At this point, I'd have to say that Pixar is one of the best story-tellers of our time. Against all odds, they have consistently and creatively given us stories that appeal to everyone. They touch our hearts and they make us laugh. They thrill us and make us pause and think. They endear the most unusual, non-human characters to us and at the same time help us understand what it really means to be human. No one comes even close to the quality, the care, the artistry, and just the sheer excellence of a Pixar film, and Wall-E is the epitome of all those characteristics. It's also the best Pixar film yet.

Only Pixar would be brave enough to tell a story using minimal dialog, and with robots who don't have any facial features to express their feelings. Only Pixar would be willing to buck the trend of cramming in as many big name stars as possible, or obvious pop-culture in-jokes. Only Pixar would risk touching on touchy subjects and be able to do so without being preachy or pushy. It's their ability to make characters that we care about and tell stories that captivate us that sets them apart from everyone else, and they're at the top of their game with Wall-E. The unusual concept of the last robot on earth and how he eventually helps save humanity is the best, most artistic, and perhaps their most touching story to date; and there isn't an A-list of stars or a pop-culture reference in sight.

Wall-E is about more than just a lonely, curious robot. It's a cautionary tale about what might happen if we don't take care of the Earth, of what might happen if we don't take care of ourselves, and of what might happen if we become content with letting machines run our lives. In Wall-E, humanity is forced to leave Earth due to an overflow of trash. Long ago, humans left the planet on space-bound cruise ships that were virtual paradises: everything at a person's finger tips, with robots take care of every need a person might have. It's pretty heady stuff, but Pixar handles it with such a deft and delicate touch that instead of a being forceful tale like Fern Gully, it's just a background setting to the main story of Wall-E and his true love EVE. Plus, it's handled with a bittersweet tenderness that inspires instead of bludgeons, and that makes Wall-E far more than the sum of its parts.

If it seems that I've been a little vague on the specifics about this movie, that's because I want to be. Wall-E is a movie that you just need to experience and it's better when that entire experience is fresh, so I don't want to ruin it for you. What I will say specifically is that while Wall-E is the last robot on earth faithfully doing his job despite being lonely, we learn that having every need met robs us of our lives. At one point, one character says that he doesn't want to just survive, he wants to live. Reclaiming Earth will require work and toil and labor, with problems and obstacles. But therein lies the difference between surviving and living. Life isn't the absence of problems: life is problems and how we'll face them. It's the challenges that we face that help define who we are, strengthen our character and resolve, and help shape the purpose and meaning of our life.

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