Note to whom it may concern, show me a cute cartoon bunny and I will squeal with delight. No joke. I went to see WALL-E last night and the Pixar short before the film, "Presto Chango" featured one of the cutest animated bunny rabbits I have seen in a long time. Just ask my husband, I was actually squealing beside him in my seat. I bet it was really annoying. I think the last movie that elicited that kind of response from me was "Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." The stop-motion bunnies in that movie are to die for.

Anyway, WALL-E himself was pretty much just as adorable. I came out of the film feeling really good about what I just viewed. Great animation, characters with so much personality and so few words, gorgeous animated depictions of outer space, solid story, I love robots. It was reminiscent of both ET and Short Circuit. I was never really a fan of ET so my initial comparison was to Short Circuit which I love, but I can not deny the similarities to that big eyed alien from the past. Overall, the movie just made me feel really.... good.

But alas, not amazing. I'm feeling slightly jaded now. This morning I've been sifting through a few reviews and although mostly positive, there are a few that make some really intelligent negative points that make a lot of sense. Though I was entertained by the entire film I'd have to agree that the first third (the segment that takes place on earth) was by far the most artistic and groundbreaking with its absence of dialogue, incredible scenery, and beautiful color pallet. Only Pixar could make a cockroach character charming and lovable! Once we leave earth what follows are amusing and fun cartoonish antics, but with a lot less style and grace.

I don't know if I would have picked out these specific reactions if I had not read the reviews saying basically the same thing. But I'm pretty sure I had these feelings as well, I simply hadn't put my finger on exactly what they were. And it's true, the first third is groundbreaking and the last two thirds seem to take a step backwards in animation style, in character development, and in storytelling. Still fun, not fantastic. And the movie is just so cute and sweet. There is no denying that. It is almost to a fault for some people I am sure. I happen to be a sucker for the sweetness (see previous section sighting my squeals) so for me it worked, but I could also see it turning stomachs after a while.

Oh, but you know what? It didn't make me cry. Five minutes into the movie I said to myself, "oh man, this one is gonna make me bawl." and yet it never did reach that height (or depth as it were) of emotion. I just realized that as I'm writing this. Not to say it wasn't a good film overall because it didn't make me cry, but it does say something about my ultimate connection to the characters and perhaps the story line's lack of intensity. I mean, I seriously will cry at the drop of a hat. I think one reviewer said something about never feeling any danger or never getting the sense that WALL-E wasn't going to prevail in the end. Finding Nemo made me cry in the first five minutes. It went there.

WALL-E goes all over outer space, but I guess in the end it just doesn't go there... define "there" in whatever way suits you and I think you'll find that unfortunately it still holds true. I still love you WALL-E and I'll buy a toy of you if it's cute enough cause that's just the kind of gal I am.