DVD Review: WALL-E – Three Disc Special Edition

Movie Info:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writers: Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon
Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, MacInTalk, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver
Rating: G
Studio: Disney/Pixar

Release Info:
Theatrical Release Date: June 27, 2008
DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $22.99

I have officially seen the most adorable movie of the year. I don’t normally use words like adorable, nor do I tend to like movies that are adorable. Maybe I should rephrase by saying the “most awesome” movie. That might just sum up my feelings about WALL-E. It’s hard not to fall in love with the little guy. He is just that darn adorable (oops! I used that word again!). I wasn’t as interested as I should have been in seeing this movie, merely because I’d just seen Tinker Bell and was disappointed, but WALL-E was all that a Disney movie should live up to being and more!

I first heard about WALL-E during a screening for a Disney movie I reviewed a while back. I can’t remember which one. It might have been Meet the Robinsons. I recall the “intro to WALL-E” said something about, Joe Ranft. one of the men who helped create Toy Story amongst other Pixar titles. Joe helped to come up with the idea for WALL-E. In fact, it was one of the last ideas he helped develop for Pixar before he died in a car crash. The staff and Pixar decided to go with it and they worked tirelessly to do the story justice.

Leading up to the release of WALL-E, Disney/Pixar pumped it up to the point where I wasn’t sure if it could live up to my expectations. Well, I was thoroughly surprised and delighted to learn that this movie was excellent. It wasn’t just excellent. It was downright amazing. I loved every minute of it and I can’t wait to watch this movie again. WALL-E is a movie everyone should see regardless of age, gender, or whether they like Disney movies or not. Pixar really went all out for this and they deserve as much praise as I can give. I don’t always enjoy Disney/Pixar movies, but this one is definitely a keeper.

WALL-E is a relatable robot. Alone in a desolate world, all he has is his desire to love and be loved. A true story about the human emotion, which just happens to be portrayed in robot form and a subtle warning for why we should take care of our planet, WALL-E is going to be a favorite of audiences everywhere. If you pick up any movie this holiday season it has to be this one. Everyone deserves a little WALL-E in their life. I’m glad I have my copy and plan to make sure others in my family have their own copies of this excellent movie, as well.

The WALL-E Plot
WALL-E is the last remaining robot on Earth. The robots (the WALL-E models) were supposed to clean up the Earth after trash overrides it. I assumed there was some sort of nuclear attack that happened, although the reason that humans lost the Earth isn’t exactly explained. The Earth is just inhospitable to human life and pretty much all life as all the plants have been wiped out, as well. WALL-E does all the work on his own. He has built huge skyscrapers out of the boxes he makes out of trash, restoring the city. His only friend is a lone cockroach and they hide in a truck, filled with supplies where he can repair himself if necessary. This is especially pertinent during the frequent sandstorms.

WALL-E is in love with the movie Hello Dolly!. In fact, it is pretty clear he hopes to find his one true love, one day. Just like in the movie! He records the songs from Hello Dolly!, which he plays back while he is working. Sadly, the very sociable WALL-E is all alone. Luckily, there is hope. The first sign that Earth may be making a rebound, in the form of a tiny plant that begins to grow, could mean WALL-E might not be alone anymore.

All of the humans have been living in space. In fact, they have so many luxuries that they don’t even know how to walk. All of them are humongous and have no concept of doing anything remotely normal. When a space ship carrying a robot named Eve goes to Earth to try and find signs of life, WALL-E falls in love and falls hard. After bonding with Eve, WALL-E is thrilled to finally have something to talk to, but when Eve shuts down, WALL-E can only show her around the world and hope she sees what is going on through some sort of later programming. When the spaceship returns to take Eve back into space, WALL-E can’t bear to let her go. He latches onto the spaceship and heads into space with her.

As WALL-E fights to find EVE so he can show his love for her, he learns about the world in space and whatever happened to the humans who gave up on the world he loves and worked to improve tirelessly. When the Captain of the ship learns some disturbing news and when it looks like WALL-E and EVE will never be together, all that WALL-E can have is hope that love will see him through what seems like an impossible, unfair situation. This movie teaches about the beauty of love, friendship and perseverance with the most loveable protagonist in Disney history, WALL-E.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
WALL-E is as visually stunning as it is enjoyable. It is pretty clear that the animators at Pixar go all out whenever they animate a movie. The stunning animation, sleek graphic design and brightly abundant color palette make this DVD well worth watching. Heck, if the movie looked awful but the story was good, I’d still watch it, but luckily, WALL-E looks exceptionally amazing! The 2.39:1 aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen is perfect for nearly any television set. This movie is brilliant in nearly all ways!

