Anyone who claims that there’s no big movie to look forward to until The Dark Knight comes out needs to check out this new clip from WALL-E this instant. As if there were ever any doubt, the four-minute clip proves that, not only will WALL-E be charming and heartwarming like all of Pixar’s output, but it will be some of the most inventive filmmaking we'll see all year.
No, really! While it’s a bit hard to tell what’s going on in the beginning of the clip, given that we’re plunked down in the middle of action, the entire four minutes tell a miniature story without a single sentence of dialogue. WALL-E and his friend robot, Eve, can say phrases like “No” and each others’ names, but for the most part they communicate worldlessly, with expressive movement and short noises. All of this story comes across clearly in a YouTube clip; just imagine how gorgeous it will be when it’s all on the big screen.
The story is what we’ve seen before in clips, and is pretty self-contained—WALL-E accidentally ejects himself out of the spaceship where Eve is from, only to be rescued at the last minute. It seems he winds up in the ejecting port in the first place because another robot places a boot inside it with a plant. Is it intended as a trap for WALL-E? Unclear from the clip, but it’s an intriguing hint at what the actual plot of the movie will turn out to be.
But mostly it’s just a treat to hear some of Thomas Newman’s score and get a taste of the movie that may have the least dialogue of 2008. If you’re not looking forward to July 27, you’re not paying attention.
