five stars

“Wall-E” is the movie Pixar Animation Studios has been working toward ever since “Toy Story” first tested the boundaries of computer animation. It’s without a doubt one of the best Pixar movies, if not one of the best computer animated features ever made, and it ranks with the rest of Disney’s classics.

The story is both timeless and timely. 700 years after Earth’s citizens flew away from their dumpster-like planet, one robot, the dirty and old yet clever and plucky protagonist Wall-E, is still condensing the mountains of trash into nice little piles. Wall-E discovers many of the trappings of civilization, most notably and old VHS copy of “Hello, Dolly!” which teaches him about true love.

Wall-E’s simple life is thrown into disarray by the arrival of another robot, Eve, sent from the human’s ship on a top secret mission. For Wall-E, it’s love a first sight. But when Eve is whisked away back to the spaceship, Wall-E stows away as well. Soon not only is Wall-E’s courage tested, but also the humanity of all the citizens who have now become fat lazy blobs who live gliding along an easy chair.

To start, “Wall-E” looks gorgeous. While that is something we have come to expect from computer animated movies thanks to today’s technology, yet again we truly see the wonders and mysteries of outer space. But “Wall-E” is much more than beautiful; it’s also hilarious. On one level it has many topical jokes concerning the humans on the ship. But on a higher plane the humor of the robots has the quality of silent comedy, particularly Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times.” In addition, the visuals are accompanied by an excellent score by Thomas Newman (“Finding Nemo”). Songs from “Hello, Dolly!” interspersed throughout the film also enhance the story. Finally the voices are skillfully done. The robot’s sounds convey true character and emotion, and Jeff Garlin gives a great performance as the main speaking role of the movie, the ship’s captain.

There is a lot more to say about “Wall-E.” For one, it owes a huge debt to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” from the musical selection to the look of the ship. The amount of plunder from Kubrick’s genius would be pathetic if “Wall-E” itself wasn’t brilliant or innovative in its own right. “Wall-E” is an experience to be seen, to be heard, and to be felt. “Wall-E” is a story of timeless love and a cautionary tale of where we may be going as a species and as a planet. But above all “Wall-E” is a masterpiece of cinema, and a work of art you must see.