Wall-E, above all else, is a scathing social criticism.  It’s an environmental film.  Yet, to look at the way the film has been marketed (as a cute romance or kids’ movie) is an interesting study of our culture.

The decision not to market the film as a social criticism was, no doubt, a conscious one; the marketing teams at monster places like Disney don’t mess around when it comes to tallying the revenue...  One must ask one’s self: “Why would there be no mention of this enormous story element?”  The answer, sadly, is plain:  less people would see it.  And therein lies the tragedy that the film so successfully criticizes.

Our laziness and consumptive habits are exaggerated in this great tale about the lone robot left to pick up the mess after we’ve abandoned earth for cleaner, more comfortable accommodations.  Humans are here portrayed as fat, clueless creatures glued to televisions who neither interact nor know how to use their own legs.

But the heart of the story comes from two robotic characters more human than the humans themselves.  In amazing feats of digital animation, these robots speak only a single word throughout the film (albeit repeatedly, and with varied reflection); their eyes and hands do the talking - and we love them as though they are human.  That’s good storytelling!

But don’t go in expecting Shrek or Finding Nemo.  Wall-E moves with neither the pace nor frenetic, child-like energy of those films.  Instead, it spends its first thirty minutes in wordless silence - establishing the world as it exists for this lone character in a bleak landscape - kept company only by a love-able cockroach.

Andrew Stanton’s (who also wrote the film) direction is tight, his knack for physical humor reminiscent of Buster Keaton.

Bring your kids, your mother, your grumpy Aunt Sarah...this film will please everyone.