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Pixar took some risks with 2008's "Wall-E". They set the stage as a dusty, dirty landscape devoid of color or activity. They went spent significant time during a setup that had nothing in particular geared for the shorter attention spans of its core audience. They also stripped the two lead characters of any real dialogue - and more, they created a story around robots, taking what would have been a typical Pixar short into a feature.

Unlike "Cars", where clever dialogue voiced by popular movie stars endeared the audience to machine based characters, "Wall-E" depends on human-like behavior to make Wall-E and Eve sympathetic characters the audience can root for, delegating its bigger named stars into supporting characters who make up mere bit parts in the background.

Judging by the $63 million dollar opening weekend, however, one can hardly argue that Pixar, indeed, succeeded.

"Wall-E" is the story of a solitary robot whose mission on planet Earth is to clean up the mess that mankind has left behind, while the humans tool around in outer space on a luxury space ship - a sort of "Eutopia" where all their needs are met.

Isolated and alone, hard-working Wall-E toils away, compacting the trash into manageable piles, while storing some of the more interesting artifacts for himself.

For you see Wall-E is enchanted by humans and all their discarded belongings. He takes his trusty cooler to work each day and as he cleans, his personality is forged by the relics of times long past. Even though the movie is set several hundreds of years into the future, the music and the movies used to show the "Eutopian" life we had on earth is decidedly nostaglic of a more idealistic time.

As we are introduced to Wall-E and his routine, the filmmakers take their time to introduce us to Wall-E and his unique personality. Perhaps too long. The dirty, gritty landscape might lose a few of the younger viewers as they wait for something to "happen". Happen it does, eventually, when his lonely world is turned on its ear by an intruder with quick guns and no patience.

Eve fascinates Wall-E and he does everything he can to get close to her and communicate with her. Both are delighted when they can find some common ground despite their language barrier. Wall-E becomes infatuated with this strange creature, and is pleased to present to her a gift that inadvertently shuts her down.

Her space ship returns to take her from her new friend. But Wall-E's not having it. He clings to that ship, and his newfound company, with all he's got.

Ultimately it thrusts our hero into space, and onto the ship inhabited by humans who have evolved to fit their luxurious environment.

Writer/director Andrew Stanton, who wrote such Pixar gems as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, weaves a cautionary tale of isolation, consequences, and determination. And in Wall-E, he has created a character who was so genuine and so sweet audiences are sure to love him despite all the atypical surroundings and situations in which he might find himself.

If you have very small children, be prepared for some fidgeting during the first twenty or so minutes, but once Eve hits the scene I expect they'll be enthralled by the relationship and the journey of both lead characters. As an adult I found my own attention span wandering a bit, but by the end I discovered I had fallen in love with machinery. And it was all thanks to the brilliant way Wall-E and Eve were conveyed through their actions.

They might not say much, but they don't need to. Their actions and mannerisms speak volumes as they deliver a message that friendship, even love, can grow like a tiny seedling in even the most isolated environment as long as there's one soul left to hope for it.

Five stars.

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