Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) - Page 13

BFJen · 07-02-2008, 10:42 AM

I finally got to see the movie - I really enjoyed it! I tried not read any spoilers, so I was happily surprised to hear Michael Crawford singing! Yay! My kids loved the movie, and I can't wait to see it again, to find all the little details that you usually miss the first time.

Also, my kids got a free Wall-E watch! They were pretty excited!

Browncoat · 07-02-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

You sound like Governator in TRUE LIES!

YES! i was hoping someone would get the ref

Coheteboy · 07-02-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterGracey

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I saw the film on Sunday and left the theater in a complete state of disbelief. Disbelief that I had just watched one of the best films I had ever seen.

The film is truly remarkable in every aspect. It is unlike anything I've ever watched and I cannot wait until I can see it again. I'll be visiting the theater at least a couple more times to experience this masterpiece.

I quoted two reviews below because I agree wholeheartedly with them. Coheteboy makes a great point that this film isn't for everybody. And I agree. Despite what director Andrew Stanton says, the film is far more than a simple love story - and I think the political and social commentary contained in the film will play a huge role in one's overall enjoyment of the film - luckily, the message in this film spoke loudly to me, and I appreciated it.

The love story, too, is a beautiful tale, and its incredible that Pixar can evoke so much emotion in rusty metal and shiny sleek white.

The live action, which when I first heard about it, worked perfectly in the film for me. I've heard that some people felt it was jarring. Others didn't understand why it was even considered, let alone actually in the film -- but I thought it was a bold move and I didn't think it devalued the film at all. I thought it worked perfectly well, like everything else in the film.

The score was simply brilliant, and the finale song by Peter Gabriel was a perfect ending piece to this perfect film --- and I'm not even a Peter Gabriel fan.

This film is a tale about hope, love, and a bright future - even if that bright future might take a while to get to. I left the film feeling like this was a perfect compliment to Walt Disney's sentiments about talking down to audiences. Walt didn't do it, and Pixar certainly isn't either. If Ratatouille was a bold step for Pixar, then WALL-E is simply groundbreaking.

"I don't believe in talking down to children.
I don't believe in talking down to any certain segment.
. . . Children are always reaching.
-Walt Disney

Definitely. And the live action didn't actually bother me as much as it did a friend of mine, but I'm definitely curious on their reasoning for it... since they're an animation studio and all (hehe). But since their upcoming film in the works is going to be a lot of live action, i wonder if they were just practicing / experimenting.

Aladdin · 07-02-2008, 05:16 PM

Maybe they wanted to have a "real human being" do the portion of the film that was filmed closest to our time, but they still had it in "fuzzy vision" to indicate that it was only a possible future. Now, notice that the only REAL humans that came in 100% clear was from the movie, Hello Dolly. That is something that represents our past, (and created hope for the future). As you move further away from our Today, you see "humans" that purposely are made to look more cartoony.

GothicManor · 07-02-2008, 07:25 PM

I found some more background on the film's story by playing the PSP version, which is excellent) of the game (I also have played the PS3 version which is different and no where near as good and does not have any elaboration on the story).

In the animations on the PSP game we see Wall-E back 700 yrs earlier than in the film around 2115 when the humans who can leave are leaving. All the other Wall-E's are still working, right away they show that he is a little different, noticing cockroach's that the other bots ignore, clearly for some reason from the start he was different all the other bots just follow their programming.

You hear coming from holographic ads a spiel about "BnL Starships leaving now, enjoy a space cruise and we will clean up the mess while your away..." or something to that effect. So there were more than one Axiom like starship, but again for only a select few to get off the earth.

As it turns out it is the dustbowl sandstorms that are wiping out the Wall-E bots. When the storms come they scurry frantically to get into the big metal container that we later see Wall-E living in, those rotating racks inside are for the Wall-E bots to store themselves in in cube form during the night as they are solar powered and during sandstorms... One can assume that BnL programmers didnt figure in the sandstorms.

