--- title: "WALL·E: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/walle/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/walle" critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # WALL·E (2008): what the critics said Critics' score 88 from 20 reviews: 20 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are strongly positive, with praise clustering around WALL·E’s near-wordless opening, expressive character animation and visual wit. Most critics find the central robot an engaging lead, able to carry both comedy and romance with little dialogue. The detailed future setting also draws admiration, while several reviews welcome the ecological concerns and satire of consumerism. For most critics, the love story gives those ideas warmth without making them less pointed. The differences concern how well the film sustains that opening promise, rather than whether it succeeds at all. Paste finds that the later action reduces some of the early promise, while Den of Geek acknowledges a more conventional second half but still finds it emotionally satisfying. The Guardian offers a distinct reservation: it admires the invention and imagery but questions the warmth and spontaneity others celebrate. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to qualified admiration, with no outright rejection. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 26 June 2008. Pixar’s WALL-E succeeds as an enthralling animated film, a visual wonderment and a decent science-fiction story that works largely without spoken dialogue. It features enchanting storytelling with ideas and a wonderful look that draws the viewer in. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wall-e-2008) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 5/5. 15 July 2008. The review calls it a daring, imaginative and angry portrait of the future, praising the sharp intelligence of the detail in the near-silent first half and the wonderfully imagined world overall. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wall-e) ## Evening Standard Rating ****. 11 April 2012. A masterpiece of futuristic animation and superbly witty, visually poetic family filmmaking that deserves acclaim and an Oscar. The critic singles out the appealing central character of WALL·E and the lyrical treatment of simple human moments like dancing or holding hands. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/walle-family-space-odyssey-has-walltowall-robotic-fun-6913857.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 91/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2008. Festival review. The review hails WALL·E as the most ambitious and visually breathtaking Pixar film to date, praising its thoughtfulness, imagination and the expressive lead robot character. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/wall-e/4039577.article) ## Sight and Sound — Andrew Osmond Fi1m's normalised score 91/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds WALL·E exceptionally good and one of Pixar's best, ranking with Toy Story 2 and The Incredibles. They praise its fresh feel, lovable characters, crafted jokes and wonderful images. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4437) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2008. A triumphant and ambitious Pixar film of faultless grace and breathtaking sweep that stands among the studio's best. The critic singles out the genius character of WALL·E himself and the visual wit and charm of the storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wall-e-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 4.5/5. 17 November 2022. Gonzalez praises the Criterion release as stellar, with a flawless presentation and captivating extras. He singles out the vivid, finely detailed 4K image and the abundant supplementary material. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/walle-4k-uhd-review-andrew-stanton/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2008. The critic praises Pixar for topping itself again with a whimsical sci-fi fantasy about robots that captures the heart, soul, and romance of the best silent movies. The visual design of the two worlds and the use of footage from Hello, Dolly! to spark WALL-E’s romantic yearnings are singled out as especially brilliant. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/wall-e-review-2008-movie-1016979/) ## The Independent — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 July 2008. Romney praises WALL·E as Pixar’s most elegant, subtle and emotionally satisfying film, while noting that its space-adventure section is less distinctive. He singles out the nearly wordless opening and its finely observed visual expression for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/wall-e-u-872181.html) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2008. The first 40 minutes are a cinematic poem of wit and beauty that gives a G-rated vision of potential extinction, while also delivering a sweet, simple love story and an earnest ecological parable. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/movies/27wall.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2008. Daring yet traditional, groundbreaking yet familiar, the film gains strength from embracing contradictions and manages to appeal broadly without insulting intelligence, full of wonder at life and animation's power. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-27-et-walle27-story.html) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The critic describes an enchanting animated tale with genuine heart, highlighting the haunting sense of isolation in the early scenes and classic moments like the zero-gravity dance. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-w32a2c/walle/) ## Total Film — Jonathan Dean Rating 4/5. 18 July 2008. Dean finds WALL·E brilliant for much of its running time, though its shift to busier, more conventional action weakens the film. He praises the expressive, finely detailed characterization of WALL·E, especially in the quiet early scenes. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/walle-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2008. The critic praises the film's rich invention, textured visuals and dystopian romance but finds it overly hermetic and questions whether it amounts to more than a brilliant aesthetic exercise lacking warmth and spontaneity. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/18/animation) ## Den of Geek — Seb Patrick Rating 5/5. 8 July 2008. The critic highlights the film's groundbreaking near-silent opening half as a triumph of visual storytelling and character animation centered on the endearing robot WALL-E, while noting a shift to more conventional narrative in the second half that still delivers emotional satisfaction and pushes animation boundaries. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/wall-e-review/) ## /Film — Hunter Stephenson Rating 10/10. 10 July 2008. The critic hails WALL·E as arguably Pixar's best film and a cultural touchstone, praising the first act's wordless robot romance and sound design above all. They note the human characters slightly diminish the later sections but affirm the film's overall greatness and romantic heart. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/499868/movie-review-wall-e/) ## Collider — Steven Weintraub Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 2008. The review praises WALL-E as a magical, heartfelt Pixar achievement with minimal dialogue, stunning visuals, and a deeply empathetic robot protagonist whose romance feels profoundly human. It highlights the film's economy of storytelling and emotional depth as standout elements. [Read the review](https://collider.com/walle-movie-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2008. The critic praises WALL-E as Pixar's most ambitious and accomplished film yet for its experimental near-wordless storytelling, sharp satire on consumerism and technology, and heart-warming central love story between robots. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a109815/wall-e/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2008. The critic calls WALL·E critic-proof and a charming pastiche of the SF genre that appeals across ages with its romance, mayhem, cute robot and satire. They single out the rich details and nostalgic future vision for praise while noting the second half drags slightly once humans appear. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/walle-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Paste — Robert Davis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2008. The critic calls WALL-E a noble experiment and significant gamble for its near-wordless first half and fresh approach, singling out the poignant premise of a robot dreaming of Earth's lost natural world. It notes that the shift to action sequences later reduces some of its promise. [Read the review](http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/06/walle.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/walle.md