The robot WALL∙E (a.k.a. Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) lands on home video with an amazing 3-Disc special edition set. The 98-minute feature story, set in 2700, follows this lovable little machine who dutifully cleans up Earth’s mess after environmental catastrophe. So it might be hard to feel emotion for the human characters who now exist on a “cruise ship” called the Axiom. Luckily, WALL∙E evokes more emotion than most human characters as it (or he, depending on how deeply the film gets to you) gets the full home video treatment.
The numerous Pixar/Disney featurettes include various deleted scenes and audio commentary with director/writer Andrew Stanton plus several entertaining shorts on Earth’s current “manager” the Buy n Large (BnL) corporation including entertaining behind-the-scenes peeks at this gigantic corporation. Stanton also hosts the musical “Explore the Universe with WALL∙E” featuring “Symphony No. 3- Scherzo:Allegro Vivace” by Beethoven featuring by Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia.
Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger and Kathy Najimy voice John and Mary, two important human characters who rethink their situation after encountering WALL∙E while sci-fi mainstay Sigourney Weaver voices the main computer on the Axiom, but this DVD rightfully showcases Ben Burtt’s groundbreaking animation sound design techniques used to make WALL∙E (and M-O) so memorable.
Other featurettes showcase Pixar’s unique technique of mixing live action with created animation. This concept carries over into the extremely detailed settings further strengthened by smooth edits and outstanding sound – vital parts of this film’s great success. Thomas Newman discusses the original music score in “Notes on a Score” and the 15-minute “The Imperfect Lens” showcases a rare session with cinematographer Roger Deakins.
The special BOT files includes WALL∙E’s main interest, EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), voiced by Elissa Knight, and other robot characters. "Robo-Everything" summarizes the design aspects of the memorable bots while featuring the California Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which bridges audiences to current robot designs and applications.
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