1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Who Framed Roger Rabbit

#818- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1987)
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Christopher Lloyd
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis


Plot Summary: In 1947, detective Eddie Valiant is asked by R.K. Maroon, the owner of Maroon Cartoons, to investigate Jessica Rabbit, the wife of Maroon's star performer Roger Rabbit. Despite a falling out with the toon community, Eddie reluctantly takes the job and finds Jessica playing patty-cake with Marvin Acme, the owner of Toontown and the Acme Corporation. Distraught over the news of Jessica and Acme, Roger goes missing and Acme is found murdered the next morning. Acme's will, which was going to leave Toontown in possession of the toons, has also mysteriously disappeared. If the will is not found by midnight, Toontown will be sold to Cloverleaf Industries to prepare making room for the newest invention in transportation: the freeway. But trouble stands in front of Eddie and Roger in the form of the menacing Judge Doom, who has invented a mixture of Turpentine, Acetone, and Benzene, called the "Dip" and is said to be the only way to kill a toon.


To close out Disney Month 2: The Sequel (NOT the real title), I wanted to look at one of my all-time favorite films: Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Why is it one of my favorite films? On top of having some of the best pacing and storytelling I've seen on film, it also features one of my favorite character actors as the villain, is directed by Robert Zemeckis (director of my favorite film, Back to the Future), and celebrates the classic cartoons of the past. And these aren't generic, uninspired character designs, but rather Disney characters, Looney Tunes, and many other iconic cartoon characters from the early days of animation. Like Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of those films that I really enjoy and find myself loving it more with every repeated viewing.

Roger Rabbit, voiced by Charles Fleischer, is in all definitions of the word an annoying character. He gets on everyone's nerves in the movie, but for the audience there's a very odd and lovable quality about him. I'm not sure if it's the design, his voice, the slapstick (probably the slapstick), his comedic timing (that too), or his embodiment of the early days of cartoons, but whenever Roger is on screen, hilarity ensues. There's not much else to be said about Roger, however, since what you see is pretty much what you get and that's not a bad thing at all.

Even if Roger's name is in the title, the REAL main character of the film is Eddie Valiant, played by Bob Hoskins (who passed away earlier this year.  Because of that, I would like to dedicate this review in his memory). Here's what you need to know about Eddie right off the bat: Eddie used to be happy until his brother was killed by a cartoon, and now he drinks the pain away. The fact that he's an alcoholic and that he has a no-nonsense attitude is his shtick for most of the film, but the audience does not fault him. The audience is able to fully empathize with Eddie and understand why he does not want to work with Roger. Eddie is a great detective character and the viewers are rooting for him and want him to solve the case, while also hoping he finds his sense of humor. Bravo Bob Hoskins, may he Rest in Peace.

Roger's alleged adulterous wife is Jessica Rabbit, voiced by Kathleen Turner. Based on Eddie's expectations, the audience is expecting a rabbit, but instead Jessica is a "sultry and seductive" woman that has every man's attention in the film, even Eddie's. Of course, there's the big controversy surrounding the flashing of Jessica's private parts in the original release of the film. Those cheeky animators wanted to see Jessica naked as much as some of the men in the film (and the audience) did. Apart from that, her design, and the line "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way," Jessica doesn't add too much else to the film. In a lot of ways, she's a plot point. Because she is accused of having an affair, Eddie is hired to investigate. When he comes back with some very strange evidence, the murder mystery begins. She she's more of a catalyst for the plot than anything else, while also making sporadic appearances to help Eddie and Roger.

What did Robert Zemeckis do when he knew he needed a memorable villain for the film? He cast Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom. Just look at that name, THAT's a name that lets you know he's up to no good. His all black clothing, including trench coat, sunglasses, and hat, his cold demeanor, and his never ending quest to kill every tune in his path (specifically Roger), are what make him a memorable villain. Later on in the film (*SPOILERS*), Judge Doom is revealed to be the toon that killed Eddie's brother, and his transformation (Boss Mode as some would call it) is horrifying. His colored eyes and high pitched voice are the things nightmares are made of. It's a very effective way to make sure viewers remember Judge Doom for the rest of their lives, whether awake or not.

