WALL-E. Directed by Andrew Stanton. Written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Capobianco. Release Date: June 27, 2008. Country of Production: United States. Key Cast (vocal talent and sound design): Ben Burtt (WALL-E / M-O), Elissa Knight (Eve), Jeff Garlin (Captain).
Well, just when you thought that Pixar couldn't possibly keep outdoing themselves with such a stellar record and an incomparable ability to consistently redefine the standards of computer animation, they did. This time they launch you into an intergalactic science fiction tale that focuses on a robot, WALL-E, who falls in love with a far more graceful and advanced female robot, Eve (be on the lookout for the Mac/PC jabs).
Tackling a science fiction story seems humbly poignant, especially since "the future" has implanted itself into the social consciousness in contemporary politics, economy, film and TV. Everyone wants to talk about what the future is going to be like, and project what sort of impact or "footprint" our society and civilization will leave on the planet (to use one of the buzzwords). In WALL-E, Pixar paints a whimsically dark portrait of the future in which, not unlike Stanley Kubrick's and Arthur C. Clarke's vision of the future in 2001, the robots that we have created end up controlling us (this film is also abound with nods to Kubrick's space opus).
Technically, this film reaffirms that Pixar is a force to be reckoned with, and you would be hard-pressed to find any film more visually accomplished. Even thinking about it now, I am bowled over by the character that they implanted in the inorganic machines that make up the film's cast. The one thing that I was worried about was that the environmentalist message would be too overbearing, but just as they are visually accomplished, so too is their storytelling capacity, and they managed to get the message across without being too heavy-handed, or relying on the ominous and desolate doomsday scenario. I was honestly more caught up in the heartfelt love story between WALL-E and Eve than I was the "go green" moral, if you could even call it that.
One thing that I heard through the grapevine was that there was special consideration given to the cinematography of the film. I thought this was worth investigating, and lo and behold: the brilliant cinematographer Roger Deakins (who just so happens to be the Coen Brothers go-to-guy) worked on WALL-E as a visual consultant, and helped to bring those amazingly realistic scenes to life. The scenes in this movie have an incredibly real-feeling depth of field. The virtual camera struggles to reconcile the focus almost as if the characters occupy a real space.
I am excited to be growing up on the cusp on computer animation. This is a really exciting field taking giant strides. Each new Pixar movie is a feast for the eyes and the brain. It seems that each new step has me not only floored by their prowess of creating mythology, but I also catch myself wondering, "How did they do that?" Indeed, as tongue-in-cheek as the homage to 2001 was in this film, I cared almost as much about these robots (I mean, these representations of robots) as I do about many people. These are characters that are removed by at least two steps from real humanity, and yet they can tug my heartstrings just the same. Maybe that just makes me a sap, but perhaps it's because we are rocketing upward on that cusp aforementioned. I believe we are hurtling toward the uncanny valley at a dead sprint, perhaps planting our last step before we launch ourselves over it like an Olympic long jump competitor. Here we go!
2 comments:
I am fascinated by the idea of creating perceived real space by imposing the limitations of a physical lens on a completely virtual reality. I feel as though its almost a continuation of the earlier discussion on fake documentary. Does an audience need that? What is the point of intentionally forcing an out-of-focus close-up to create realism when I'm watching shopping carts chase a cartoon robot? There's a part of me that appreciates the attention to detail, but isn't it a regressive move? I haven't seen the film yet, Plato. Do you find the enforced spatial restrictions detract from the visual richness of a film with a potentially limitless depth of field?
Not at all, my musketeer-ing friend! As a matter of fact, I would argue the opposite, that the goal would be to pitch the audience into a virtual world so real (illusory as it may be) that rather than gawk at the craftsmanship of said environment, they actually believe in it.
If I were to write a children's story (especially one that could be told to children and adults), the highest honor I could hope to achieve would be that it is a story that people believe in, a story that evokes emotion. And lucky for Pixar, they're good enough to do that while dazzling a full range of audiences with the depth and mystery of Athos, the charisma of Aramis, and Porthos's awesome power.
-PT
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