The story then jumps 700 yrs later, so we learm that Wall-E was an original bot and is 700 yrs old! This could explain his developing personality. All the other Wall-E bots secumbed to the sandstorms, accidents and time. He apparently either survived because he was just the lucky one that was the last, one had to be the last one after all, but it would seem his unique personality aided in his survival. He cannibalizes his comrades for spare parts for himself.

I think this explains why he befriends the cockroach its because he is all alone and with all the other Wall-E bots gone he wanted company, I believe this also explains why he collects stuff and stores it in his container home, in the process of salvaging the other Wall-E bots for parts and storing them on the old platforms that they used to "sleep" mode on he began collecting other things that appealed to him to put on those platforms that are now empty of his companions to sort of fill his now empty home with things he enjoyed instead of having to be reminded that all the shelves are now empty that his other Wall-E buddies used to occupy...

that is as far as I have got in the game I am hoping there will be alot more insight into the humans and their fate as I get thru the game more....

Play the PSP Wall-E game (you can rent the games so as not to contribute to consumerism :-) it is like an extension of the film and tells the story more in depth...

Coheteboy · 07-02-2008, 07:28 PM

Thanks for posting about the game! Really fascinating to think back when WALL-E was just one of several robots working.

Twist_of_Fate · 07-03-2008, 07:52 AM

I still think the practical explanation of the Uncanny Valley is a good explanation for why there was live action for the parts that used it. Sure, I'll concede that it has several other applications in the sense that what eventually came blobs of people at one point were humans that looked just like us. You can even ascribe a deeper interpretation to it, ala Aladdin, but since Stanton seems to be dodging that he intended the film to have any sort of message, I wouldn't be surprised if he parroted the Uncanny Valley, regardless of whether that was the reason or not.

ZeekSlider · 07-03-2008, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

Definitely. And the live action didn't actually bother me as much as it did a friend of mine, but I'm definitely curious on their reasoning for it... since they're an animation studio and all (hehe). But since their upcoming film in the works is going to be a lot of live action, i wonder if they were just practicing / experimenting.

Press interviews with Stanton all point to the fact that since the film had such a photorealistic look, they wanted to see if they could put in a live actor and have the audiance accept it as part of the context of the film and not a special effect thing.

I personally think it works great, especially if you look at that one pan shot of the various Captains from the past and how the facial features (d)evolved into how the humans look at the time of the story.

Coheteboy · 07-03-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeekSlider

Press interviews with Stanton all point to the fact that since the film had such a photorealistic look, they wanted to see if they could put in a live actor and have the audiance accept it as part of the context of the film and not a special effect thing.

I personally think it works great, especially if you look at that one pan shot of the various Captains from the past and how the facial features (d)evolved into how the humans look at the time of the story.

Ah, good point! Did anyone see the previous captain's names? I coulda sworn they were all pixar artists.

*sir clinksalot* · 07-03-2008, 12:14 PM

Haven't seen the movie yet, but got the soundtrack. Simply amazing.

Modern Folly · 07-03-2008, 11:43 PM

I saw it a second time yesterday, just as excellent. I went in not expecting anything much other than another enjoyable Pixar film. I left knowing I just experienced something special. 5/5

Quote:

Originally Posted by sir clinksalot

Haven't seen the movie yet, but got the soundtrack. Simply amazing.

My favorite track is, "Define Dancing." Listening to it leaves me in a state of awe, just as the film did.

DisneyIPresume · 07-04-2008, 11:06 AM

There were two major articles specifically related to Wall-E in today's LA Times and a brief sentence about it in another unrelated article. The critics love this film apparently, and their mentioning it again today hopefully will lure more people to the theatres again this weekend to see it, as opposed to seeing Habcock.

These articles are attempting to dissect the film more deeply. One of the articles suggests that apparently the critics loved Wall-E but admitted that they basically ignored the social commentary of the film. It says there is definitely a message but it is so subtle and obscured by the art form that critics will be drawn back to see the movie to figure out just what that message really is. Much like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers means different things to different people, so does Wall-E -- which is an attestation to its sending a message but not being overly preachy about it.

