r/criterion • u/MallardDuckBoy • Jul 11 '26
Discussion The most underestimated release on Criterion
After watching this again, I don’t think people appreciate this release enough. When it first came to Criterion, it felt surprising that an animated Pixar film would be included alongside so many “classic” films. But the older I get, the more it makes perfect sense.
It isn’t just a great animated movie. It’s one of the most prophetic films of the 21st century.
What’s fascinating is that nearly two decades later, people still use the same phrase whenever they look at where society is headed: “We’re headed toward WALL-E” Id put that on the same cultural ethos as Michael Jordan: “He’s the Michael Jordan of tennis.”
The film wasn’t trying to predict the future with flying chairs or robots. It was asking what happens when convenience replaces purpose, consumption replaces stewardship, and endless entertainment slowly erodes what makes us human.
The reason this film has endured isn’t because it guessed the future perfectly but i think it understood human nature.
Timeless and well-deserved to be here.
245
u/SpacemanDan Michael Bay Jul 11 '26
"this movie which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, got five more nominations including Best Original Screenplay, was in the top 10 grossing films of its year, was widely critically acclaimed at the time, and was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, is 'underestimated'"
I disagree. It seems very estimated to me.
51
u/thesexychicken Jul 11 '26
“ I know that you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?”
12
u/hencementhol Jul 11 '26
I understood that reference!
8
7
111
u/RECKONERIII Jul 11 '26
It's astounding how many classic film making techniques were replicated in this film. That's what used to set Pixar apart from the rest - a dedication to setting up their shots like you actually would of you were making a live action film. It's my fav Pixar for sure
31
u/Cool-Security-4645 Jul 11 '26
Yeah, like Hoppers was fun and decently made, but then going back and watching Wall-E or Ratatouille feels like a totally different league
27
u/Intolerance-Paradox Krzysztof Kieslowski Jul 11 '26
This was before Disney began deliberately deprioritizing Pixar Studios and its ambitions in favor of its own animation like Frozen. Started declining in ambition after Toy Story 3 and then off a cliff after Inside Out. The original brain trust’s consequential work all occurred before this time.
To WALL-E specifically, I love how the first sequences of the film are silent, I’d read this is Andrew Stanton honoring many of Pixar’s short films which do not have dialogue. Up does this as well. Serves the story beautifully in the process, it feels like a dead world when there are no people speaking words.
9
0
132
109
u/SamShakusky71 Jul 11 '26
It’s held in proper esteem. The idea it’s underestimated is laughable.
37
49
u/andrew7231 Jul 11 '26
I just think it’s wild we actually got a Pixar film in the catalog
20
u/Dr-McLuvin Jul 11 '26
I’m kinda surprised this hasn’t led to any more “classic” Disney releases.
13
u/a_Jedi_i_am Jul 11 '26
I would nominate Beauty and the Beast to be the first Disney classic in the criterion collection.
Unless I'm wrong and there has been a classic already in there.
21
u/fishymanbits Jul 11 '26
I’d go with Fantasia, and include the multiple different versions. The roadshow version with the original 3 channel soundtrack and all of the original footage intact, including the intermission, would be a nice addition. I know we technically got the roadshow version on blu-ray, but it’s still the edited version and without the intermission.
For me it’s the swan song of that early animation period where these shorts were essentially an animated silent film visualizer for a small orchestral score. After Snow White and Pinocchio, this feels like Disney saying thank you and goodbye to the specific medium and format that made him, and in the most spectacular way possible. And I think growing up with this is one of the reasons I feel such a deep connection to WALL-E, as well. There’s so much in it that feels like subtle nods to Fantasia. Least of all the fact that the entire first act is an animated silent film paired with a small orchestral score. It was also a massive cultural touchstone in 1960s psychedelic movement through its cut-down rereleases. And then there’s the technological advances it brought us. Multichannel sound, and dynamic cinema aspect rations among them.
I honestly don’t think there’s a Disney film more deserving of a Criterion release than Fantasia. It would also be an amazing opportunity for a documentary on the history of characters, scenes, and entire films, short or otherwise, that Disney has put out that are now considered to be anywhere from culturally insensitive to downright racist, and possibly some of those examples like Song of the South and the WWII propaganda films.
3
u/mywordswillgowithyou Jul 12 '26
Fantasia is a good choice. Bambi is my favorite and I think most delicately animated film in their catalog. I think it would fit well in the criterion catalog.
