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Gorgeous visuals, perfected animation, and wondrously epic environments mask a relatively simple story of love, reminiscent of the best of Chaplin and Keaton. Little dialogue is necessary to convey this universal theme, and one of the most memorable characters to grace the screen in recent years comes to life in jaw-dropping realism WALL-E.

The last functioning trash-compacting robot on Earth, WALL-E (voiced by the inimitable Ben Burtt), leads a repetitive, solitary life in a world covered in massive amounts of garbage the result of which forced mankind to leave its home planet several hundred years prior. WALL-E's lonely life drastically changes when technologically advanced scout droid EVE (Elissa Knight) lands on Earth to search for signs of life. When her objective is inadvertently achieved and she is taken back into space, WALL-E embarks on the adventure of a lifetime in an attempt to rescue the robot he has fallen in love with.

With each film Pixar releases, the quality and realism of the animation appears to increase exponentially. Most notable here is the replacement of the animation staple of squash-and-stretch with genuine mechanical motions, and WALL-E's movements rival any found in the robotic effects of live-action blockbusters. It's a true testament to the power of animation when a heartwarming love story can be told without the use of standard dialogue or even a full set of facial features. Both WALL-E and EVE express love, fear, loneliness, surprise, anger, contempt, happiness, and a host of other emotions and neither one has a mouth, nose, or eyebrows.

The infinitely appealing character designs in Pixar's latest are easily the film's crowning achievement, and WALL-E himself is a marvel in both mechanics and innovative visuals. While the characters range from brilliant to truly inspired, the blend of realism with the fantastical produces an odd alternation in presentation. The intricate mechanical creations do provide a considerable contrast with the humans, but the engaging robots possess such a high level of realism that the blobby people don't seem fit to coexist. Add to this the actual scenes of human actors and it feels like three different worlds have collided in the future.

With such monumental visuals and astounding animation in a superbly paced epic love story, it's easy to overlook the minor faults scattered throughout the film. The lack of an impressionable villain and memorable supporting characters might have hindered a lesser movie, but both WALL-E and EVE are so perfectly realized one won't likely notice the absence of other engaging creations. Pixar's track record has been virtually flawless since its first feature, and with their remarkable attention to detail and extreme focus on story, it's easy to see why. WALL-E succeeds in setting an even higher bar in animation and CG design and magnificently proves that it doesn't require copious amounts of dialogue to tell a great story.

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