“WALL-E” is a BEAUT-E.

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By Linda Cook | Monday, June 30, 2008 3:11 PM CDT | () comments

In this image released by Disney/Pixar Animation Studios, a scene from the animated film, "WALL-E," is shown. (AP Photo/Disney/Pixar Animation Studios)

The finest movie so far this year simply has no audience it can’t reach with its delightful message of friendship, love, renewal and hope.

And, for the first half-hour or so, it accomplishes this mission with almost no dialogue.

Pixar/Disney doesn’t do anything sloppily, and “WALL-E” is no exception.

Truly, it’s a work of art, with gorgeous animation that’s so realistic you’ll have trouble believing that you’re not watching live action.

The show opens about 700 years hence, when Earth has been abandoned because it has turned into one huge garbage dump. The skyline doesn’t consist of buildings. It consists of colossal compacted trash piles.

One wee robot, WALL-E (voiced by Ben Burtt, who developed the sounds of the droids and aliens in “Star Wars” and “E.T.”) continues his directive to compact and pile trash.

WALL-E has quite a charming personality, though. He likes to watch scenes from the film “Hello, Dolly!” and longs to hold hands with some other entity, just like he sees people doing in the film. He has a grand collection of doodads that he has procured from his compacting expeditions, including a Rubik’s Cube and garden gnomes.

WALL-E is lonely except for a sort-of pet: A cockroach that scurries around and is tucked safely away by the little machine.

When a gigantic spaceship arrives, both WALL-E and the cockroach are terrified. The robot EVE is dispatched on some sort of mission by the ship. She’s uber-sleek and high-tech in comparison with the somewhat bedraggled, antiquated appearance of WALL-E, who is instantly smitten with the dangerous and no-nonsense device that has invaded his world.

But EVE can communicate and the two form a sort of bond — that is, until EVE stops communicating with WALL-E, who continues to watch over her. In fact, he accompanies her back to the ship, and that’s where his adventure begins.

The two little robots can evoke more emotion than most human performers. They’ll make you laugh, chuckle and sigh while you feel their frustration, love and fear.

The larger theme is a warning about our overly large, overly wasteful society and how our bad habits threaten our world.

This is the stuff that used to be called “movie magic.” It’s back, and it’s worth seeing on the big screen — maybe more than once.

4 stars

Running time: One hour and 37 minutes

Rated: G, with nothing offensive for any audience

Voice stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver and Fred Willard

Director and screenwriter: Andrew Stanton