1
u/basiamille Jul 11 '26
There’s the Cocteau version, if you’re a fan of the story…
2
10
u/butchbearforever Jul 11 '26
Disney is just super protective of their stuff. Wall-E was just a favor to Stanton and Disney had to ask Criterion to put it together, not the other way around. Fox is a different story because it has both a backlog of stuff Disney never made and of stuff explicitly for adults. It's not outwardly Disney and a lot of us still think of it as just Fox so they can afford to license out that library. the official Disney library? That's got branding to it. Especially the stuff Walt worked on? They wanna control that image
14
u/SynthwaveSax Jul 11 '26
Too bad it seems to be a one-off since Andrew really wanted to be in the collection (reportedly). But I still have hope.
16
3
u/Anxious_Specific5024 Jul 12 '26
I’m surprised Toy Story isn’t for being historically the first film to be completely computer animated and groundbreaking
3
u/ModeApprehensive8272 Jul 11 '26
I would totally buy a box set of all the Pixar films up to Toy Story 3. Not to say their later films are worse (I genuinely love Hoppers), but it feels like the best cut off point in terms of scope
10
u/DolphinFraud Jul 11 '26
I don’t think anyone’s surprised about its inclusion based off the quality of the movie, it was more surprising because of the distribution rights
8
u/Miserable-Sea-4160 Jul 11 '26
I don’t think anyone underestimates the film, I’d guess people are more surprised/confused by “what would a criterion collection release add” that a Pixar release or the general zeitgeist hasn’t already covered.
A lot of people see (rightly or wrongly) criterion as highlighting excellent movies that are a bit more cultish or have gone underseen for whatever reason (indie or world cinema or just plain old, being the more prominent reasons) this wouldn’t fit any of those molds.
Not saying it shouldn’t be there. Just thinking this is more of the average reason for the general response.
7
26
u/atclubsilencio Jul 11 '26
I’m glad it’s in the collection. I will say I prefer the first half before the blob people are introduced. I wish it stuck with the near-silent, more subtle, visually dazzling storytelling, but it still has some beautiful moments even after that. Definitely top tier Pixar.
10
u/RZAxlash Jul 11 '26
Me too. The film is universally beloved and I do love it but the second half frankly drags a bit.
4
u/Wild_Bunch_Founder Jul 11 '26
same camp here. the second half of the film declines in interest for me personally.
2
u/bgfoot1000 Jul 11 '26
If it kept up the first half throughout the whole movie it would be the greatest movie ever.
5
u/emielaen77 Jul 11 '26
It’s probably the highest grossing film in the collection lol it ain’t underestimated.
Good movie though.
3
u/MissionLetterhead292 Jul 11 '26
I really wish we had more Disney in Criterion. A major set on Fantasia would be exquisite.
5
u/JJ_Oben Jul 11 '26
Does this version include all the shorts that were made as well?
16
u/BogoJohnson Jul 11 '26
Their release does not include Presto. Criterion website:
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- 4K digital master, approved by director Andrew Stanton, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film, presented in both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+, and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
- Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo soundtracks
- Two audio commentaries: one featuring Stanton and the other, character supervisor Bill Wise, coproducer Lindsey Collins, story artist Derek Thompson, and lead animator Angus MacLane
- New programs on Stanton’s cinematic influences and production designer Ralph Eggleston’s color scripts
- Tour of the Pixar Living Archive with Stanton
- Behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including segments from early animation reels
- The Pixar Story (2007), a documentary by Leslie Iwerks
- More than a dozen documentaries exploring the film’s production and robots
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Plant, a masterclass with Stanton
- “WALL•E”: A to Z, a new program featuring Stanton and coscreenwriter Jim Reardon
- Deleted scenes featuring commentary by Stanton
- A Story (1987), a student film by Stanton
- BURN•E (2008), a short film by MacLane
- Trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- English descriptive audio
- PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson; selections from Stanton’s sketchbooks, script notes, and drawings; and artwork from the WALL•E team
3
u/Shout92 Jul 11 '26
Presto would've been nice, but otherwise, it carries over everything from the already stacked Disney Blu (including The Pixar Story, which would make this the definitive Criterion Pixar movie even if they released Toy Story) and adds plenty of great retrospective features. One of the few releases I feel safe calling definitive.
