Wall-E

The opening minutes of Pixar's latest masterpiece is a haunting stunner, something one would never expect from an animated film with the Disney label slapped on it. Let's put it this way: You'll never watch Hello Dolly! the same way again.

Wall-E is the last functioning robot on Earth, an adorable piece of scrap metal designed to compact the tons of trash left behind by humans. He's the more endearing (and less annoying) younger sibling of Short Circuit's Johnny 5, a diligent worker whose only companion is a cockroach sidekick. Wall-E works night and day, collecting items which intrigue him (including one very important plant), living inside a tank that houses all of his eclectic treasures.

Then, little Wall-E's world is turned upsidedown when a spiffier (read: sexier) robot-on-a-mission gets dropped off on Earth by a very large and very loud spacecraft. Her name is Eve (wink), a sleek and soaring bot that packs a mean (read: fiery) punch.

For a movie in which two-thirds has no dialogue, it speaks volumes. Humans do make an appearance later on in the third act, and it is a hilarious and yet frightening commentary on American consumerism. The film itself is an outstanding achievement, ready to be placed on the shelf alongside 2001 and E.T. as one of the greatest sci-fi movies in history.