The most memorable part of Who Framed Roger Rabbit revolves around Eddie going into Toontown. Featuring some of the best crossover work between live action and animation, the scene is an absolute joy to watch for fans of cartoons (and most of the effects still hold up). Speaking of crossovers, this is the ONLY film where you will see Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse on the screen at the same time (trust me when I say it's surreal). There's also a piano duel early in the film between Daffy Duck and Donald Duck which is really fun as well. Along with cameos from Goofy, Dumbo, Betty Boop, Droopy, Woody Woodpecker, Porky Pig, and many more, the film serves as a tribute to some of the most legendary cartoon characters of all-time. And given the release date of the film (1987), it was released around the time Disney was about to begin their Renaissance by producing classic animated films in the late '80s and early '90s, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, so it serves as a great time capsule of animation all around.

And since October is around the corner, and I begin another batch of horror movie reviews, let the above image haunt your dreams tonight...


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a must see for all fans of cartoons. The cameos are off the charts and the performances from the main cast are all well-acted. This is one I just recently added to my DVD collection. I'm glad I did and I strongly recommend everyone adds it to their collection as well.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit and movie images are copyrighted by Touchstone Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Pinocchio

#148- Pinocchio (1940)
Starring: Dickie Jones, Cliff Edwards, Christian Rub
Directed by: Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, William Roberts, Norman Ferguson, Jack Kinney, Wilfred Jackson, T. Hee


Plot Summary: A woodworker named Geppetto makes a wish on a star to make his newest creation, a marionette puppet named Pinocchio, a real boy. His dream comes true when the Blue Fairy arrives and gives life to Pinocchio. She tells Pinocchio that he will become a real boy when he proves himself to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. To ensure he is successful, she assigns Jiminy Cricket to be his conscience. As he embarks on his first day of school, Pinocchio is tricked into playing hooky and becoming an actor for a puppeteer named Stromboli. When Pinocchio is caged by Stromboli, he learns the error of his ways and heads home with help from Jiminy and the Blue Fairy. After a few more detours, Pinocchio discovers that Geppetto was looking for him and he must rescue his "father" from the belly of Monstro the whale.


Once you've made the first animated film in history, there's always gonna be that fear of how you can follow it. The case I'm obviously talking about is how Walt Disney was able to follow-up Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with his next project, Pinocchio. Not only is Pinocchio just as good, I'd argue it's even better. Snow White may have started Disney's success, but I believe that little wooden puppet actually laid the foundation for a lot of Disney traditions we know to this day, including the themes of dreams coming true and wishing on stars, and of course the film's signature song that would later become the Disney anthem. That's a lot of momentum for only Disney's second film, so let's look at what makes Pinocchio a wonderfully entertaining film for all ages.

The titular character is Pinocchio, a wooden puppet voiced by Dickie Jones, who dreams of becoming a real boy. Something I noticed about Pinocchio is that while he makes mistakes, I never faulted him because he was brand new to life and he didn't know any better. He asks a lot of questions but I never got annoyed because he wants to understand the logic behind everything. He's one of Disney's most innocent of characters, which unfortunately makes him very easy to corrupt. But once he's aware of his mistakes he wants to resolve them and learns from his mistakes. A nice indicator of this is when he begins to tell lies and his nose grows big. He doesn't like his enlarged nose and once it's connected to lying, he never wants to be dishonest again. That's a really creative way to make Pinocchio a character study in morality for children to follow.

The film features a very large cast of memorable supporting characters. Pinocchio's "father" is a puppet maker named Geppetto, voiced by Christian Rub. He's got great comedic timing in many absent minded moments and has a genuine fatherly love for Pinocchio. His pets Figaro the cat and Cleo the fish also add a lot of fun to the scenes through their faces and actions. The Blue Fairy, voiced by Evelyn Venable, has a great reputation amongst the other characters thanks to her wisdom, beauty, and her ability to make their dreams come true if they wish hard enough. But of course the most important supporting character in the film is Pinocchio's conscience, Jiminy Cricket, voiced by Cliff Edwards. Jiminy serves as a great narrator for the film and an even better moral compass and best friend for Pinocchio. Following the success of the film, Jiminy Cricket has become one of the biggest Disney icons thanks to a little song he sings, which I'll get to later.

