?
Wall.e ist süß.
Maybe best technically, but I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. Story-wise it was not their best.
Vic
The Movie Shows a minor Possibility with its M-O model robot, where his Duties are made to decontaminate but also follow a Lined course to its duties. Eventually a glitch (or maybe Order of Operations) forces him to remove himself from the LINE to Decontaminate the Area, which may be considered a High Priority.
Though not widely explained, it leaves alot of room to speculate with (possibly intention) Easter Eggs.
BTW wasn't That BURN-E short pretty cool too? Nice to see because for some odd reason, I wondered what happened to him as he got locked out.
Anyways, Great Movie. Many may disagree but some people pick up all the pieces better then others and this film was not 'Action packed' or 'Full of Comedy' like other CGI movies but suprisingly caught my attention without much dialogue.