The sound for WALL-E is a melodious cacophony. There is the dialogue, music and sound effects. The musical score is full and robust. The sound effects come through clearly and make excellent use of the speakers. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is about as good as it gets for standard DVD releases these days. There is a second track in 2.0 Stereo (English), but I didn’t listen to that. The 5.1 does it all and then some. Subtitles are available in English.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The Three Disc Special Edition of WALL-E is packed to the brim with features. This has everything I would expect (bonus wise) from a Blockbuster release and then some!

Here is a breakdown of the bonuses by disc.

DISC ONE

“BURN-E” – This is an animated short about a robot on the Axiom cruise ship (where the humans live in Outer Space). It’s nearly as engaging as the actual film and really shows off what Pixar is capable of in it’s shorts creation.

“Presto” – This is the second animated short included by Pixar. Lasting a little over five minutes, this is the story of a magician and a rabbit. When the rabbit is hungry and the non-verbal magician won’t give him carrots, the rabbit takes matters into his own hands!

“Deleted Scenes” – Five minutes worth of deleted scenes are included. There are two deleted scenes, “Garbage Airlock” and “Dumped”, in all. These look like they could have fit right in the movie, because they’re beautifully designed. There is an optional commentary for each scene with director, Andrew Stanton.

“Sneak Peek: WALL-E’s Tour Of The Universe” – Previews of other Pixar related titles and for a WALL-E inspired Pixar story.

“Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds From The Sound Up” – Ben Burtt and other sound designers from Pixar discuss the origin of sound in animated features and how they went about creating the sounds that can be heard in WALL-E.

“Audio Commentary With Director Andrew Stanton” – I really enjoyed hearing Andrew Stanton talk about everything from the development of WALL-E during an infamous lunch in which ideas for A Bugs Life, Finding Nemo and Monster’s Inc., as well as WALL-E, were first discussed. The concept for this movie has been around since 1994 and Stanton never forgot about WALL-E. It’s clear this movie was a labor of love for him, which makes this track all the more enjoyable!

DISC TWO

“The Pixar Story” By Leslie Iwerks – This is an in depth and engaging look at the history of Pixar. From the ground up to today, award-winning film maker, Leslie Iwerks, explores Pixar from its roots to its many successes, which have made it one of the leading animation studios today. It also includes the pitfalls and problems this company has faced, throughout the years.

“Additional Deleted Scenes” – More deleted scenes are available with two, “Secret Files” and “Docking”, adding to the two previous scenes on disc one. I liked these, but they aren’t nearly as complete as the previous two scenes.

“The Imperfect Lens: Creating the Look of WALL-E” – This looks at the visually stunning creative aspects of this movie. From character creation and concept art to the completed product, no stone is left unturned.

“Captain’s Log: The Evolution of Humans” – This looks at the idea for the humans and how they came to be (as the flat slobs they are in the movie). The original premise was aliens, not humans, but obviously, that didn’t fly.

“WALL-E’s Treasures And Trinkets” – Go on a hilarious ride with WALL-E as he gets in trouble, but has fun doing it!

“BnL Shorts” – The BnL Corporation is a part of the movie, as they are the ones who developed the space cruises for humans. These are shorts that tell a broader story of the corporation.

“Notes on a Score” – A self-explanatory featurette, with a look into the score for WALL-E. This featurette includes a discussion with the composer for the film, Thomas Newman.

“Life of a Shot: Deconstructing the Pixar Process” – How much work goes into making even one scene in a movie such as WALL-E? You can imagine quite a bit and this looks exactly at what went into making this movie, as well as how many cast/crew members had to be used.

“Lots Of Bots” Storybook – A fun filled, interactive storybook adventure with plenty of games for kids to play.

“Robo-Everything” – This is the concept, development and discussion about the other, non-central robots used in the movie…from design to implementation.

“WALL-E and EVE” – This looks into the main characters, their designs, development and ideas behind their creation.

“Bot Files” – Fact files for the movie!

DISC THREE

“Disney File Digital Copy” – Pretty self-explanatory, this offers up the Digital copy for the movie WALL-E.

That’s all the features, but as you can see, there is much to be found here. While you may not be into digital copy, all of the other features make up for the fact that Disc Three is virtually useless to most people.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I loved WALL-E. It was absolutely brilliant. One hundred times I recommend this movie. Don’t even bother renting it. Just pick it up at the store and add it to your collection. You won’t be sorry. You can expect to see this DVD on our hot holiday buying lists. I’m pretty sure it will be near the top of the list. No matter who you are or what kind of movies you like and if you have kids or not, you need to watch WALL-E. This is one of the most heartfelt movies I’ve seen in a long time, so buy it while you can.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: WALL-E, Collector’s Edition, Disney, Pixar, Robot, Love, Hello Dolly!, Walt Disney Home Video, Andrew Stanton

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.

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