I have been pretty much MIA at the cineplex this summer. There just hasn’t been much that has made me feel I absolutely had to give up my beach time to go to the theater. But I am rushing to the theaters today to see a movie that holds great promise– “WALL-E.”. The story of a robot left on Earth after humans abandon the planet may not seem extraordinary, but it comes from those geniuses at Pixar and it is receiving glowing reviews for its animation and its storytelling.
Andrew Stanton, the Academy Award winning director and writer of ‘Wall-e” just gave an interesting interview to Christianity Today about the spiritual and allegorical elements of the story– like the character the robot falls for being called Eve– while also discussing what, in his opinion makes for great, moral storytelling (it doesn’t include using your characters to beat people over the head with a sermon but it does include being truthful to a value system).

What Stanton doesn’t address in this particular interview is some minor controversy surrounding whether or not this movie is one big political statement about the current president, corporate greed, and the problems plaguing our environment.
I think part of Pixar’s success is tied to the fact that they have garnered the reputation of making movies that adults, as well as children, can appreciate for their intelligent ideas wrapped up in humor and heart. I hope that “Wall-E” is no different and doesn’t tread too much into P.C. territory. One of Stanton’s quotes from an interview with critic Jeffrey Overstreet gives me confidence that it will find the right balance. Stanton explained to Overstreet: “I don’t know any great sci-fi movies that aren’t bleak in their backdrop….And yet, in a weird way, I think that backdrop of bleakness is a major factor in why you like WALL•E. He’s this light that shines in the middle of all this sort of gloom”
If you are curious about “Wall-E” be sure to check out the trailer here.