I just wanted to take a moment and note how man villains this film has. We have some obvious ones like "Honest" John and Gideon, voiced by Walter Catlett and Mel Blanc (yes...THE Mel Blanc. The voice of many of the Looney Tunes voiced Gideon's hiccups) respectively, who trick Pinocchio in not going to school. Pinocchio becomes an actor for the greedy puppeteer Stromboli, voiced by Charles Judels, who responds by locking Pinocchio in a cage. Judels also voices the evil Coachman, who takes Pinocchio and a bunch of delinquent boys to Pleasure Island. On the way to Pleasure Island, Pinocchio befriends Lampwick, voiced by Frankie Darro, who proves to not be the greatest influence for Pinocchio and causes Jiminy Cricket to abandon Pinocchio since he has found a new "best friend." And finally, there's the whale Monstro, voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft, that swallows Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo, and Pinocchio must rescue them from inside the whale's belly. That's SIX bad guys, who all get an equal amount of time and development. This is a 90 minute animated film, so how come 2 to 3 hour superhero films can't do it right? Amazing Spider-Man franchise, you better be on point with the Sinister Six. But I digress.

Let's go back to some of the villains. The Coachman takes Pinocchio, Lampwick, and a bunch of other boys to Pleasure Island, where they can drink, smoke, fight, vandalize, and do all the things that can make a little boy look like a jackass. Unfortunately for the boys, this causes them to literally turn into donkeys, so the Coachman can sell them for profit. Now, this is never fully explained, but neither is Pinocchio's nose growing when he lies. There's no LOGICAL explanation, they just happen. And they happen so the kids walk away from the film paranoid to tell lies or misbehave for fear of the consequences. I'm all for teaching the kids lessons on morality, but does it have to be so darn scary? The Pink Elephants have NOTHING on watching Lampwick change into a donkey. It's traumatic to see and the music and visuals add a lot to the transformation. Put yourself in Lampwick's shoes (or hooves) and imagine what it would feel like to go from a human being to a donkey within a matter of moments. Now put yourself in Pinocchio's shoes and imagine what it would be like to see this happen to someone. Yeah...that'll mess a few people up.

The film's largest legacy is within the song "When You Wish Upon a Star," which has become one of Disney's biggest anthems (and the song you hear at the beginning of nearly every Disney film nowadays). Needless to say, Pinocchio was a successful follow-up project for Disney, to the point where it has become a cornerstone film for the company and one of the most important and beloved animated movies of all-time. Even all these years later, and with a seemingly endless supply of memorable Disney films, Pinocchio still remains one of my top favorites for the amount of sincerity and heart that Disney took in making the story about the quest to become a real boy come to life.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In my opinion, Pinocchio is definitely one of Disney's most important movies. It gave the company their main theme of dreams coming true for crying out loud. This is an animated film I would strongly recommend to everyone, and it is definitely worth owning in your collection.

Pinocchio and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Jungle Book

#492- The Jungle Book (1967)
Starring: Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot
Directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman


Plot Summary: A young child is found in a basket by a panther named Bagheera. He is taken to a pack of wolves where he is given the name Mowgli and raised as a "man-cub." 10 years later, the wolves learn that the tiger Shere Khan has returned to the jungle and will most likely come after Mowgli. To ensure his safety, Bagheera agrees to take Mowgli to the "Man Village," even though Mowgli wants to stay in the jungle. Along the way, Mowgli encounters many different animals and adventures, including Colonel Hathi and his troop of marching elephants, the hypnotizing and deceptive python Kaa, the swinging orangutan King Louie and his tribe of monkeys, a friendly barbershop quartet of vultures and the fun-loving bear Baloo that teaches Mowgli about the Bare Necessities.


Like Dumbo, The Jungle Book is one of those Disney movies on the list that I was originally confused of. Once I re-watched it and did my research on the film, there were a lot more technical and historical aspects of the film that I really appreciated. For example, this is the last film Walt Disney produced before he passed away in 1966, so it is a film that qualifies for the end of an era in Disney and animation history. I also enjoyed a lot of the iconic characters, the catchy music, and the animation style of the jungle and all its animals. So, it appears The Jungle Book is the kind of film that uses its resources wisely to make a really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously simple story still be able to stand out on its own.

The Jungle Book tells the story of a young "man-cub" named Mowgli, voiced by Bruce Reitherman. Honestly, Mowgli to me was always a bland character. Sure, he's courageous, but because of his age, his courage looks more like rash and impulsive behavior. I don't think Mowgli can go down as one of the great Disney characters, but The Jungle Book could be referenced as having one of Disney's best ensemble characters. There are tons of great supporting characters that make up for Mowgli's blandness thanks to his interactions with them throughout his journey.

