Couldn't agree with you more. I loved this movie! Best of the year so far by far. Think it stands a chance at a Best Picture nomination? Between this and The Dark Knight, it'll be interesting to see what the Academy does come February.

It most likely won't get a Best Picture nomination because of the "Best Animated Film" category. The academy kind of looks down on animated films in that way, and even something clearly deserving (as I think "Wall-E" certainly is) won't get a "real" nomination.

I don't think it should even be mentioned for best picture. It was a solid animated film, but I thought it was kind of boring...had some cool scenes and great visuals. It was cute funny and all but the plot dragged....he was just chasing Eve around for like 60% of the movie. I actually fell asleep in the theater and I haven't done that in a long time...I caught my girlfriend snoring too, but she is notorious for this. I liked movies like Shrek or Ratatouille much better...the lack of talking kind of got to me after a while. I felt like the guy from Police Academy guy was gonna pop out from behind the screen. It was a good movie...but seemed far from great.

More deserving of a Best Picture award than SO many winners... Unlike Victory33, I actually prefered the lack of dialog and could have watched Wally work and discover treasures for hours. I do not always love animated films (I can't sit through Shrek) but Pixar is playing on a different field. If Dori did not make you laugh, you must be made of stone.

Joe.shearer:

While I understand your point concerning the "Best Animated Film" category, "Wall-E" is so overpoweringly good that this just might be the year where it is nominated in both categories. After all, if memory serves me correctly, there have been times when a foreign film has been nominated for "Best Picture" despite the fact of the existing category of "Best Foreign Film."

I think they actually created the animated category because they didn't want to nominate an animated film for Best Picture (I think it was one of the Pixar films-Nemo, maybe, or Toy Story). I think it was relatively recently that the established the award. I'll research it and get back to you.

Having said that, I'd of course be delighted to see "Wall-E" on the list, because I thought it was incredible. Like I said in my review, I think it's one that kids who love it today (like my son) will come back to it in 15 years and see an entirely differnt, but equally great, movie. It was so rich and layered, and to be able to pull off so much time with virtally no dialog have have such an engaging, complex movie is an incredible achievment.

According to filmschoolrejects.com and wikipedia, there has been one animated film in 80 years to be nominated for Best Picture: Beauty and the Beast in 1991.

The Best Animated Feature category was added in 2001, and Shrek was the first winner. Wikipedia has a line saying that people criticize the Academy because they feel the award exists to suppress animated films from being nominated for Best Picture.

Hammervision:

I am comforted by the fact that the few things we usually disagree on are second tier movies that will soon be forgotten anyway! The only thing in "Wall-E's" category so far this year is the exquisite "The Visitor."

If the "Dark Knight" is even half as intriguing as the trailers represent it to be, it will be one great ride! (Furthermore, I think we will also both agree that the movie will enormously benefit by excising the unfortunate Katie Holmes.)5

Victory33:

Let me see if I get this straight concerning "Wall-E." You not only "thought it was kind of boring," but you and your girlfriend "fell asleep in the theater." I truly hope that the two of you were out all night partying before seeing this incredible movie, as otherwise you have given the world reason to be terribly concerned about your emotional health!

Let me also note that according to the rules being nominated for Best Animated Film doesn't rule out an animated film from being nominated for Best Picture, but the prevailing opinion as Chris noted is that the cartoon-hating Academy created the category so they don't have to worry about including them in the Best Picture race.

No, not at all. It was a Friday night. I came into the movie with medium expectations and it met those expectations, but did not surpass them. The movie literally bored me to sleep. I was into it for the first half hour or so but then it was one giant chase scene after they established the plot....I don't get what the big deal was about this movie. It wasn't genuinely funny (like Shrek), it was kid humor funny. Like I said, I liked the movie, it was visually perfect, had some great references to our society and what we could become. But the robot love story turned chase scene isn't particularly moving (like Finding Nemo was) or that entertaining to watch. Sorry I'm not a drone and like every movie Ebert tells me to.

Ben Neff:

While I certainly don't disagree with your statement that "Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion," it is wise to keep Warren Zevon's wonderful song in mind, "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands."

Movies are frequently like art, namely that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
However, to admit that you "fell asleep" along with your girlfriend in "Wall-E" renders that person's opinion completely meaningless. It says nothing about the film itself but a great deal about the individual.

Let me put it this way. If someone wanted to offer you political advice, and before doing so stated how much they admired the performance of President Bush over the last seven years, wouldn't you prefer to have a root canal done without Novocain than listen to anything they had to say? While I in no way mean to disparage Victory33, I do think that he needs to get more sleep.

Chris Lloyd:

Your comment about "The Prince of Tides" was dead on. Remember how the movie ended with Nick Notle pathetically moaning, "Lowenstein, Lowenstein." "Prince" gave the descriptive adjective "maudlin" a bad name.

Furthermore, I agree that we are living in "a second golden age of animation." As I said in my review of "Wall-E," there is nothing to compare Pixar's slew of gorgeous films except Walt Disney's groundbreaking films from the late 1930's through 1950. If it should turn out that there is no fundamental meaning to life, movies like "Wall-E" still make the trip worthwhile.

While I disagree with his take, I can see how an adult of a certain thought process (that would likely be one far removed from the world of children and the things they value) would not necessarily enjoy it as some others of us would. Maybe Victory33 isn't as much a fan of animation, or, considering he pointed out "Shrek" as something he enjoyed more than "Wall-E," he prefers his comedy and his animation to have more of a pop culture element with more direct jokes.

I would disagree with him that "Wall-E"'s humor was more kiddie kind of humor, though there wasn't much in the way of innuendo or anything more adult, I think the comedy was more classic in nature, and many of us have been trained to gloss over that as unfunny or tired.

For something like "Shrek," in 10-15 years much of the humor in that film will be lost upon new viewers. The pop culture references get a good reaction from those of us who watch it while it's still relevant, but for the next generation of viewers, some of them will be lost as certain issues pass by. For instance, the sequence with Fiona doing the "Matrix" kung-fu moves won't have the same effect to a child who hasn't seen "The Matrix."

But one of the great things about "Wall-E" is that it uses the more difficult humor and it's more subtle, which may be where Victory33 is missing out.

So my opinion is meaningless, because I nodded off for like half a minute, because the movie failed to hold my attention? It doesn't tell you anything about me, like I mentioned, I don't fall asleep at the movies. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep in a theater before this...but when I woke up I didn't feel like I missed anything...he was still chasing after Eve and making bleeping noises.

I think you just like to hear yourself talk and push your opinions about the world into your reviews. You can't even comment on a freakin kids movie without bashing the president somehow. Like I've said like 45 times...I liked the movie...but it wasn't really groundbreaking or a modern marvel like you all seem to believe! Bash me and my opinions all you want...but this movie will be forgotten sooner than classics like Finding Nemo or Shrek.

Hey don't feel bad, I'm one of those people that watched all of the Wall-E previews and predicted that this would be the first real Pixar bomb. You have to admit that even the previews looked boring.

But, I've heard more than one person say that it is a really good movie, so I might just have to check it out.

Victory33:

Look I am not bashing you! I am bashing your opinion which was formed while you were catnapping. Im sorry, but "Wall-E" is a political film. It is about the consequences of humans' polluting our planet. Pardon me, but those of us that didn't sleep through this film recognized clearly that important message.

And by the way, all art forms are, at their core, political. That is one of the things that makes movies so throughly entertaining. Now lets shake hands, end our squabbling as I have to go take a nap! Sweet dreams...