The other article discussed the use of Hello Dolly! Andrew Stanton originally wanted to use French swing music, but after the release of the Triplets Of Belleville he didn't want people to think he was copying that. After trying out different songs, he came upon two songs from Hello Dolly! According to Stanton "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" is about two guys who are going to leave their small town for the big city to hopefully kiss a girl -- and that represents his main character, Wall-E. (What isn't mentioned is that this song coincidentally is a part of the music loop on Main Street in DL). The other song, "It Only Takes A Moment", shows Wall-E how to express love, because he couldn't say, "I love you.". So both these song serve a very useful purpose.

Long story short -- two major articles highly praising Wall-E. I'm seeing this movie tonight, and I can't be any more excited!

pineapplewhipaddict · 07-04-2008, 12:24 PM

Pixar has no obligation to make simplistic stories without a message. They can make whatever they want and release it. It's the job of the public to figure out how to react to it.

You can like or dislike this film, but seriously, don't demean Pixar and Disney by lumping them into a "kiddie" category. As MasterGracey points out, Walt didn't believe in talking down to his audience, which included children. Today people seem to think cartoons are only meant for kids, but animation was never intended for that. Disney ended up loosing sight of the company's original goals and started to dumb itself down as a result.

In fact, Walt did create at least one film with a message. Remember Bambi? It acknowledges the topic of hunting and humans coming into the lives of mother nature and it's creatures, and shows basically all of the negative effects of it. Bambi looses his mother from a hunter. The forest ends up on fire! There are plenty of bad things that happen. If those aren't messages, then I'm a monkey's uncle.

Coheteboy · 07-04-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyIPresume

There were two major articles specifically related to Wall-E in today's LA Times and a brief sentence about it in another unrelated article. The critics love this film apparently, and their mentioning it again today hopefully will lure more people to the theatres again this weekend to see it, as opposed to seeing Habcock.

These articles are attempting to dissect the film more deeply. One of the articles suggests that apparently the critics loved Wall-E but admitted that they basically ignored the social commentary of the film. It says there is definitely a message but it is so subtle and obscured by the art form that critics will be drawn back to see the movie to figure out just what that message really is. Much like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers means different things to different people, so does Wall-E -- which is an attestation to its sending a message but not being overly preachy about it.

The LA Times article can be found here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_...defies-gr.html

It's commentary that asks why other studios create so many bad movies while Pixar continues to defy gravity. More studios need to follow Pixar's business practice (yes, especially Disney) which is one thing: Quality.

DisneyIPresume · 07-04-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

The LA Times article can be found here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_...defies-gr.html

It's commentary that asks why other studios create so many bad movies while Pixar continues to defy gravity. More studios need to follow Pixar's business practice (yes, especially Disney) which is one thing: Quality.

Thanks for posting that Dave. The two articles I am referring to was from today's Calendar section. I couldn't post them because I was on my blackberry at the time and that's a bit more cumbersome. Here are the articles.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...,3227570.story

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_...-a-stealt.html

View Poll Results: What did you think of Wall-E
5 Stars - One of Pixars Best	133	69.27%
4 Stars - A pretty good movie	37	19.27%
3 Stars - It could have been better	10	5.21%
2 Stars - I wanted to like it, but it wasn't great	9	4.69%
1 Star - I think Pixar is losing it's touch	3	1.56%
Voters: 192. You may not vote on this poll

07-02-2008, 10:42 AM	#181 (permalink)
BFJen I helped! 5/19/07 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Idaho Falls Posts: 10,330	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) I finally got to see the movie - I really enjoyed it! I tried not read any spoilers, so I was happily surprised to hear Michael Crawford singing! Yay! My kids loved the movie, and I can't wait to see it again, to find all the little details that you usually miss the first time. Also, my kids got a free Wall-E watch! They were pretty excited! __________________ Will trade husband for Disneyland and DCA Pins!

