Over and Overs: “WALL•E” and My Son

Team Experience occasionally sounds off on super rewatchable films that hold a special place in their lives

By Ben Miller

As a parent, I have hoped to find common interests with my two children.  While my neurotypical daughter is outgoing and gregarious, my son is on the autism spectrum and does not relate as well.  His communication skills are limited and his specific interests are topic based, like dinosaurs and planets. In an effort to find a common love, I attempted many different activities.  While my love of baseball has yet to translate towards any athletic inclinations on is part, I was able to truly bond with my son through the magic of film, and that film was WALL•E...

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Is it (finally) Thomas Newman's time?

Just 15 days til Oscar. Here's Cláudio Alves on a 15 time nominee...

When we think of Hollywood royalty, our mind tends to go to those dynasties of movie stars or celebrity directors -- families like the Barrymores, the Hustons, the Fondas or the Coppolas. But not every tinsel town lineage is made up of those who sit on the director's chair or dazzle in front of the cameras.

The Newmans are a good example. With more than 90 collective nominations and many wins, they're the Academy Awards' most beloved family. Alfred Newman is the most Oscar-winning composer of all-time with a total of 43 nods and 9 victories. His son David Newman is a one time nominee and his brother, Lionel Newman, won the Oscar for adapting the score of Hello Dolly! and received 10 additional nominations. Emil Newman, another brother, was nominated for the score of 1941's Sun Valley Serenade. Their nephew, Randy Newman, has amassed 22 nods and 2 statuettes. 

And then there's Alfred's other Oscar-beloved son, Thomas Newman…

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Soundtracking: "Wall-E"

by Chris Feil

It’s a rare thing for a Disney film to borrow music for a film rather than provide original material, but Pixar’s Wall-E is an even rarer brand of masterpiece. Today, on its tenth anniversary, it is still as sublime an experience for the senses as it ever was.

When the film opens with a musical theatre classic, we are told instantly that we are in for a different kind of science fiction world view. Its nearly dialogue free visual storytelling has been rightly lauded, detailing the a polluted post-evacuation earth through the robots left behind. But one crucial and charming aspect to the silent love story it tells is how swiftly it reveals character through its needle drops...

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Wonder Women: Eve

We're talking female movie heroes all week to celebrate Wonder Woman! Here's Chris Feil on a feisty robot...

Wonder Women don’t necessarily have to be human, right? Our cinematic female heroes can range from real people, fantastical creatures, and even artificial intelligence. One such non-human hero for me exists in one of my favorite romances - Eve of Wall-E. In short order Eve saves humankind and her big-eyed beloved, all while having feelings and goals all her own that some flesh and blood female characters seldom get to display in a love story. She’s a hero with a soft side, a curious nature, but it doesn’t mean she has time for your bullshit.

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BB-8 is Basically Round WALL•E

Chris here. One of the most exciting elements of The Force Awakens is the fresh heroes we have to idolize. But Rey, Finn, and Poe aren't the only new blood worth obsessing over: we also have fan favorite BB-8.

So much of The Force Awakens relies on our collective nostalgia for the originals, but BB-8 seems to be his own charming creation. If you're thinking of C-3PO and R2-D2 as sources for our new friend, they're not the droids you are looking for. Delivering more humanity than his droid predecessors and drawing the most laughs, his extroverted connection to the other characters embodies the optimistic spirit of hope that is the staple of the franchise.

And yet something still felt too familiar. Who did BB-8 keep reminding me of?? And then, it clicked...

A playful breakdown after the jump...

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