Mowgli's two closest friends are Baloo, voiced by Phil Harris and Bagheera, voiced by Sebastian Cabot. The two characters are PERFECT character foils. Baloo is a carefree, lovable bear and Bagheera is a stern and serious panther. The two start out not getting along at all, but end up bonding by working together to help Mowgli and rarely alter their existing personalities. Of the two, Baloo is the more iconic in terms of Disney characters and a lot of that has to do with the amount of fun Baloo has. But he also knows how to be responsible and caring thanks to his friendship with Mowgli.

The most interesting characters in the movie, however, are the villains. Shere Khan, voiced by George Sanders, is a vicious tiger that also brings a great amount of class and elegance into his style. He is a clever and crafty with both his words and his claws. Kaa, voiced by Sterling Holloway, is a treacherous snake with hypnotizing eyes. Kaa's scenes are wonderful because of how intricate his body moves. There are seemingly no limits to how long he can stretch and how many loops and coils he can make (until he gets himself tangled). Watching these two villains converse with one another is fantastic as well, because it showcases how sneaky Kaa is trying to be and how much smarter Shere Khan is by comparison.

For the music, Terry Gilkyson wrote the songs, but when they were too dark and didn't fit the right tone Walt Disney was looking for, the legendary Sherman Brothers were brought in to have a go at it. The result was seven of Bob and Richard Sherman's songs and one of Gilkyson's for the film. Surprisingly, the one song by Gilkyson that was kept ended up being the film's most iconic song, "The Bare Necessities." That's not to say the other songs aren't enjoyable, but that song is one of the most beloved and cherished pieces of music Disney has ever produced.

One thing that absolutely stunned me about The Jungle Book was in the animation of the jungle itself. In animation, there are many different things to appreciate. Be it the character designs, the textures, the movements, there is a lot to discuss. So when a film like The Jungle Book is able to make beautiful, picturesque backgrounds for the jungle, it's a film that should stand out as one of Disney's most visually engaging films. Of course, the animal designs are wonderful, but that goes without saying (animal designs were Disney's bread and butter by that point). Had Mowgli, Baloo, and the rest of the characters had not been placed in such a captivating setting, then who knows if the film would have had the same effect if they relied on solely the characters and music.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If you like your Disney movie to have memorable music, and spectacular animation, then The Jungle Book is a film that definitely qualifies, even if it isn't considered the first choice by many. Still, the film is enjoyable and I recommend all Disney and animation fans check it out at least once, and it's definitely worth owning in their collections.

The Jungle Book and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Dumbo

#158- Dumbo (1941)
Starring: Edward Brophy, Verna Felton, Cliff Edwards
Directed by: Ben Sharpsteen, Norman Ferguson, Wilfred Jackson, William Roberts, Jack Kinney, Samuel Armstrong


Plot Summary: Mrs. Jumbo is expecting the stork to deliver her new baby elephant, Jumbo Jr. When the baby is delivered, he is born with humongous ears, causing the other elephants to laugh at him and give him the nickname "Dumbo." When some kids at the circus taunt Dumbo about his ears, Mrs. Jumbo attacks them and is locked away, leaving the other elephants to turn their backs on Dumbo. Without a mother's protection and shunned by everyone else, Dumbo is discouraged until a friend shows up in the form of Timothy Q. Mouse. With Timothy's help, Dumbo is able to visit his mother for comfort, but still hates how he is being used at the circus. After the two wake up in a tree, Timothy concludes that Dumbo's ears acted as wings and they were able to fly up there. With the help of a "magic feather," Dumbo must muster up the courage to prove that an elephant can indeed fly.


In terms of Disney's earliest films being on the list, Dumbo seems like a bit of an odd choice. I understand choices like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, and even Bambi, but I was so confused that on a list of great movies to see before you die that a spot would be given to an animated film about a flying elephant. And that's not to say that I dislike Dumbo, which is one of Disney's finest displays of their trademark magic. But on a list that doesn't feature Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, or Cinderella, I was very unsure if it deserved the spot on the list over those other great films. So what is it about Dumbo that allowed it triumph over those other Disney classics by making it onto the list?

