Pixar's Wall•E: Family Entertainment with a Good Message

In recent years, I have been very disappointed by the quality of the cartoons and so-called family films that have been released. With poor examples, borderline profanity, and thinly veiled sexual innuendos, I have banned a number of "family" films from my daughter's viewing collection. However, we have found a gem in the latest offering from Pixar and Disney films.

Wall•E, or Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, is a robot working hard on Earth. His job: clean up the waste left by the humans who had to evacuate to space due to the Earth's toxicity. In the 700 years following the humans' departure, Wall•E develops a personality. His curiosity leads him to build an extensive collection of knick-knacks from sporks to garden gnomes. His favorite video is "Hello, Dolly!" and he cares diligently for his pet cockroach. But his peaceful existence is about to change when EVE arrives and he returns with her to space. Once back on Axiom, the two embark on a mission to help the now-inept humans.

Wall•E is a great family movie even for young children. We took our 3 year old daughter and she was fascinated by his facial expressions. The movie is largely interactive with robots and Wall•E never speaks more than a handful of words. But Pixar animators did an incredible job with his "face" and "body" language. You will fall in love with the little hunk of metal before the first 15 minutes have passed.

The overall message of the film is a good one. Wall•E, the hero of the movie, is not only a hard worker but also a devoted friend. He cares diligently for his cockroach and EVE and is loyal even in the face of danger. He risks his life to help save others. And he brings joy to everyone he meets.

I never thought I could love cockroaches or robots, but Pixar brings these to life in a way that no other movie has been able to. The movie is sprinkled with humor- and very clean too, I might add, thanks to a small robot whose sole purpose is to decontaminate Wall•E. There is romance- but to delve into this storyline would spoil the movie.

Wall•E opened in theaters on June 27, 2008 so buy your tickets today for a great family flick!