Friday, December 26, 2008

It only takes a moment....



Seriously, my family watched this movie today. I think it has become one of my all time favorite Pixar films. Each one of their subsequent endeavors results in something deeply moving and fantastically visually stunning. Despite being, essentially, a box with binocular eyes, Walle- expresses a wealth of emotions through the simple (and often subtle) movements of his eyes and the hums and beeps of his voice. How can you get any better than an adorable robot who has a passion for "Hello Dolly?" I ask you. The answer? Not much better. Additionally, through the animator's careful craftsmanship, you are able to connect with this little robot on so many other levels: his undying curiosity, his concern and devotion to others, his frustration, and finally his quest for true love.

I think critics of this film who complain that this film tries too hard to push an agenda are missing something magical. It's not just a film about the revitalization of Earth by being environmentally friendly (which is definitely important for our generation to hear), but about the wonderfully sweet romance between Wall-e and Eve. In the film, when it comes down to it, Eve is willing to sacrifice her directive to save Wall-e. And although he reminds her of her duty, I think this is an important point. We can't simply think about saving humanity without thinking about the individuals who need our help. Maybe I'm missing something or reading too much into it, but I think that is one of the most important messages that this moving film communicates. Plus, those who think that its "Go Green!" message ruins their perception of the rest of the film, I would ask you first to reconsider why you are so perturbed by this message. It's important for us to be good stewards of our world and to do our part to make the world clean and habitable. The Captain in the film points out that its not about just surviving, its about living and that though there may be some costs, we should still strive to make our world, or more simply our lives better. I'm glad to see a children's movie saying something so meaningful. Secondly, I would implore you to watch the film again and enjoy the interactions between its two main protagonists.... so sweet. Please. It only takes a moment....

1 comments:

Gabriel said...

I really like the point you brought up. In the movie "the core" there's this one line that I found parallel to Eve's decision to sacrifice her directive. "It's too much for me to save all of humanity, I'm here to save these people *the man holds up a picture of his wife and two children during Christmas* they're enough for me". Definitely something to think about when we work on something grand (Saving the West?!) it starts with people. =]