WALL•E Reviews

quartertothree.com/game-talk … ?p=1362677

Comments removed at request of the author.

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/

“Get ready for “Wall-e” then. It is about as far from the “same-old” as you can get. I got to see it last night and it is nothing less than astonishing. A love story with robots that is so emotional and touching. Robots who teach humans how to be human again. And it is the best looking film so far this year of any released or on the horizon. The animation is virtually ALL pantomime–and is so entertaining. I can’t wait to see it again! What an amazing risk Pixar took–and it really pays off in spades.”

My gosh, I’ve gotta see this. You’re making me wet my pants, man…

Thanks for the review, sir, and congratulations on getting to see the film early! :wink:

– Mitch

This is really promising. It’s good to see that Pixar’s risks are paying off, and people are praising that - it takes more courage to take a risk than to play it safe. I’ve heard nothing but excellent feedback so far - hopefully it will stay that way. I can’t wait for WALL•E!

What about making this into a general review thread?

project101in1001.blogspot.com/20 … party.html

“We then got to see Wall-E. Wall-E ranks up there with Ratatouille as being one of the best movies Pixar has done so far, and they manage to move in a new and exciting direction! I’d say 1/2 of the movie is done without dialogue, and consists of the main characters saying each other’s names, gesturing and making robot noises. You’d think it wouldn’t work out, but it works perfectly! Not only do you get the plot without the need for dialogue, the characters really convey their impressively wide range of motions with subtle gestures. The character of Wall-E himself is amazing. He’s the most likeable characters Pixar has created, and so human! He’s so human-like that his personality infects others around him like a virus (a good virus). I couldn’t stop watching him! The plot itself is compelling, the story moves along really well, and you really get into it. The look of the movie is also amazing, with great sweeping vistas of the future of Earth… so desolate and bare… as well as the future of humanity… so commercial and devoid of life. It’s such a stark contrast to Ratatouille, which had a richer palette with warm colors. As with both Ratatouille and Wall-E, Pixar did an amazing job with making it look so real! Ratatouille made stuff familiar to us look realistic, while Wall-E made us believe in these new futures of Earth and humanity. Finally the end credits were some of the best I’ve seen… downright breathtaking and really shows Pixar’s creative breadth and the overflowing talent of its artists.”

sirstevesguide.com/forums/sh … 975&page=2

“Wish I could share more, but alas - there’s that whole confidentiality agreement and the fear of being suddenly unemployed! The Party was a bast, however (they always are!) we even had a couple of ‘friends’ share in the fun with us (the ‘Crying Trailer Watching Girl’ you might have seen on YouTube, and maybe one or two others I’m afraid to speak about), the food was great, and the movie was fantastic (speaking strictly as a fan!) Dare I say it: this century’s E.T.! The short you’ll find attached to the movie is perhaps our most hilarious short films ever! I think you guys will really like this one!”

More reviews are appearing. I especially like the first one.

collider.com/entertainment/r … 099/tcid/1

“I don’t know if “Wall-E” is Pixar’s best film to date. It’s undoubtedly the best film I’ve seen all year and after repeat viewings (which it absolutely deserves), it may very well take that number one slot among Pixar’s filmography. But it doesn’t really matter how you rate Pixar’s films because whether you’re a Pixar-devotee or a neophyte, “Wall-E” goes beyond a simple rank or score. I can only recommend that you see it as soon as you can.”

Two more reviews from AICN (the first one on this site is sometimes very…meh):

aintitcool.com/node/36962

One more…

boards.ign.com/teh_vestibule/b5296/164741660/p1

That should be enough reviews for today. :wink:

Edited. I combined all of your posts. – Mitch

Tannenschnaps - Awesome reviews there, Tannenschnaps! Just reading them makes my excitement for the film rocket. Thank you for sharing all of this information with us!

By the way, it would be much appreciated (and would assist is keeping the boards less cluttered) if you combined all of your posts in the future, if necessary (i.e., if they’re a few minutes/hours apart). Just letting you know. :wink:

– Mitch

Oh, wow. If you guys don’t know about this girl, she recorded herself watching the first WALL•E teaser trailer and her reaction to it (a reaction video, if you will) which she posted up on YouTube. I guess someone saw it and invited her to the screening, lucky girl!

MUST YOU PEOPLE TORTURE ME DURING MY WAIT EVEN MORE?!

