Watching the brief teaser for WALL-E available on Apple.com (link spotted on Upcoming Pixar blog)I developed a Veruca Salt complex "I Want It Now!" I can't remember the last time I fell so in love with a character so quickly. Maybe it was Stitch & Lilo after listening to the animators working on the film at the Disneyana Convention. I can remember my nervousness when the film finally opened I had developed such an affinity for the characters from those brief presentations. It didn't disappoint. Stitch is more crass than I'd prefer but I was too in love with the little guy who was trying to not be so bad and find a family that I forgave the over-abundance of body noises and fluids. I sometimes wonder if I would've been as fond of Stitch if I had walked into the film cold — without all the background information. Now I wonder how my expectations of Wall-E will change as more information comes out over the years ahead.
I know Ratatouille is just around the corner and all the reviews that have gotten back to me so far from friends who went to the weekend sneak peek have been glowing. So I expect I'll really enjoy Ratatouille even though the trailers and images I've seen thus far haven't left we me wanted more of the story. But I've not found any of the Pixar teaser/trailers to be of particular strength in drawing me to the theater out of interest in the characters or story presented. Usually its the magnificent settings or the realization of some new technique that intrigues me.
But the brief moments with WALL-E have definitely whetted my appetite and piqued my curiosity about the character's story. I can see posting his picture among my rotation of desktop images as soon as possible. So adorable. Right now my desktop is a film background image of Paris available on the Ratatouille official site. I love its colors — the blue sky with the buildings illuminated with a rosy glow but it doesn't include any of the film's characters. I'm just not yet able to see beyond the rat-ness of Remy yet.
So in a couple of weeks I'll enjoy a few hours in the theater discovering the story of Remy. Based on friend's reviews, I suspect it won't take too long before he stops being the dirty icky sewer rat I currently see — captures my heart and has me rooting for him. Hopefully I'll get to see more of WALL-E in a preview, too, even though it doesn't hit theaters until the summer of 2009. I'd love to see more of the little metallic dude with the expressive eyes.