In no particular order the greatest animated movies I’ve ever seen are:
- The Triplets of Belleville
- Spirited Away
- Ratatouille
- Pinocchio
- Finding Nemo
- Millennium Actress
- Iron Giant
- My Neighbor Totoro
- A Close Shave, The Wrong Trousers & A Grand Day Out a.k.a. the collected shorter works of Wallace & Gromit. (Hey, it’s my list and I say they are a movie).
- Princess Mononoke
- Porco Rosso
All of these are among the greatest movies ever made PERIOD.
Add to that list, WALL*E. Even by Pixar’s admittedly high standards, WALL*E is exceptional. If it doesn’t have the characters as complex as some other movies it is because it is a fable. In that respect it has a lot in common with Edward Scissorhands.
WALL*E is tells a fine, simple (not obvious) story superbly. (I’m going to stay away from plot synopsis. Go see it. We’ll talk.) It is essentially a silent movie, a great and bold decision (and something it shares with Triplets). In addition to being a fine filet of consumer culture, W also includes an extended comment on the sterility of life in a controlled environment designed for nothing but amusement. That would be the bread and butter of Pixar’s life-partner Disney. Is this:
- a cynical comment by a company that makes its money from these parks; or
- a truly subversive effort to sway the people who make The Land of Mouse so profitable?
Not sure. But I do know it’s great.
I could go on but I’m tired and heading off for vacation. See you all in a week.
Collateral Damage 