Pixar, the animating studio that has given us classics such as “A Bug’s Life”, “Toy Story,” and “Finding Nemo”, has given us another instant classic in “WALL-E.” This unlikely romance between two robots is, in my opinion, Pixar’s best yet. “WALL-E” redefines animation, proving it a medium able to not only leave an audience breathless with its beauty, but to tell a knockout of a story and bring a pertinent message home at the same time.

“WALL-E” begins on an eerily ravaged earth. Our good old home planet’s only landmarks are now towering piles of garbage, and its one inhabitant (excepting the occasional cockroach) is the little robot humanity forgot to turn off- a clunky, goggle-eyed janitor bot guaranteed to melt audiences’ hearts from the moment he rolls onto the screen. His name is Wall-E, and he’s fascinated by what humans have left behind, from the Rubik Cubes to sporks to a video of “Hello, Dolly!” which makes him realize just how lonely his life is.

Then a UFO touches down, bringing with it a beguiling girl robot named EVE. She’s the Microsoft to Wall-E’s Mac- sleek, efficient, and good with a laser gun. Wall-E’s smitten. So much so, in fact, that when EVE’s mysterious mission brings her across space- and in touch with the remainder of humanity, now embarked on a kind of seven-century long, intergallactic cruise- the devoted little guy tags along. Good thing, too, because Wall-E turns out to be exactly what an almost sickeningly inert, machine-dependant people need to remind them what it really means to be, well, human.
“WALL-E” is an awesome achievement, beautiful on all kinds of levels. The eerie visions of a deserted earth and a breathtaking trip by the Milky Way make for some of the most amazing scenes movies have ever given us. “WALL-E”’s message of the need to protect our planet is also wonderful. It’s a testament to the skill of the movie that this message never becomes manipulative nor overpowers the story. It’s gentle but omnipresent, artful and true. The movie’s faith in its human characters is also moving. These chubby, chair-dwelling people, with TV/computer screens consisting of their entire viewpoint, could easily be depicted with scorn or revulsion. Instead, while they’ve definitely lost their way, humanity turns out to be both good and strong when it counts. “WALL-E” intriguingly depicts the good and bad of our desire to create.

To me, at least, the best part of “WALL-E” is the title character’s courtship of Eve. It’s everything a romance should be- charming, poignant, and able to make you laugh and cry. Don’t believe that a romance between to characters who have approximately three intelligable words between them can be the best onscreen depiction of love you’ll ever see? Then check “WALL-E” out. I promise you you’ll be happy you did.