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Once the opening strains of “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” from the Broadway musical “Hello, Dolly!” began at the start of the film, I knew that “WALL•E” was going to be an experience I wouldn’t soon forget. And I was not disappointed: what followed was a truly groundbreaking cinematic achievement, not just in the realm of computer-animated features, but in film, period. “WALL•E” writer/director Andrew Stanton, who dazzled audiences in 2003 with the impeccable “Finding Nemo,” has outdone himself, and in turn has provided us with one of the finest films likely to hit the screens this year.

But forget how visually dazzling the epic, dystopian version of the future that Stanton paints is. Forget how effectively the film is able to convey robot emotion through the use of minimal dialogue and two songs from a musical written over fifty years ago. Forget, even, that “WALL•E” is one of the most poignant, heart-warming, resonant love stories in recent memory. Even without these elements, “WALL•E” remains an important fable about the dangers our planet faces, and the potential catastrophic results in store if we don’t amend our ways.

The world that “WALL•E” is set in is a world in which humans have incorporated mass consumption so inextricably into their lives that the earth becomes completely submerged by garbage. Eventually, conditions get so dire that the entire human race leaves on massive, cruise-ship-esque space stations, only to let their bodies and minds deteriorate over generations as they rely on machines to do all their physical tasks and thinking for them. WALL•E himself is created for the purpose of helping to collect and aesthetically redistribute garbage but, as all humans abandon the planet, he soon becomes marginalized, a relic of a bygone era programmed to perform a service that is no longer needed in the absence of human life.

And yes, it’s certainly amusing to watch the humans in the film bumble around like disoriented infants, and the message is not exactly subtle, but that doesn’t make it any less timely or relevant. While it may be unlikely that Broadway-loving robots will become intergalactic heroes in the centuries ahead (then again, what do I know?), the finite, fragile portrayal of our planet and its resources is all too real. The fact that WALL•E’s resilient spirit and optimism are eventually what turn things around for him (not to mention all of mankind) is a testament to the fact that positive, proactive thinking about the state of our earth is the only way to go from here on out. Without giving away too much of the plot, let’s just say that WALL•E is instrumental in helping the humans he encounters to realize the joys and value of preserving the natural wonder of the earth, and his tenacity comes as a much-needed breath of fresh air. “WALL•E” shows us that, while we’re facing some challenging obstacles as a planet, it’s not time to throw in the towel yet.

In short, see the movie. Oh, and if you get a chance, check out “The Dark Knight.” It’s bad ass.

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