 Tagline: An Adventure Beyond the Ordinar-E The highly acclaimed director of Finding Nemo and the creative storytellers behind Cars and Ratatouille transport you to a galaxy not so far away for a new cosmic comedy adventure about a determined robot named WALL-E. Experience the exciting animated hit film with theater-quality sound and the most pristine picture available on Disney Blu-ray Disc. After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, the curious and lovable WALL-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. Join them and a hilarious cast of characters on a fantastic journey across the universe. Transport yourself to a fascinating new world with Disney-Pixar's latest adventure - unsurpassed on Blu-ray Hi-Def. Loaded with bonus features, including the all-new animated short Burn-E, this 2 disc set overflows with fun for the entire family. Storyline: In a distant, but not so unrealistic, future where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation, WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earth's history and show tunes, WALL-E is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day, EVE, a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with EVE. WALL-E rescues EVE from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her "directive", EVE takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALL-E, doesn't understand what has happened to his new friend, but, true to his love, he protects her from wind, rain, and lightning, even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim EVE, but WALL-E, ... Written by Anonymous Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Ben Williams on November 13, 2008 -- Is Pixar the greatest movie studio in history? Judging by their massive commercial and creative success, that would certainly seem to be the case. How do these folks do it, year after year and great story after great story? There's a certain magic to every film they make that has taken a studio that produced some weird little computer generated movies and transformed them into the most heralded group of filmmakers of the last quarter-century. I'm continually amazed at their bravery and lack of cynicism as well as their commitment to break new ground with every release. However, talking about Pixar's success and their long string of awards somehow detracts from the true cinematic brilliance they've achieved with Wall-E. This is the film that has taken Pixar to an even higher level of cinematic achievement. Wall-E is a masterpiece. Wall-E is all about love, loneliness and longing as personified in our adorable hero Wall-E, himself. He's been toiling away for hundreds of years on a deserted and environmentally wasted Earth where piles of garbage and wreckage are stacked sky-high. Wall-E is, essentially, a trash compactor who has been tasked with organizing and compressing these towering piles of garbage in a fruitless effort to clean up the waste and excesses that have destroyed life and forced humans to abandon the planet. The film's opening scenes brilliantly tell the story of Earth's demise while simultaneously showing Wall-E going about his daily routine. It's made perfectly clear that Wall-E is the last surviving robot of his kind as his now broken-down brothers are scattered across the desolate landscape. Fortunately, they provide the appropriate parts to help Wall-E continuously repair himself. It's also clear at this point that Wall-E's hundreds of years of solitude have allowed him to develop a personality. His only friend is a ridiculously cute cockroach who acts as his pet and follows him around as he stacks garbage and collects trinkets from the rubble. Wall-E is a curious little guy and he's turned his makeshift "house" into a giant display case for his beloved trinkets. Wall-E has also managed to develop a love of music and spends every evening watching his old videotape of Hello, Dolly! while learning the film's dance routines. Of course, there's more to Wall-E than his curiosity about these weird human trinkets. He's developed a longing for companionship. Wall-E is like any of us who float through our lives and go to work every day without looking up and noticing the world passing us by. And just like we've all discovered throughout our lives, sometimes what we've been missing suddenly slaps us in the face. Wall-E experiences this "slap" when a mysterious robot called EVE arrives on Earth. She's a sleek, sexy hovering robot with a temper. She takes her frustrations out by blasting things to bits with her built in laser cannon. Despite almost ending up in EVE's line of fire a few times, Wall-E is instantly hooked on EVE. He follows her around as she mysteriously scans the environment and he does his best to not embarrass himself in her presence. In one of the most heartwarming scenes I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, Wall-E and EVE finally make a connection as they try to learn how to speak each other's names using their stunted robotic voices. It's an amazing scene that is the perfect example of the brilliance that Pixar has achieved in storytelling, animation and conveying emotion. The fact that the scene involves robots is really secondary. As the story progresses, Wall-E and EVE spend a joyful evening together while Wall-E, like any kid on a first date, shows off his collection of trinkets and does his best to impress EVE. When he proudly displays an old shoe that just happens to contain a living plant, EVE quickly collects the plant and goes into a state of hibernation. What follows is a series of scenes where Wall-E watches over the now dormant EVE and protects her from the elements. It's another profoundly sweet sequence in a film that boils over with guileless sentimentality and beauty. I won't spoil what happens from this point on in the story, but plenty of questions about the fate of humanity in the story are answered and Wall-E's childlike optimism might just offer the solution to humanity's problems. I've read a lot of theories about the meaning behind Wall-E. There are literally dozens of themes present in the movie, from the importance of environmental responsibility, the wastefulness of human excess and the squandering of resources. However, in my humble opinion, Wall-E is really a bit more of a spiritual film. While the film doesn't wade into the heavy-handed waters of outright religion, it does touch on one particularly intriguing aspect of Wall-E's personality: His soul. He's more than a collection of quirky behaviors and eccentricities. Wall-E's soul, heart or whatever you want to call it clearly exists in the film beyond any mechanical or electronic parts that he contains. Wall-E represents the very essence of humanity in a world where humanity has lost its way. Whatever your interpretation of Wall-E happens to be, it's a remarkable film that inspires discussion and serious thought. It's almost a shame that the film is handicapped by the fact that it is animated. I certainly hope that when the Oscars are awarded next year that Wall-E isn't just recognized as the best animated film of the year, but as the best picture of the year. Wall-E is, in my book, the best picture of the year and has become one of my favorite movies of all time. Wall-E is a true classic and will endure for generations amongst the greatest films of all time. You owe it to yourself to experience this remarkable, original and deeply emotional film. Wall-E is the kind of movie that has the power to touch even the most cynical soul. It's a rare treat of a film that inspires and takes one's breath away with its almost effortlessly astounding storytelling. Wall-E is a film for all ages that has the potential to entertain every member of the family and isn't limited as entertainment for children. Pixar has done a remarkable job with this stunning Blu-ray package. The movie's video presentation is truly reference grade and will remain a standard as demonstration material for years to come. The audio presentation is equally exceptional and creates a palpable sense of atmosphere and immersion. Supplements are also robust and the set's many in-depth and entertaining documentaries will provide hours of entertainment beyond the film itself. Wall-E is a must-own title on Blu-ray and deserves a place in every Blu-ray collection. In fact, this is a film that is destined to sell more than a few Blu-ray players. Wall-E easily earns my highest recommendation. Cast Notes: Ben Burtt (WALL•E / M-O [voice]), Elissa Knight (EVE [voice]), Jeff Garlin (Captain [voice]), Fred Willard (Shelby Forthright - BnL CEO), MacInTalk (AUTO [voice]), John Ratzenberger (John [voice]), Kathy Najimy (Mary [voice]), Sigourney Weaver (Ship's Computer [voice]), Kim Kopf (Hoverchair Mother [voice]). IMDb Rating (07/25/14): 8.5/10 from 502,048 users Top 250: #60 IMDb Rating (11/15/08): 8.7/10 from 87,380 users Top 250: #32
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