WALL-E Reflection

Well, I had intended this entry to be more in depth, but after seeing WALL-E for the second time, I'm having a very difficult time expressing my feelings about this film. You'd think that having seen the film at Pixar nearly a week and a half ago would have given me more time to reflect on it, but I'm still trying to absorb the full impact of this film. In short, it is nothing short of remarkable. I place it now in a category reserved for only a small group of films, those that in one way or another have changed my life.

I hesitate to use the term changed my life when discussing films. After all, I'm an accountant, not a filmmaker. Movies are not something that affect my day to day life. However at the heart and soul of it all, some movies are different. Some films inspire my imagination and ignite my dreams. Others cause profound reflection in me about my life and the twists and turns it has taken. These are the films that I consider life changing. Star Wars, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Saving Private Ryan, and now WALL-E.

The more I think about it, the more I begin to see WALL-E as a story about what it means to be human. What are we here for? What is the purpose of life? That's the beauty and power of the story. As the tagline says, "After 700 years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E will discover what he was made for." Like two other Pixar classics Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, WALL-E goes beyond just telling a story and looks at the purpose of life. It's a beautiful love story, full of hopes, dreams, and wonders. In that sense, it reminds me very much of the classic Disney love stories.

This I suspect is part of why I love this film so much. The more I think about it and analyze it, I begin to see elements of Sleeping Beauty in WALL-E. It's touching and heartwarming to see WALL-E do his best to watch over and protect EVE after she falls asleep, and of course, there's the moment where EVE kisses WALL-E to bring him back to life. This may well be an idea that I explore more later, but for now I'm still trying to take in the magnitude and wonder of WALL-E.