WALL-E was a fun Sunday movie. The trailers made it seem to be an existential despair movie truer to I Am Legend than Will Smith’s I Am Legend adaptation was. Halfway through it became precautionary sci-fi about Earth becoming uninhabitable, which was also fine. This was, after all, a kids movie and I think it was memorable enough for a whole generation to retain the lesson that it doesn’t take much effort to be a good steward of the land.
Ratatouille is still my favorite from Pixar. And The Incredibles is tied with this one. Together they’re a solid trifecta in animated developmental guidance. Ratatouille teaches rational self-interest; The Incredibles teaches personal responsibility; and WALL-E teaches self-preservation. And they all do it apolitically.
