Known for adding to its collection movies that are considered classics, masterpieces or just plain cinema gems, Criterion surprised everyone today by announcing its first-ever collaboration with fan-favorite production company Pixar. One of the studio’s most celebrated titles, animated film Wall-E, was revealed as part of the November 2022 release slate of The Criterion Collection. The movie centers around a trash-compacting robot who is tasked with the ungrateful job of cleaning up Earth after humans made it uninhabitable.
In the announcement post, Criterion referred to Wall-E as “a high-water mark of digital animation”, and underscored the fact that the 2008 movie pays homage to cinema’s silent era, with almost no dialogue – something rare for animated films. As per Criterion tradition, Wall-E will be released in a 4K UHD and Blu-ray special edition, with new and exclusive bonus material.
Also following Criterion tradition, the movie got a new cover art. The cover highlights the gray nature of the post-apocalyptic world Wall-E lives in, and has the title character with his signature sad look while forgotten among trash and junk. Wall-E is also broken, with trash cleverly positioned to reconstruct his robot body and a trashcan behind him that references the super-technological robot EVE that befriends Wall-E in the story. The art by illustrator Jason Raish even features Wall-E’s friend cockroach in its elements.
Wall-E is one of the most acclaimed titles ever released by Pixar – and considering the animation studio’s history, that’s saying something. It was nominated in six categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Feature Film, and it won the latter. Criterion’s decision to feature it in its catalog is also related to the timeless aspect of the story: Almost 15 years since its release, the movie still makes a piercing and relevant critique to modern society and the direction we are heading.
The movie was directed by Andrew Stanton, who also helmed other successful Pixar titles such as Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life. Recently, the filmmaker directed episodes from Stranger Things and For All Mankind, and also collaborated on the screenplay of Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and recent Pixar blockbusters Toy Story 4 and Lightyear.
You can check out the bonus material from the new Wall-E Criterion edition below:
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- 4K digital master, approved by director Andrew Stanton, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack;
- One 4K UHD disc of the film, presented in both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+, and two Blu-rays with the film and special features;
- Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo soundtracks;
- Two audio commentaries: one featuring Stanton and the other, character supervisor Bill Wise, coproducer Lindsey Collins, story artist Derek Thompson, and lead animator Angus MacLane;
- New programs on Stanton’s cinematic influences and production designer Ralph Eggleston’s color scripts;
- Tour of the Pixar Living Archive with Stanton;
- Behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including segments from early animation reels;
- The Pixar Story (2007), a documentary by Leslie Iwerks;
- More than a dozen documentaries exploring the film’s production and robots;
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Plant, a masterclass with Stanton;
- “WALL•E”: A to Z, a new program featuring Stanton and coscreenwriter Jim Reardon;
- Deleted scenes featuring commentary by Stanton;
- A Story (1987), a student film by Stanton;
- BURN•E (2008), a short film by MacLane;
- Trailers;
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing;
- English descriptive audio;
PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson; selections from Stanton’s sketchbooks, script notes, and drawings; and artwork from the WALL•E team