Dumbo, a silent character, is an adorable baby elephant whom is constantly mocked for his big ears. How do you not empathize with a character like this? To add Dumbo's problems, his mother Jumbo, voiced by Verna Felton, is placed in solitary for defending Dumbo, and the rest of the circus elephants completely ignore him. The fact that such a cute and young character is left alone to wallow in his shame is darn near heartbreaking to see. The silver lining is that the audience wants Dumbo to overcome his adversities and become a success story, so that's really good filmmaking in displaying a protagonist that the audience will find easy to gravitate towards. Also, like WALL-E, Dumbo is one of Disney's most beloved and marketable characters for the sake of his cuteness. I think part of Dumbo's appeal is in his silence. He doesn't need to say a word, because the audience can fully understand him through his actions and faces. That's pretty impressive for an infant elephant with big ears.

Dumbo's only friend for most of the film is Timothy Q. Mouse, voiced by Edward Brophy. Timothy is a very good friend character for Dumbo to have, since he acts as a mouthpiece as well as Dumbo's support system. Timothy is a loyal friend who wants Dumbo to believe in himself and achieve success. With all the great Disney characters out there (especially supporting characters), I wish Timothy would be remembered more often because he's very genuine and doesn't feed off of annoying catchphrases and pop culture references, which is VERY rare nowadays in modern animated films.

Let's also use this time to analyze the most famous scene in the film (and no, I'm not talking about Dumbo flying). I'm talking about those darn pink elephants. In one of the trippiest scenes in animated history, Dumbo and Timothy accidentally get drunk (that's right....DRUNK) and hallucinate a bunch of pink elephants who terrorize their vision with some of the strangest imagery you could think of to one of the creepiest songs Disney has ever created. Even more bizarre is the fact that once the scene is over, it is never mentioned again. It left a lasting impression on viewers though, and was nightmare fuel for a lot of people thanks to the complete opposite tone the scene has in comparison to the rest of this cute and cuddly family film.

There's also a bit of infamous racism in Dumbo, thanks to a group of crows, voiced by the Hall Johnson Choir, led by Jim Crow, voiced by Cliff Edwards. It's true that the crows (that are already black based on the color of their feathers) speak with a jive-heavy lingo, and the fact that their leader is named Jim Crow is pretty politically incorrect by today's standards. I will say that I didn't find it THAT distracting when I was watching it, as I was able to forgive the filmmakers because it was a different time back in the '40s where stuff like this wasn't as frowned upon as it would obviously be today. The same goes for the faceless, but noticeably black, workers the circus has to do most of the labor. Based on the time it was portraying, this might be a bit more commonplace, so I was able to move on and not raise too much fuss, which is a lot more than I can say for some modern film analysts who just won't let it go. Needless to say, people still like to point the finger at Disney when using the phrase "racist" and the crows are usually an initial go to example.

The biggest impact a film like Dumbo can have is that it's a film that even if you haven't seen it, you're very familiar with the story. It's a very iconic "ugly duckling" story where the main character has a condition that society rejects (his ears), but by the end has embraced who he is and makes a positive out of his negative circumstances (learning how to fly). The image of Dumbo flying is one of Disney's most iconic images to the point where it has been recreated and immortalized in one of the most popular rides in all Disney theme parks. So, it seems there are a lot of reasons why this film is significant for Disney, and it leads me to this conclusion about the other quality films that were left off the list: Disney has SO MANY memorable and magical films that there just isn't enough room to place all of them on the list, so re-watch the ones you like, avoid the ones you don't like, and have your own personal list of Disney favorites that you will cherish forever...Sorry, didn't mean to get all sentimental there. Fricken Disney.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Dumbo was a surprisingly short film at only 64 minutes. Still, the animation has aged wonderfully, Dumbo is one of Disney's cutest and most marketable of characters, and the film is well-done and tells a brief, but heartwarming story that many moviegoers should see at least once. I recommend fans of Disney and animation own the film in their collection, but be cautious because you may see some pink elephants in your dreams.