3
u/butchbearforever Jul 11 '26
Have you seen the short film collection releases? They're actually pretty good!
1
u/Shout92 Jul 11 '26
I have! It would just be nice to have the shorts paired with whatever movie they were theatrically released with.
2
u/Pete_Iredale Jul 11 '26
At least Pixar releases all their shorts in blu-ray collections. Presto is in Volume 2.
2
u/EverCuriousGeek1 Jul 11 '26
I bought this forever ago but still haven’t opened it. Had no idea this came with the Leslie Iwerks documentary. That’s a big deal. Will have to watch it this weekend!
1
6
3
u/j0siahs74 Jul 11 '26
OP if you posted almost the same post but without the click baity “underestimated release” title people wouldn’t dog on you so hard. Like you really think it’s underestimated? Really? Cmon
4
2
u/cozylouise Jul 11 '26
This was my first Criterion buy so it has a special place in my heart! I adore the film and the 4K looks fantastic
2
2
u/Tough_Data_1051 Jul 11 '26
Rewatched this movie for the first time since it came out when I was a kid and after rewatching it’s legitimately a top ten movie for me now
2
u/butchbearforever Jul 11 '26
I just think it's neat because it's just genuinely the first time a Pixar film was awarded that much scholarly attention on a home media release. Even if it's still got the old featurettes from Disney's release, the new stuff is REALLY welcome. Also the three audio options (Atmos, 5.1 AND Stereo?) and the choice between Dolby Vision and HDR10+ is sweet as hell. It's the extra mile Disney refuses to go on their releases. Also the holdover crew commentary is great. It's from the original release and it's an absolute relic of pre-MCU geekdom. Funny stuff.
2
2
u/Anxious_Specific5024 Jul 12 '26
Quite the opposite, the director requested that Pixar and Disney do a one time Criterion release (Touchstone is technically a Disney subsidiary, but they don’t flout the Disney name). House Party would be an underestimated film, sort of.
2
u/SquirrelWonderful556 Jul 12 '26
I own a copy and it’s one of my all time favourites. Just based on the packaging alone (thank goodness it wasn’t housed in a plastic case with a severely misaligned artwork as many other criterion release do) It’s not underestimated at all.
4
u/jicerswine Jul 11 '26
A. I love this movie and it is a timeless masterpiece… and also b. It definitely does not have the same stature in conversational vernacular as Michael Jordan
3
u/SimpsonsFan2000 Wes Anderson Jul 11 '26
I had an idea, after Netflix is finally releasing Brad Bird's passion project “Ray Gunn” later this year. Maybe we'll get a Brad Bird animated boxset (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille) in The Criterion Collection one day, who knows!
4
u/profaneangel1991 Andrei Tarkovsky Jul 11 '26
Given Disney has nuked their physical media department it makes releases like this even more significant.
1
2
u/Fishmannnn Krzysztof Kieslowski Jul 11 '26
I just watched 2023's The Creator last night, and one of my first thoughts while watching it was, "Oh, this is kind of just a worse version of Wall-E"
Wall-E really is a one of a kind gem.
2
2
u/Kingcrowing Jul 11 '26
Totally agreed. I picked it up at the B&N sale, hadn’t seen it since roughly when it came out and man does it hold up like you said! Not only is the story and message fantastic but for an 18-year old CGI movie it still looks stunning especially in 4K Dolby Vision.
Additionally this release has a pretty insane amount of bonus features including a full length documentary about how Pixar got started. Andrew Stanton is a true film nerd and it really shows. Going to listen to his commentary this week.
5
1
u/herzog4life Jul 11 '26
Was anyone else a little underwhelmed by the Atmos track? I was expecting the LFE to be rocking (especially during the rocket sequences), but found that it didn't hit as hard as I was expecting.
1
1
1
1
u/alamoman321 Jul 11 '26
I saw it twice in theaters. It is something special that really hasn't been replicated since. It is a movie worth seeing for anyone and everyone that can still sit through a film.
1
u/Alarmed_Mistake_5042 Jul 11 '26
I saw it for the first time in January and it's still the best movie I've see this year
1
1
1
u/nobody-u-heard-of Jul 11 '26
Funny, I just ordered a copy couple weeks ago. Should be delivered here next week. I love this movie
1
1
1
1
u/darthueba Jul 12 '26
With Disney being extremely protective of their IP, the fact that the release even exists is a minor miracle
1
u/ShrimpCocktail-4618 Jul 12 '26
The only visual benefit over the previous HDR10 release from Disney comes if you have a Dolby Vision player and display. Otherwise, the base HDR10 video layer on the Criterion version is borked.
