No witty caption here. Not this time. Wall-E deserves an Oscar.
I just saw Wall-E for the second time since it was in theaters, and reminded of its genius I began writing this article. I remember seeing the trailer for Wall-E what must have been close to a year ago, and knowing that something special was coming. There were no spoken words – just electronic noises. However, the design of both the robot (those eyes, those hands!) and his sounds conveyed more heart than anything I had recently seen.
I saw the movie the first day it came out, and was not disappointed. Pixar has consistently released movies that made you feel good ever since 1995’s Toy Story. Since 2000, though, Pixar has really stepped it up. I feel like Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles were underrated, Finding Nemo got its due, and Ratatouille was overrated – fun but easily forgotten. However, Wall-E transcends them all.
The Academy Awards are generally known as lifetime achievement awards. Winning an award doesn’t generally mean you win for that year’s nomination, but collectively for a long stretch of work that didn’t get its due from the Academy. Look to Martin Scorsese and Joel and Ethan Coen, who both recently won their first Best Director awards after an incredible string of films. This year, Heath Ledger will win his first and last Oscar for his work in The Dark Knight. He probably should’ve won before, but he’ll finally get his due. In this spirit, Pixar deserves an Academy Award not only for Wall-E, but in recognition for all of its marvelous work over the years.
Speaking of The Dark Knight, a lot of buzz has surrounded it regarding the Best Picture. I’ve seen the film at least four times (that’s 10+ hours), and each time I grew less and less enthusiastic about its Best Picture chances. In my review, I mentioned that the film (which I gave 4 out of 4 stars) seemed a little too long and disconnected but that it didn’t affect the film. After repeat viewings, I have to disagree with myself. The finale with Harvey Dent seems tacked on after the Joker storyline is brought to a close, and lame one-liners from henchman and policeman lessen a tense mood with half-assed attempts at comedy. That being said, I still love the film, but against Wall-E it does not deserve the Best Picture.
Wall-E is not just a children’s film. Sure, they’ll enjoy the slapstick and the funny fat people on the Axiom, but adults will see these things and know that this is a dystopian cautionary tale. They’ll see a not-so-distant future where Earth is covered in trash and smog in which a huge Wal-Mart like corporation controls everything and morbidly obese humans are encouraged to simply relax and buy more. The love story is also amazing. Wall-E’s sigh, Eve’s giggle – these are the only things you need to feel the chemistry, the spark between them.
I know I haven’t seen some of the other contenders this year, but I would be very surprised if anything made me feel the way Wall-E did. With that, I give the film my highest recommendation to anyone, including the Academy. Only one other animated film has been nominated for Best Picture (Beauty and the Beast in 1991), and since then a Best Animated Feature category was added, making it even harder for animation to break through to Best Picture. However, Disney needs to make its hardest push in the final months. WALL-E needs to win Best Picture.
Wall-E: 
(out of 4)
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January 5, 2009 at 5:41 pm
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