Dumbo and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- WALL-E

#1109- WALL-E (2008)
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Directed by: Andrew Stanton


Plot Summary: In the year 2085, Earth is unpopulated and cluttered with garbage due to years of consumerism by the Buy 'n' Large Corporation. Alone on Earth is WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot that has developed speech by being on Earth for 700 years. One day, WALL-E finds a growing seedling and takes it to his home, an abandoned storage truck. Shortly after, a spaceship deploys an EVE probe to search for vegetation on Earth. After many attempts, WALL-E befriends EVE and gives her the seedling which causes her to go into standby mode. Her spacecraft returns to take her and the seedling to the Axiom starliner. Determined to be with EVE, WALL-E boards the ship and ventures into outer space for the adventure of a lifetime.


After spending 4 months on what has felt like a film school project by going through the various decades of pop culture films, I thought it was time to transition back a genre I was comfortable with: Disney. These next seven reviews will round out my first 100 reviews (something I'm VERY excited about) and bring me back to the monthly review topics I'm used to. With that said, let's talk about WALL-E: a film I saw only once and was NOT initially impressed with. That's not to say I didn't like it, but I really couldn't understand why the majority of the world fell in love with this film in 2008. Add to the fact that this, along with the Toy Story Trilogy, are the only representations of Pixar on the list, and I was absolutely baffled. Why is WALL-E on this list, but Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Up aren't? Then, in my most recent viewing of the film, I was won over by enough of the film's charm to find it passable as a choice on the list. However, I still think there are a handful of BIG problems in the film and believe that there are other Pixar films more qualified to be on the list instead.

The titular character is WALL-E, a robot voiced by Ben Burtt. The key component to WALL-E's appeal is that he is cute. Oh, did I say cute? I think the more appropriate term to describe WALL-E's popularity is that viewers find him FREAKING ADORABLE. The world fell in love with WALL-E so easily because of the amount of emotion, speech, and mannerisms that the Pixar animators were able to give to a robot, which are normally supposed to be devoid of said characteristics. For a good portion of the film, he is the only character we see, but every moment he's on-screen is marvelous. His interactions are comedic, dramatic, heartwarming, and even heartbreaking. The audience really has an amazing, innocent main character in the form of WALL-E and it's easy to see how he's one of the most popular modern Disney characters.

Another reason the world fell in love with WALL-E is through his romance with a futuristic robot named EVE, voiced by Elissa Knight. At first, EVE is on Earth just to complete her directive, but through interaction with WALL-E, is given humanity as well. I never thought seeing two robots fall in love would be as touching as it is here. All the emotions of a relationship are on display, even bits where EVE is irritated at WALL-E (but don't worry, it's only brief). In the world of Disney films, it's easy to poke fun at how fast romances blossom in the span of the film, but there is something really accurate about how they did it with WALL-E and EVE.

Normally, a quality animated film should have good animation, that should go without saying. In the case of WALL-E, it isn't just visually stunning for an animated film. It's visually stunning for film in general. The best amount of quality is on display in the various textures used to create Earth, humans, robots, and outer space. The scenes of WALL-E and EVE flying in space are absolutely breathtaking and rivals most live-action movies in recent years that have created space through the use of CGI. If the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was given for the animation quality alone, then it is no wonder why the film won the award in 2008.

I remember when I saw the trailers for the film when it was coming out and saw the opening sequences of WALL-E on Earth, and shots of him flying in space. Other than that, I wondered what else was in the movie. We get the answer in the form of fat humans who have lost a lot of bone structure due to over 700 years of lazy inactivity due to technological advancements after we destroyed Earth through pollution. WOW. If that isn't a political statement on environmentalism, I don't know what is. This seems like the type of theme you would find in an after school special (or FernGully), not an award winning Pixar film. I never would've pictured that being one of the main plot points in a film about a little cute robot.

On top of the environmental theme, there is one HUGE factor that makes me hesitate from making this an absolute favorite of mine in the animation genre: the villain. I'm not going to spoil what happens, but believe me when I say the villain (or villains) for this film are generic and BORING. I guess the "twist" is supposed to have some impact, but I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure out early on who the villain will be by the end of the film. With great Pixar antagonist like Randall Boggs, Syndrome, Charles Muntz, Hopper, and majority of the Toy Story villains, this "reveal" feels like a really big letdown for an overall enjoyable film.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

It's a shame that the problems I had with WALL-E were pretty important. Otherwise this would be one of my favorite animated films. Still, the film looks beautiful, the romance feels genuine, and the main character is so gosh darn adorable, this is one Pixar film worth checking out at least once and fans of animation should definitely have this in their collection.

WALL-E and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios