WALL•E's been described as Pixar's greatest epic, but I find myself asking what lasting effects it could have for Pixar and the animation industry in the future.
As you may know, Pixar are the flagbearers of American 3D animated film, and their films are contributions to the culture. Their past movies have been grand and sweeping, but are still usually described as "cartoons". Nothing against them, of course, but an animated film can do so much more than a "cartoon".
WALL•E seems to have struck a chord with everyone, from the great unwashed to the cinematic elite. Pixar films have always drawn "hype", but rarely have they drawn so much "interest". The more serious treatment of the film, with such ugly yet likable characters like WALL•E, a minimum of dialogue, and the sweeping, trash-strewn vistas of old Earth with Buy 'N Large permeating everywhere, has made waves in the industry. The closest Pixar film I've seen achieve something like this was Finding Nemo, with the serious story of a father trying against all odds to find his son on his travels through the enormous ocean. Its juvenility, however, held it back.
WALL•E doesn't appear to have that problem, and that's why it seems important. It shows children a stark, dirty cast and setting and gives them all a terrible, if initially unrecognized problem, with the whole world in the hands of a robot who's too innocent and good-natured to realize it. It's a multifaceted story, with both the saving of the world and WALL•E and EVE's romance sharing the spotlight, an incredible setting, and by far the most epic movie Pixar has produced. This makes me think it could change the direction of the animation industry.
There's Oscar buzz centering around WALL•E, and not just for the Best Animated Feature award that's expected of it; people are talking about Best Picture. No animated movie has been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar since 1991's Beauty and the Beast, another animated film of considerable scope, back when Disney was still ambitious. It's not certain, but with the crop of films we've gotten in 2008, it's more likely than it's ever been.
This is also the first Pixar film that had a strong message about current events: environmentalism and indulgence. The reason that it has 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, rather than Pixar's usual 98% or 99%, is because some conservative critics have lambasted it for being pro-environment. Its depiction of humankind as a race of enormous babies, more so as a commentary on overdependency. Stanton claims he didn't have any moral or political motive behind his story and just wanted to tell a story about the last robot on earth, as per the humility and intimacy of Pixar's storytelling, but other ideas sprang organically from the material, like WALL•E's little green sprout.
What's your opinion on WALL•E's impact on the future, and not just in the movie? ;)
It's cemented the idea that cartoons are not necessarily child's entertainment in the mind of our generation, but that had already been done to a degree.
I expect the animation will be booming from the echos of this movie for some time.
I think critics are too anxious to declare something with the slightest degree of integrity a modern epic, due to what a bacterial wasteland of vomit and faecal matter the film industry has become.
I just hope other animation powerhouses like Dreamworks begin to realize that they need some fucking content and effort instead of creating piggy banks also bound with Activision. (they are like a villainous duo in the media this past years)
Also WALL·E had a lot of ision I have of human activity on the planet so maybe being raw and direc to consequencs in a movie for kids like showeing an arid and agonized planet Earth is what is needed to give a better message on ecology.
Yeah I am a hippie, fuck you.
Quote from: TremcladClock;1474351I think critics are too anxious to declare something with the slightest degree of integrity a modern epic, due to what a bacterial wasteland of vomit and faecal matter the film industry has become.
I agree with this too.
Quote from: TremcladClock;1474351I think critics are too anxious to declare something with the slightest degree of integrity a modern epic, due to what a bacterial wasteland of vomit and faecal matter the film industry has become.
Are you saying
WALL•E is overrated?
Quote from: SnakeClock;1474366Are you saying WALL•E is overrated?
I think what he said is movie critics seem to not even dare to see the movies anymore.
Quote from: SnakeClock;1474366Are you saying WALL•E is overrated?
Considering the colossal size of the merchandising campaign surrounding it and the extent to which it's being praised and capitalised on; yes, It's overrated.
Quote from: TremcladClock;1474390Considering the colossal size of the merchandising campaign surrounding it and the extent to which it's being praised and capitalised on; yes, It's overrated.
All Pixar films are merchandised within an inch of their lives, as are most Disney films. I think there's something different about
WALL•E. I wasn't aware that critics paid attention to the amount of toys and commercials a movie gets when they're assessing its sociological value.
If it was all about a movie's merchandising attention,
Toy Story would be Pixar's greatest epic. :p
On tonight's episode of "Clocks!": Snake tries to be deep, Tremclad is a downer, Urkel annoys Carl, and Tim misunderstands something Wilson says and then grunts a lot!
Quote from: SnakeClock;1474408All Pixar films are merchandised within an inch of their lives, as are most Disney films. I think there's something different about WALL•E. I wasn't aware that critics paid attention to the amount of toys and commercials a movie gets when they're assessing its sociological value.
If it was all about a movie's merchandising attention, Toy Story would be Pixar's greatest epic. :p
The extent to which something is capitalised upon is a reflection of how successful its proprietors perceive it to be. It's the cumbersome result of critics going apeshit after finding a gold nugget in the horse manure.
Quote from: TequilaClock;1474356I just hope other animation powerhouses like Dreamworks begin to realize that they need some fucking content and effort instead of creating piggy banks also bound with Activision. (they are like a villainous duo in the media this past years)
Or even better, the audiences start growing some brains and stop paying money to go see Dreamworks' pitiful turds. I'd rather see Dreamworks fail first before making something good. Just to put a dent in their ridiculous capital.
Quote from: SnakeClock;1474408All Pixar films are merchandised within an inch of their lives, as are most Disney films. I think there's something different about WALL•E. I wasn't aware that critics paid attention to the amount of toys and commercials a movie gets when they're assessing its sociological value.
If it was all about a movie's merchandising attention, Toy Story would be Pixar's greatest epic. :p
I find it ironic how in WALL·E's main message, the merchandise of this movie is beign much more atractive to me.
Quote from: Frenchy Kitty;1474631Or even better, the audiences start growing some brains and stop paying money to go see Dreamworks' pitiful turds. I'd rather see Dreamworks fail first before making something good. Just to put a dent in their ridiculous capital.
Well both situations sound win-win to me.
Disney is BnL, tru dat.
Kung Fu Panda was an amazing movie, but was marketed as generic kids trash, which is was not at all.
On the other hand, Dreamworks is making 8 Shrek movies.
I'm conflicted on that subject.
Quote from: William Murray;1475236Kung Fu Panda was an amazing movie, but was marketed as generic kids trash, which is was not at all.
On the other hand, Dreamworks is making 8 Shrek movies.
I'm conflicted on that subject.
This is enough statement to persuade me watching KFP. I was watching merchandise every-fucking-where and began to get sick.
since when was kung fu panda a good film i dont remember this
wall-e was a nice film that i enjoyed watching but i do not think it could be thought of as a "modern epic" at all
Quote from: William Murray;1475236Kung Fu Panda was an amazing movie, but was marketed as generic kids trash, which is was not at all.
On the other hand, Dreamworks is making 8 Shrek movies.
I'm conflicted on that subject.
Kung Fu Panda was ass. I was just really bored during most of the movie, and it felt like there were hardly any gags at all, just stuff and then some other stuff happening.
wall-e on the other hand was a great movie, and the best of the pixar movies, but overrated.
finding nemo isn't relevant to this thread but i guess we're talking about cgi so okay i'm going for it. finding nemo was one of the shit ass pixar movies, and definitely the most overrated. all these mothers were shitting bricks about finding nemo and how their kids loved it and how it was so funny and how it was the best movie they'd ever seen and they wanted to have some sort of bestiality orgy with the cast. that movie was just really unfunny, and it was pissing me off half the time. and it's still lingering too, children still recognize "NEMO" in fish tanks in dentists' offices, and their mothers go "oh look, it's NEMO ^-^" and i don't see what was so goddamn enchanting about the film.
but yeah that wall-e
it was sure a movie
Well... I loved Finding Nemo´s visual effects
Quote from: FileCabinetClock;1475495finding nemo isn't relevant to this thread but i guess we're talking about cgi so okay i'm going for it. finding nemo was one of the shit ass pixar movies, and definitely the most overrated. all these mothers were shitting bricks about finding nemo and how their kids loved it and how it was so funny and how it was the best movie they'd ever seen and they wanted to have some sort of bestiality orgy with the cast. that movie was just really unfunny, and it was pissing me off half the time. and it's still lingering too, children still recognize "NEMO" in fish tanks in dentists' offices, and their mothers go "oh look, it's NEMO ^-^" and i don't see what was so goddamn enchanting about the film.
I mentioned
Finding Nemo in the context of
WALL•E in that they both have a similarly large scope. You're partly right about
Finding Nemo, though; I don't think it aged very gracefully. A lot of the humour is irritatingly popcultural, and at least there's nothing around here that already has a name that will have kids point at it and say "Look! It's a WALL-E! ^___^"
Also, what's worse, that everyone calls a clownfish a "Nemo" or that everyone calls meerkats a "Timon"?
Quote from: FileCabinetClock;1475495finding nemo isn't relevant to this thread but i guess we're talking about cgi so okay i'm going for it. finding nemo was one of the shit ass pixar movies, and definitely the most overrated. all these mothers were shitting bricks about finding nemo and how their kids loved it and how it was so funny and how it was the best movie they'd ever seen and they wanted to have some sort of bestiality orgy with the cast. that movie was just really unfunny, and it was pissing me off half the time. and it's still lingering too, children still recognize "NEMO" in fish tanks in dentists' offices, and their mothers go "oh look, it's NEMO ^-^" and i don't see what was so goddamn enchanting about the film.
Truest statement ever.
Also on the topic of Finding Nemo, my father, who is a dentist, was thinking about getting a fish tank for his waiting room but rejected it for being too much responsibility
My dad, a dentist, had a ginormous fish tank in his room.
All the fish have died by now, I believe. They lasted a long, long time.
Quote from: Clayman;1476062Well... I loved Finding Nemo´s visual effects
Yeah, but that's not the point. I like Toy Story but the CGI looks like ass compared to what we can do today. A good movie is good writing and good acting, not good visuals.
I already know that. But holy shit that was some water dude.
Quote from: Clayman;1476576I already know that. But holy shit that was some water dude.
Finding Nemo changed the way I saw water forever
My orthodontist has a tank filled with piranhas.
Just thought I'd say that.
Quote from: Da Coach;1477613My orthodontist has a tank filled with piranhas.
Just thought I'd say that.
you have a fucking cool orthodontist
WallE is great. I'd like to see Pixar try out a more sinister action adventure type movie just to see how they would handle it.
An upcoming Pixar movie uses sex as a major part of the plot.
On another note has anyone seen happy feet?
It has to be the absolute worst disney film I ever saw, with only mexican penguins to make it a little worthwhile.
Quote from: HeinekenClock;1477946On another note has anyone seen happy feet?
It has to be the absolute worst disney film I ever saw, with only mexican penguins to make it a little worthwhile.
Happy Feet wasn't made by Disney. It was made by an Australian animation studio called Animal Logic and distributed by Warner Bros.
But I will have to agree with you.
Quote from: FileCabinetClock;1476570Yeah, but that's not the point. I like Toy Story but the CGI looks like ass compared to what we can do today. A good movie is good writing and good acting, not good visuals.
sorry, you must be thinking of a radio play
Quote from: RomanClock;1477801WallE is great. I'd like to see Pixar try out a more sinister action adventure type movie just to see how they would handle it.
Pixars moive after UP and before Toy Story 3 is about the 1924 San Fransisco earthquake
I wanted a little WALL•E figure, but they were all sold out :(
On a side note I only just realised that the captain is Jeff from Curb Your Enthusiasm
Quote from: TremcladClock;1474390Considering the colossal size of the merchandising campaign surrounding it and the extent to which it's being praised and capitalised on; yes, It's overrated.
I concur entirely.
It seems that in the last oh... 10 years, Pixar has gone from being a really good source of appealing-to-all shorts that display a lot of intellect and meaning to being a source of gold-plated turds.
By which I mean, they have crapped out maybe 10 movies in the last 5-6 years (if I'm not accidentally exaggerating) and of the 10 about 2 are actually watchable. The rest are shitty "I wish I didn't sit through that" kids movies.
So I mean sure every now and then Pixar does stumble across a good idea but overall they come out with so much crap that it seems really "hit-and-miss" in terms of how they make money. Like they either make a shit ton of money and make a lot of buzz for a while (see Wall E or Finding Nemo) or they just fail miserably.
What I'm trying to say is original Pixar shorts display a shit ton more meaning than any of these crapshite movies.
Quote from: HeinekenClock;1477946On another note has anyone seen happy feet?
It has to be the absolute worst disney film I ever saw, with only mexican penguins to make it a little worthwhile.
oh my god was that movie horrible
and to think, that same director made mad max
I think he's gone of the deep end
What was so wrong with Happy Feet, grinches? I actually liked it.
Quote from: Dagwood;1480323I concur entirely.
It seems that in the last oh... 10 years, Pixar has gone from being a really good source of appealing-to-all shorts that display a lot of intellect and meaning to being a source of gold-plated turds.
By which I mean, they have crapped out maybe 10 movies in the last 5-6 years (if I'm not accidentally exaggerating) and of the 10 about 2 are actually watchable. The rest are shitty "I wish I didn't sit through that" kids movies.
So I mean sure every now and then Pixar does stumble across a good idea but overall they come out with so much crap that it seems really "hit-and-miss" in terms of how they make money. Like they either make a shit ton of money and make a lot of buzz for a while (see Wall E or Finding Nemo) or they just fail miserably.
What I'm trying to say is original Pixar shorts display a shit ton more meaning than any of these crapshite movies.
Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall-E are all wonderful films in terms of animation, technology, writing, direction and design. I'm pretty sick of a few of them having seen them many times but that's only to be expected.
You guys are just a load of whiners.
The shorts are great yes, but Cars and A Bug's Life are the only Pixar features I wouldn't consider absolutely fantastic.
Quote from: Munglai;1480746Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall-E are all wonderful films in terms of animation, technology, writing, direction and design. I'm pretty sick of a few of them having seen them many times but that's only to be expected.
You guys are just a load of whiners.
It's hip to hate good things.
I love how he cites that some Pixar movies don't turn a profit and therefore was not worthwhile to society, while every single one of their movies has broken box-office records and they remain at the top of the animation heap compared to whatever other pop-dreck it competes with. Marshmallow probably things "Robots" was a work of genius. :p
Apparently, since they're somewhat at the mercy of Disney's overzealous sense of enterprise, this makes them bad movies. :rolleyes:
Quote from: Biblo;1477956sorry, you must be thinking of a radio play
i listen to jack benny more than i watch tv
Quote from: HeinekenClock;1477946On another note has anyone seen happy feet?
It has to be the absolute worst disney film I ever saw, with only mexican penguins to make it a little worthwhile.
happy feet changed plots like 3 times
Quote from: Hogarth Hughes;1480834It's hip to hate good things.
I love how he cites that some Pixar movies don't turn a profit and therefore was not worthwhile to society
are you kidding, one of my main points is that the original Disney animation that didn't turn a profit are the best because they weren't set out to get a profit they were just set out to experiment and do something that hadn't been done while still making some meaningful point.
the way that you're so eager to attack any sort of opinion i stated in my response is ridiculous, chill out, it's the internet.
I don't think Pixar do set out to make a profit. The reason they make such great films is that they're a team of people who all just want to make great films. They might make a load of profit doing it, but that's because their films are good and kids are stupid enough to buy anything. I would go so far to say that Wall-E is one of the best films they've made so far.
Quote from: Dagwood;1480323By which I mean, they have crapped out maybe 10 movies in the last 5-6 years (if I'm not accidentally exaggerating).
Pixar has released five movies in the past six years, but despite each being released only a year or two apart, they were all several years (at least) in development and required a huge amount of work, which the employees of Pixar fulfilled with gusto (watch a "making of" thing on a DVD and you may be surprised). They were by no means "crapped out".
Quote from: Dagwood;1480323Like they either make a shit ton of money and make a lot of buzz for a while (see Wall E or Finding Nemo) or they just fail miserably.
The former yes, the latter no. All of them were not only very successful financially but were also very well received by professional critics, the worst received being Cars which still was considered good by a 75% of critics.
Quote from: Dagwood;1481750the way that you're so eager to attack any sort of opinion i stated in my response is ridiculous, chill out, it's the internet.
When has that ever been out of the ordinary on the internet? Sure there may not be a good reason to get upset because it's not personal, but people never need a reason. To me, people actually seem less civil on the internet than in real life, and it is because it is impersonal. Nobody is afraid of ruining their relationship with someone they not only know well (as opposed to a one of a million Myspace friends) but also someone who could punch them in the face.
Quote from: Hogarth Hughes;1480834Marshmallow probably things "Robots" was a work of genius. :p
I liked Robots. It wasn't on par with most of Pixar's films, but it was nice.
Also, I wasn't joking when I posted this:
Quote from: Titus;1477817An upcoming Pixar movie uses sex as a major part of the plot.
what movie faggot
Quote from: '[?;1489988']what movie faggot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_(film)
Quote from: Clayman;1480372What was so wrong with Happy Feet, grinches? I actually liked it.
ANSWER ME
Quote from: Clayman;1489996ANSWER ME
nothing is wrong with it
*smooch*
Quote from: Titus;1489989http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_(film)
when this movie comes out i will cum
Quote from: Titus;1489989http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_(film)
That doesn't work that way. If you only have 2 left, you got sorry chances of surviving many generations as a species.
Quote from: Marlix Wright;1490071That doesn't work that way. If you only have 2 left, you got sorry chances of surviving many generations as a species.
Its Disney magic.
...
shhhh