I mean, dude. DUDE. <3

tortures Netbug009

james-baker.com/news/2008/06 … bbits.html
[i]
This is definitely one of the most ambitious pictures that Pixar has ever made. Seeing Pixar’s version of sci-fi is a lot of fun (I have always had a soft spot for cartoon science fiction, such as DUCK DODGERS). A lot of people are going to fall in love with the main character of this film. Thanks to some great design and some superb animation, that rusty robot is a very, very appealing little guy on screen. I worked on WALL-E a few years ago, doing a little work in the art department followed, by a short stint in the story team. And yet, it has been so long since I had seen any of the story reels that there had been quite a few changes to the story, so I had some surprises in watching the film. Being able to watch a movie that you’ve worked on with more-or-less fresh eyes is a treat.

The big surprise for me was seeing PRESTO, the new Pixar short directed by Doug Sweetland. I had heard nothing at all about what this project was about, although I knew that it was being made, and that some great talents (such as Doug Sweetland, Teddy Newton and the mighty Ted Mathot) were working on it. Because I knew nothing at all about it, it was a real joy to watch. It has a great premise that is beautifully designed, full of clever ideas, involving some really funny, broad physical comedy… all brought to life with whip-crack animation timing and great posing. It is probably my favourite Pixar short, so far. I wont say anything more, lest I spoil the fun for the rest of you.[/i]

Too much “!!!” in the following review:

jutanclan.blogspot.com/

Then we watched the new short film that plays before Wall-E, and the movie!!! I won’t give any details about it now because it doesn’t come out for 3 weeks so I don’t think we can talk about it. Also I don’t want to give away the movie because it is one of Pixar’s BEST FILMS YET. It is AMAZING!!! It was so awesome to see the final product, and tons of my work is in it!!! Ahhhhhhhhh! It’s so amazing. My basketball globe that made an appearance in the trailers is now in full force in the movie, you see it in a whole bunch of shots. My “spikey heart”, fire hydrant, and tons of other work I did is quite large on screen too. The UV Mapping on the garbage and the garbage cubes looks particularly good too, in my humble opinion. :slight_smile: Awesome!!!

This one is special…

doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com/411165.html

I don’t want to give too much away, so let me just say that “Kung-Fu Panda” is the best Pixar movie Dreamworks ever made.

Epic fail. :slight_smile:

Guys and gals, I highly recommend you check out the reviewer above’s main website, http://www.mikejutan.com and read his biography. There’s a reason why this guy has so many “!!!” in his review. I didn’t know Pixar interns had such a big role in the company!

And the next review…

movieforums.com/community/sh … hp?t=16185

It’s not quite Finding Nemo, but I have a feeling that after repeat viewings, it will easily clamber to those heights. Hilarious, thoughtfull, genuine and beautiful, i was very happy to meet the little guy. Whats not to like!?

Interesting part:

“The story takes a bit of a lull in the middle, with not much happening apart from a lot of running around. But the end quickly escalates to a brilliant finish,[spoil] with an excellent bad robot played by Sigourney Weaver (You’ll never guess when you see it!)[/spoil]”

^ Whoa, is he allowed to give that stuff away? I’ve seen comments deleted and articles abridged for mentioning major plot details of this movie. Maybe Disney hasn’t discovered it yet, but don’t let your eyes roam on his page or else you’ll see some big spoilers. o_0

~Sarah

True, true…though, I don’t see the point in embargoing the reviews (same goes to the international release dates. Who came up with that mess?)

Some of the reviews/links I posted are gone by now. Fortunately, they’re save around here (at least I hope so).

AHHH! THE SPOILERS ARE COMING! THE SPOILERS ARE COMING! D: THEY WILL NOT TAKE ME!

Seriously, glad to hear the movie is doing good, but now I’ scared of the fandom. This place is spoiler safe, but it’s dangerous out there. O.o

@Mitch

Woah. Didn’t see your post until now, sorry. I will try to do better in the future…

Today was a special screening for WALL-E, right? Maybe we can except some reviews from there, too (I highly doubt they could embargo casual moviegoers who paid 250US-$ in order to see the movie).

Edit: A new review :smiley::

imdb.com/title/tt0910970/boa … #108211189

I was lucky enough to actually see the finished film yesterday afternoon at a private screening in London. Quite simply one of the best and most wonderful films I’ve seen in years! Plus, while Pixar have done some great work over the years, this really is their best yet in my opinion. I genuinely can’t fault it in any way, and it is easily one the of the most original pieces of cinema, particularly from a mainstream studio, in literally decades. I don’t want to give away any plot details but suffice to say the love story between WALL-E and EVE is beautifully played out and the over-arching story is one that will have you gripped until the end. In terms of 2008s big summer movies this is head and shoulders above the likes of Indy, Caspian and Iron Man, and I wouldn’t be at all suprised if I not only didn’t see a better film all summer, but all year as well! Seriously, if you only see one film for the rest of 2008, make it this one!!!

hey! great review! However, I think Wall-E will not be better reviewed than Ratatouille in a few ways:

#1. Some might think robots r 2 cold and unfeeling to make a moving story out of (hey it happened when people reviewed Cars)

#2. Some (the stupid idiots) may be offended at the mere notion that Humans will make our world uninhabitable, thus calling it “too fanciful.”