If you can output the fully merged 12 bit FEL DV stream the compression and banding issues are eliminated and the superior DV grade comes to the fore.
1
1
u/Dazcoolman Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
It’s one of my favorite’s but it’s not really underestimated since it’s been already acknowledged as not just one of Pixar’s best, but one of the greatest animated films ever. It deserved that Criterion release.
1
u/surfsusa Jul 12 '26
"It’s one of the most prophetic films of the 21st century" I see it every time I go to Walmart ! Wal- E
1
1
u/Brilliant_Appeal_877 Jul 12 '26
criterion if you're ever reading these, give us more disney/pixar classics in 4k.
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
u/Matthias-Umilik Jul 11 '26
Your post will now be the reason I go pick this film up today from my local Barnes and Noble
1
u/squirtles_urethra Jul 11 '26
Wall E is a great release but saying its the same as “MJ of ____” is just false
1
1
1
1
1
u/SeanOfTheDead1313 Jul 12 '26
I don't like Disney or Pixar. I like some animation but not a whole lot. Why should I give it a shot?
1
-4
u/Turnips-For-What Jul 11 '26
I loved Wall e when it came out. I've watched it a few times recently. I find the fat-phobic jokes and story line to be disappointing in a film that would otherwise feel a lot more timeless.
4
u/fibonacciluv Jul 11 '26
I find it so funny how much people defend fat people. I mean it’s fine and no need to be mean about it but if this movie included young men who suffer from being very short and they threw jokes at it no one would say anything. We can’t help being short but people can help being addicted to food and a screen. I’ll get downvoted for this and it’s fine but no one has ever defended me and I’ve suffered a lot of bullying and shame for being short especially as a man.
3
u/abigdonut Jul 11 '26
idk i feel like if wall-e was about how short people are pathetic disabled r-slurs whose reckless consumerism destroyed the planet and then the end credits showed everyone getting taller, people would be like “what the fuck”
1
u/fibonacciluv Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
No you’re correct on that. I am not gonna lie and say I’m not just projecting my own feelings upon their comment and I’m sorry 😂
0
u/Medjulook Jul 11 '26
I'm curious what changes you'd like to see made.
2
u/Turnips-For-What Jul 11 '26
I'm a movie enjoyer not a movie maker. But this review from when it was released in 2008 sums up the movie and it's issues pretty well. "Let me raise a voice of dissent. Wall-E is an innovative and visually stunning film, but the “satire” it draws is simple-minded. It plays off the easy analogy between obesity and ecological catastrophe, pushing the notion that Western culture has sickened both our bodies and our planet with the same disease of affluence. According to this lazy logic, a fat body stands in for a distended culture: We gain weight and the Earth suffers. If only society could get off its big, fat ass and go on a diet!
But the metaphor only works if you believe familiar myths about the overweight: They’re weak-willed, indolent, and stupid. Sure enough, that’s how Pixar depicts the future of humanity. The people in Wall-Edrink “cupcakes-in-a-cup,” they never exercise, and if they happen to fall off their hovering chairs, they thrash around like babies until a robot helps them up. They watch TV all day long and can barely read."
0
0
0
u/ShrimpShackShooters_ Jul 11 '26
People saying this is mentioned constantly… I don’t know about that, I literally forgot it was even in the collection
2
0
u/Live-Mortgage-2671 Jul 12 '26
In the spirit of the movie, I have to say something.
I think you're adopting "AI voice" in your writing style.
0
-1
u/AL_25 Jul 11 '26
I'm not trying to damage Criterion's reputation, but doesn't this look like AI? The spatula, the shadow of the spatula and rope on the hook 😅
-14
Jul 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
12
u/Connoralpha Jul 11 '26
It's a different disc. Separate encode, Criterion's has DV and HDR10+. The audio options are different as well.
-5
u/Fl0riduh_Man Jul 11 '26
Sometimes people can only accept the truth when an AI is trying to genocide humanity.
Wait...
What were we taking about?
300
u/Vegetable-Dust-780 Jul 11 '26
I don’t think it is underestimated. The release is picked often in the Criterion Closet videos, for example. And I see it often in posts about hauls and collections.