Wall-E ...and Pixar; shifting their demographic?

[Dice]

I just got back from this one, and I have to say it was brilliant.  Mind you, the lack of dialogue combined with whats not exactly a simple story line definitely helped me realize that this film is not for kids alone.

In fact, if I knew any better, I'd think kids would actually have a harder time with this one.  Of course the flick has its cute moments that kids and adults will laugh at.  But the premise, and the definitely more realistic, creative, and emotive parts of the movie tell me that kids probably won't like this one as much as (say) Kung Fu Panda.

IMO, there is waaay too much theme, thought, and story into this one that will most likely fly by a kids head.


Finding Nemo had the cute talking fish, with big bright eyes, and a light-hearted plot.

Wall-E deals with a lighter side of earth's devastation and the events thereafter.

Thoughts?

[Hathen]

Wall-E is actually an idea a lot of the Pixar staff have wanted to do for a while now, but they weren't allowed to because of the concept (dystopian future, etc).

I doubt Pixar will have a demographic to change though, thus far they have made movies that appeal to both children and adults, and there's no reason for them to change it so that it only appeals to adults. If you watched their last film (Ratatouille), that had plenty of stuff in it for adults, and lots of double entendres that I thought were really clever.

I haven't watched Wall-E yet, but I heard there's plenty of cutesy stuff in it to attract the kids, and I recall as a kid I never really gave much of a damn about story anyway, depending on what kind of show/movie it was. Of course, this depends on how old your definition of child is.

[Ramza]

I loved the crap out of Ratatouille. That was one of the best films I've seen in years.

So let's just say I'm super-pumped to see Wall-E. And I agree with the original poster that it probably won't be childrens' new favorite. But Pixar is awesome no matter what. :)

[Blace]

I saw this movie and it was indeed pretty freakin awesome.

[Dincrest]

And let's not forget, Pixar was responsible for the PG rated "The Incredibles" which dealt with adult themes like midlife crises and identity.  And Cars had themes such as nostalgia and remembering who you are/were, which are definitely more adult themes since a child's not old enough to have the sense of nostalgia that adults have, since there isn't much life to reflect back on.  And the whole theme of toys as playthings versus collectibles was brilliant in Toy Story 2.  I mean, children buy toys to play with them, but adults buy them as investments.  Crazy, ain't it?  

I still have to see Wall-E.  I love Pixar.  Every film they've done has been awesome.  My personal favorite Pixar film is easily Monsters Inc. because the concept was so imaginative and the artists could go nuts with the character designs.

Pixar proves that you don't need to dumb down storylines to appeal to kids, nor do you need to have an ultra-serious vibe like Citizen Kane to appeal to adult sensibilities.  Pixar proves that a movie can be both smart and fun.

[Eusis]

IMO, there is waaay too much theme, thought, and story into this one that will most likely fly by a kids head.

More reason for them to watch I say, it was the movies akin to this that stuck to me the most when I was a kid while most of the other trashy movies are forgotten or I look back on with distaste. Admittedly I also tend to think people and rating boards sometimes overestimate the necessary maturity to handle some things.

[Blace]

And let's not forget, Pixar was responsible for the PG rated "The Incredibles" which dealt with adult themes like midlife crises and identity.  And Cars had themes such as nostalgia and remembering who you are/were, which are definitely more adult themes since a child's not old enough to have the sense of nostalgia that adults have, since there isn't much life to reflect back on.  And the whole theme of toys as playthings versus collectibles was brilliant in Toy Story 2.  I mean, children buy toys to play with them, but adults buy them as investments.  Crazy, ain't it?  

I still have to see Wall-E.  I love Pixar.  Every film they've done has been awesome.  My personal favorite Pixar film is easily Monsters Inc. because the concept was so imaginative and the artists could go nuts with the character designs.

Pixar proves that you don't need to dumb down storylines to appeal to kids, nor do you need to have an ultra-serious vibe like Citizen Kane to appeal to adult sensibilities.  Pixar proves that a movie can be both smart and fun.

My favorite Pixar movie is Toy Story 1 & 2 followed by A Bug's Life. They are all great though.

[GrimReality]

We saw this yesterday. It was definitely a movie with a message. I liked it quite a bit except for any scenes involving humans. Didn't care one iota for them. My son (who is 7) claims he liked it, but can't tell me a single thing about it after prompting. Odd. He didn't even get the "love" angle between the two robots. He gave me that scrunched up "yick" face when I told him.
The short before the movie was fantastic.
Between this and Ratatouille, Pixar has definitely become just as much for the adults as for the kids. The again, one could argue that they always have been.