Burn-E

Burn-E is an eight-minute Disney Pixar short that spins off from Wall-E and follows the story of one of the background robots we briefly see in the main film. While Wall-E itself is a masterpiece, Burn-E gives us a fun side adventure that shows just how much care Pixar puts into even the smallest corners of its universe.

What makes this short so creative is how it blends comedy, world-building, and character focus all in such a tight runtime. Instead of giving us a direct sequel to Wall-E (which sadly we've never received, despite how beloved it is), Pixar expands the universe by exploring a single character's misadventures. Burn-E isn't a lead in the original film, but here he gets his moment to shine - and it's both hilarious and surprisingly charming.

The short follows Burn-E's attempt to complete a simple task, but in true Pixar fashion, every possible thing goes wrong. The storytelling is visual, witty, and perfectly timed, making it easy to connect with this little repair-bot despite the lack of dialogue. His frustration, determination, and resilience give him an almost human personality, which is part of the brilliance of Pixar's animation style.

I especially love how the short overlaps with events from Wall-E. While we see Burn-E struggling with his own problem, we catch glimpses of the larger story unfolding, almost like an Easter egg for fans. It's clever, it's immersive, and it reinforces the sense that this world is alive beyond just the main narrative.

Even though it's only eight minutes long, Burn-E gives us more of the magic from the Wall-E universe. It's a reminder of why Pixar stands apart: their ability to take even a minor character and give them depth, humor, and heart.

Verdict: Burn-E is short, sweet, and incredibly fun. It doesn't replace the longing many fans still have for a proper Wall-E sequel, but it gives us a little more time in that world, and that alone makes it worth revisiting again and again.

This DVD extra isn't trying to the sort of brilliance that distinguished Wall-E. It's jut a cute shot that tells a story that runs concurrently with some of Wall-E.

There were a couple of years between when I saw Wall-E and when I saw this, and I think that mutes the humor for me. I feel like if I'd just seen the movie and immediately watched this that it would have more resonance.

Even then though, this is pretty much of a throwaway. It's cute and mildly humorous, but it doesn't really stand on its own. But if you've just seen the movie, or remember it very distinctly, this is worth taking a look at.

Having absolutely loved WALL-E, I was all for seeing the short film that came with it. Burn-E is just as good as the movie it featured with, and while not quite in the same league as Geri's Game, Knick Knack, Jack-Jack Attack, Presto and One Man Band, it is one of Pixar's better short films to me. The animation with beautiful colours and atmospheric backgrounds is amazing, the music is haunting and understated and the story has an enchanting atmosphere to it. Burn-E may be a one-joke short, but seeing as the joke itself is funny, it works brilliantly. Burn-E, like WALL-E, is not just endearing but there is a very human side to him which makes us identify with him all the more. In conclusion, beautifully animated and enchanting, this is a great short film and perhaps one of the better one-joke animations I've seen. 9/10 Bethany Cox

It's 2805 A.D. Humanity had launched itself into space on the spaceship Axiom leaving behind a mess on Earth to be cleaned up by robots before the people return. A small meteorite hits a lighting spire outside of the ship. BURN-E is a repair robot and sent to replace the spire. However, things keep going wrong. Not the least of which, WALL-E's pursuit of EVE is interfering and the ship lands back on Earth. Nevertheless, BURN-E is programmed to repair the damage no matter what. This is a nice companion piece to WALL-E but not much more than that as a stand-alone. It interacts with the story tangentially. The comedy is light fun. It's nice to see but only after watching WALL-E.

Like Wall-E, Burn-E has his flaws. Robots should be capable of repetitious acts that they do flawlessly, but they are also the product of human development. What is cool here is an almost human persistence as Burn-E continues to try and try again. I don't know that any new ground was covered. It was fine.