If you were to describe the first 40 minutes of Wall-E to someone, their eyes would probably glaze over. “So it’s about a trash compactor robot on a desolate earth? And his only friend is a cockroach? And there’s no dialogue for the first 40 minutes? And this movie is for kids?” It’s a testament to Pixar’s mastery of the form that they could take that premise and create one of the most delightful and moving animated films in recent memory. No, Wall-E doesn’t really talk, but he is imbued with a personality that is unmistakable. The love story between him and EVE, at first somewhat silly, becomes as heartfelt and real as the great romances. Their “space dance” is a thing of real beauty.

You could subtitle the film “The Little Robot That Could,” but that would be doing it an injustice. It’s hard to believe that a little robot who can’t speak might have so much to show us about being human.

~ Evan Derrick