07-02-2008, 05:16 PM	#184 (permalink)
Aladdin Merry Christmas to all! MiceEars Crew Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The FUN Reindeer wish you a Merry Christmas!!! Posts: 6,131	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) Maybe they wanted to have a "real human being" do the portion of the film that was filmed closest to our time, but they still had it in "fuzzy vision" to indicate that it was only a possible future. Now, notice that the only REAL humans that came in 100% clear was from the movie, Hello Dolly. That is something that represents our past, (and created hope for the future). As you move further away from our Today, you see "humans" that purposely are made to look more cartoony. __________________ Merry Christmas! From Melvin, Buff, and Max!!! *Meese-ka Moose-ka Mice-Chatter!*

07-02-2008, 07:25 PM	#185 (permalink)
GothicManor Welcome Foolish Mortals Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 920	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) I found some more background on the film's story by playing the PSP version, which is excellent) of the game (I also have played the PS3 version which is different and no where near as good and does not have any elaboration on the story). In the animations on the PSP game we see Wall-E back 700 yrs earlier than in the film around 2115 when the humans who can leave are leaving. All the other Wall-E's are still working, right away they show that he is a little different, noticing cockroach's that the other bots ignore, clearly for some reason from the start he was different all the other bots just follow their programming. You hear coming from holographic ads a spiel about "BnL Starships leaving now, enjoy a space cruise and we will clean up the mess while your away..." or something to that effect. So there were more than one Axiom like starship, but again for only a select few to get off the earth. As it turns out it is the dustbowl sandstorms that are wiping out the Wall-E bots. When the storms come they scurry frantically to get into the big metal container that we later see Wall-E living in, those rotating racks inside are for the Wall-E bots to store themselves in in cube form during the night as they are solar powered and during sandstorms... One can assume that BnL programmers didnt figure in the sandstorms. The story then jumps 700 yrs later, so we learm that Wall-E was an original bot and is 700 yrs old! This could explain his developing personality. All the other Wall-E bots secumbed to the sandstorms, accidents and time. He apparently either survived because he was just the lucky one that was the last, one had to be the last one after all, but it would seem his unique personality aided in his survival. He cannibalizes his comrades for spare parts for himself. I think this explains why he befriends the cockroach its because he is all alone and with all the other Wall-E bots gone he wanted company, I believe this also explains why he collects stuff and stores it in his container home, in the process of salvaging the other Wall-E bots for parts and storing them on the old platforms that they used to "sleep" mode on he began collecting other things that appealed to him to put on those platforms that are now empty of his companions to sort of fill his now empty home with things he enjoyed instead of having to be reminded that all the shelves are now empty that his other Wall-E buddies used to occupy... that is as far as I have got in the game I am hoping there will be alot more insight into the humans and their fate as I get thru the game more.... Play the PSP Wall-E game (you can rent the games so as not to contribute to consumerism :-) it is like an extension of the film and tells the story more in depth... __________________ Buy n Large, it’s your superstore We got, all you need, and so much more… Happiness is what we sell That’s why, everyone loves BnL... - Buy n Large Jingle, 2115, Wall-e The following words were never so true as they have been during the last 7 years: "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of "freemen", we must live through all time, or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln 1838 "This would be a great place if we could only get rid of all these people." - Walt Disney "Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved." — Walt Disney "I wanted to retain my individuality. I knew if someone else got control, I would be restrained." —Walt Disney "The fun is in always building something. You see, we never do the same thing twice around here. We're always opening up new doors." —Walt Disney "I've always been bored with just making money. I've wanted to do things; I wanted to build things, to get something going..." —Walt Disney "I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination." —Walt Disney "Get a good idea and stay with it. Work it until it's done and done right." —Walt Disney "Freedom of speech in all forms and in its broadest sense — has become vital to the very survival of a civilized humanity." —Walt Disney Last edited by GothicManor; 07-02-2008 at 07:32 PM.

