From All Movie Guide: A G-rated synthesis of A.I., Idiocracy, 2001, and Chaplin's Modern Times, WALL-E tells the tale of a robot left behind to clean up Earth while the human race bides its time in space, waiting for machines to fix the mess they've left behind. But this being Pixar, the deeper issues are handled just as expertly as the conventional storyline, which in this case is a simple love story between two robots.

A first-time viewer could be forgiven for not grasping the consistent vision of WALL-E's subtext on a first viewing, primarily because the look of the film is so detailed and accomplished that you can be awestruck just admiring the visual, and aural, craftsmanship. Hiring ace cinematographer Roger Deakins as a "consultant" paid off like a winning lottery ticket. The opening passages of the film -- on an Earth populated by nothing but a robot, a cockroach, and lots of garbage -- have a realism that trumps everything Pixar has done to this point. Oftentimes you forget you're watching an ...

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