#3. A lot of critics tend 2 compare each and every PIXAR film with each and every other PIXAR film (which really annoys the heck outta me). Seeing as “Ratatouille” was the best reviewed film of 2007, many may compare it (wall-e) to “Ratatouille” because in the longrun, Remy’s story will probably be more artful and adult, thus making it more appealing to many critics (Ego, anyone?).

Still, seeing as how PIXAR is always genius (except i didn’t think they tried hard enough on Cars), Wall-E will probably be pretty well-reviewed, but I don’t think the bigger critics (dumb Ebert) will see it as anything special.

These reviews are so refreshing! Ahh, public response + ABC’s sneak preview has dispelled all my doubts for this movie.

~Sarah

Yeah, everything works so well!! Congrats, Pixar!!

Ok, the Awesomesauce is now boiling.

Very short one:

viewfromspc.blogspot.com/2008_06_08_archive.html

Friday, I saw a screening of Wall-E, Disney-Pixar’s next movie (comes out June 27th). To be competely honest I am not sure how I feel about the movie. There were a lot of laughs, some emotional moments and a pretty deep message… the movie definitely gets you thinking - not a classic kids movie.

Reviews from IMDB (don’t know if we can trust them):

imdb.com/title/tt0910970/usercomments

1. Review

[i]We went to the San Francisco Film Institute’s first public screening at their campus in Emeryville. Everyone’s sworn to secrecy, but for a film with little dialog, it carries more of an emotional punch and has a richer story than any live-action movie this year. The tone and style of the film is completely different for Pixar, and Disney haven’t tried to override the darker thematic elements at all, making the story surprisingly three-dimensional.

This will end up being the animated film of the year and I had the same ‘wow’ feeling as after seeing Ratatouille. Considering that animated films have always played second-fiddle to live-action, and have been aimed at kids, it’s ironic that once again Pixar produces a film that rivals any live action on every level. Bravo![/i]

More from the same reviewer:

[i]I was lucky enough to see the movie at Pixar Studios in Emeryville and I have to say…

It’s easily the best film in the last 1-2 years.

I’m not allowed to talk specifics, but I’d say:

  1. Lack of dialog is a good thing. It reminds me why we watch films in the first place.
  2. The change in Pixar’s style is total and amazing: you won’t believe how it looks.
  3. There’s a social commentary angle which is quite dark but very intriguing. I’m surprised Disney let it go, but I guess Pixar calls the shots these guys.

Anyway, go see it!:[/i]

Man, what a cool gift:

[i]My wife bought it for me as an anniversary gift. :slight_smile:

It was $100 a ticket via the San Francisco Film Institute and I’m amazed it wasn’t more packed. The buffet was great (drank tons of wine), and I got to tour the public part of the facility that had all the memorabilia and cells from their movies.

Everyone was very friendly, and there was a Q&A after the showing with Jim Morris and Ben Burtt which was really interesting…

  • Ben showed everyone how to use a slinky to create a laser gun noise.
  • Ben buys all his gadgets and toys on eBay, apparently.
  • Jim said “they didn’t set out to make An Inconvenient Truth - The Cartoon” which everyone thought was funny.

Overall, a great evening, rounded out by the fact it was a great movie. Man I want a job at Pixar… if only I had any talent. [/i]

2. Review

[i]I just returned from an advanced benefit screening of WALL*E, and I want to be careful not to spill too much regarding the movie. I had the added privilege of watching the film at Pixar, which in and of itself, was amazing.

This picture is not a cartoon; it is a film. In fact, it even has the LOOK of film. One of my complaints of more recent 3-D/CG animated films (not from Pixar) is that they all seem to look the same… clean lines, crisp colors, and very “virtual”, for lack of a better term. WALLE transcends the typical look of CG animation, and has a true to life “grit.” The creators at Pixar are true artists, and are indeed masters of their craft. Not only are they masters of the technology, they are masters of telling a story. WALLE is no exception.

