Lay off Wall*E, jerks

I have to say: I don’t understand the conservative reaction against Wall*E. The pro-environment message may not be subtle (I mean, the Earth is literally covered under garbage), but it’s not offensive, either. There’s one line of Bush-bashing, but you really have to be looking for it (and what’s the point of trying to get outraged?). So yeah, I can see how a little annoyance might creep in…but there’s so much to love! Pixar’s animation has transcended every expectation I ever had about the medium–they’re truly brilliant over there. As James points outover at The American Scene, even the outro to the credits verges on genius, the evolution of art serving as a metaphor for the evolution of society. Just great stuff.

The one thing you might say about the is that it’s not great for kids: forty minutes without dialogue at the beginning, followed up by an hour in a spaceship is just too much. After about 75 minutes, one of the kids in my theater had simply had enough, and started talking–loudly. The laughter all seemed to come from adults, as well.

That being said: I loved it. It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s touching–all in all, a great movie. Even if Wall*E is a total rip off of Johnny 5.