07-02-2008, 07:28 PM	#186 (permalink)
Coheteboy Red Ewok Standing By Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Los Angeles & Orange County Posts: 9,318	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) Thanks for posting about the game! Really fascinating to think back when WALL-E was just one of several robots working. __________________

07-03-2008, 07:52 AM	#187 (permalink)
Twist_of_Fate Look Right, Pick Up Phone Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,558	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) I still think the practical explanation of the Uncanny Valley is a good explanation for why there was live action for the parts that used it. Sure, I'll concede that it has several other applications in the sense that what eventually came blobs of people at one point were humans that looked just like us. You can even ascribe a deeper interpretation to it, ala Aladdin, but since Stanton seems to be dodging that he intended the film to have any sort of message, I wouldn't be surprised if he parroted the Uncanny Valley, regardless of whether that was the reason or not. __________________

07-03-2008, 12:14 PM	#190 (permalink)
sir clinksalot Happy New Year!!! MiceChat News Team MiceChat Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 19,188	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) Haven't seen the movie yet, but got the soundtrack. Simply amazing. __________________ - Gregg In states from Virginia to Maine, oak trees have failed to produce the usual abundance of acorns. What do you think? "It looks as though the revolt of the Maples as foretold by the bard Geddy Lee has finally come to pass."

07-04-2008, 11:06 AM	#192 (permalink)
DisneyIPresume Beach Expert Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: A beach town that Harbor Blvd was named after Posts: 6,335	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) There were two major articles specifically related to Wall-E in today's LA Times and a brief sentence about it in another unrelated article. The critics love this film apparently, and their mentioning it again today hopefully will lure more people to the theatres again this weekend to see it, as opposed to seeing Habcock. These articles are attempting to dissect the film more deeply. One of the articles suggests that apparently the critics loved Wall-E but admitted that they basically ignored the social commentary of the film. It says there is definitely a message but it is so subtle and obscured by the art form that critics will be drawn back to see the movie to figure out just what that message really is. Much like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers means different things to different people, so does Wall-E -- which is an attestation to its sending a message but not being overly preachy about it. The other article discussed the use of Hello Dolly! Andrew Stanton originally wanted to use French swing music, but after the release of the Triplets Of Belleville he didn't want people to think he was copying that. After trying out different songs, he came upon two songs from Hello Dolly! According to Stanton "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" is about two guys who are going to leave their small town for the big city to hopefully kiss a girl -- and that represents his main character, Wall-E. (What isn't mentioned is that this song coincidentally is a part of the music loop on Main Street in DL). The other song, "It Only Takes A Moment", shows Wall-E how to express love, because he couldn't say, "I love you.". So both these song serve a very useful purpose. Long story short -- two major articles highly praising Wall-E. I'm seeing this movie tonight, and I can't be any more excited!

07-04-2008, 12:24 PM	#193 (permalink)
pineapplewhipaddict Pineapple Queen and... MiceEars Crew Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Tiki Juice Bar Posts: 4,495	Re: Wall-E (MiceChat Reviews) Pixar has no obligation to make simplistic stories without a message. They can make whatever they want and release it. It's the job of the public to figure out how to react to it. You can like or dislike this film, but seriously, don't demean Pixar and Disney by lumping them into a "kiddie" category. As MasterGracey points out, Walt didn't believe in talking down to his audience, which included children. Today people seem to think cartoons are only meant for kids, but animation was never intended for that. Disney ended up loosing sight of the company's original goals and started to dumb itself down as a result. In fact, Walt did create at least one film with a message. Remember Bambi? It acknowledges the topic of hunting and humans coming into the lives of mother nature and it's creatures, and shows basically all of the negative effects of it. Bambi looses his mother from a hunter. The forest ends up on fire! There are plenty of bad things that happen. If those aren't messages, then I'm a monkey's uncle. __________________