The best way to describe the film is as a science fiction, comedy, dramatic love story. WALL*E, as a character, has dimension, personality, and heart… pretty impressive given that he is essentially a trash compactor. It is true that there is little dialogue in this feature, but I personally did not feel it detracted from the story at all.

WALL*E is very much a different Pixar film from it’s previous features. I will be curious to see how it is received by others, but in my opinion, I think Pixar has stayed true to itself, demonstrating a commitment to telling great stories and pushing the edge of technology to leave your jaw dropping! My most sincere compliments to Andrew Stanton, Jim Morris, John Lasseter, Ben Burtt, and all the creative forces at Pixar. Can’t wait to see what the future brings…[/i]


One more to go:

botjunkie.com/2008/06/09/ver … ovie-ever/

[i]It’s official: Wall-E is the best robot movie ever.

Frequent readers of BotJunkie have probably noticed that I’ve gotten a little bit excited about Pixar’s latest animated feature. I was at the first non-internal screening of Wall-E this Saturday, and let me tell you, despite the near sub-orbital altitude of my expectations, the movie exceeded them. By a lot. I’m not going to spoil any of it for you (the Pixar people asked us nicely not to), but as you would expect from Pixar, pretty much the entire movie is spectacular in both visuals and plot. As you might expect, there are tons of delicious little robot in-jokes, as well as homages to sci-fi movies from the past. And although Wall-E and Eve both look, and act, like robots, they manage to seem more human than any of the humans in the movie. I’d love to just keep on gushing, but honestly, I feel like I need to see Wall-E at least twice more before I’ll be able to appreciate it full.

So, get yourself some tickets for opening night (June 27). If you have to stand in line, in the rain, and the snow, barefoot, uphill both ways, do it. You’ll love this movie, I promise.

Oh, and BTW… The customary Pixar short that precedes Wall-E is just about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I nearly died laughing. It involves a bunny and a magic hat and that’s all I’m going to say about that.[/i]

Be strong, you’ll make it through this thread.

theincitingincident.blogspot.com … rfect.html

As it should have, the Pixar screening went well. Their studio is huge and amazing and wow. Very humbling to be there, seeing the first “civilian” screening of the film. It’s a great show, by the way. I recommend it on the idea of two robots in love, both with a five or six word vocabulary. But the entire story is in typical Pixar fashion; maybe “cute” is the right word? They do a neat job of pulling a story almost solely on characterization and sound effects. Speaking of sound, we got a demonstration from their foley artist (aka sound effects guy, he’s done most of Lucas’ works of late) and he imitated a lot of the robot noises, background sounds, laser effects (it’s so inventive, almost too obvious sometimes).

This is posted in the IMDB forums, I’m actually “LuxoJr” in that thread. Although a lot of the stuff you read on there can be made up, I’ll take this as a legitimate review, since the SF Film Institute did not advertise much for this event and I know it really took place. It’s nice to know that Jim Morris said he didn’t want to make An Inconvenient Truth - The Cartoon, because I know there were some worries about the theme, but I’m still glad they chose such a wonderful theme for WALL-E!!!

Yes, some of the stuff on IMDB can be made up – but even at times where the poster didn’t mean to deceive, sometimes mistakes happen. Case and point: Stanton showed a group of people the first 30mins or so of Wall-E, then did a Q&A on it afterwards. A few places on the internet have transcribed the Q&A and placed it up online:

chud.com/articles/articles/14915 … Page1.html – (there are some spoilers here)

but one little typo, and Stanton can be completely misquoted. For instance, about the “Hello Dolly” movie, he said:
“And the one thing I want to dispel is I’m a fan of the movie. I just like to think that Wall-E has bad taste in musicals.”

Now, that IS what he said, because I heard the actual audio of the Q&A that someone posted online (sorry, I forget now where it was, otherwise I’d post it).

But someone else with very good intentions also tried transcribing the Q&A, but on their other website (don’t have the URL handy, sorry), misheard the word “dispell” as “spell” – and wrote Mr. Stanton’s answer as: “And the one thing I want to SPELL (out) is that I’m a fan of the movie…”

Thus the meaning got change from Mr. Stanton saying that he wasn’t really a fan of the movie, to someone quoting him as saying he WAS a fan of the movie. One little typo…

Anyway, that site (link above) is pretty accurately transcribed correctly his interview (just be aware there are some spoilers in it).

It is heartening to read the good reviews though. Kung Fu Panda did VERY well at the box office this past week (to generally positive reviews – especially for a Dreamworks film) and I have a feeling Wall-E will once again (like Ratatouille) be one of the best-reviewed films of the year…