Okay, just a wild guess so don't quote me on this ... but remember a while ago I had the revelation after enjoying my WALL-E Blu-ray (congratz Daniel on your new acqusition! ;) hurry and watch it!) for the umpteenth time, I realised that while WALL-E's the first Pixar animation that's silent (mostly), it's not the first Disney film that challenged the need for dialogue to emote, but instead rely on a superb soundtrack and a well-developed, personified, endearing cast.
Many years ago, in 1941, there was Dumbo. (Borrowing WALL-E expression) Ta dah! Silent film (mostly). Today, I read this article (Lunch with the FT: John Lasseter) and here's the para:
His office is smaller than I expected but packed with Disney and Pixar paraphernalia. There are sketches on the wall from Susie the Little Blue Coupe, an animated short film from 1952, as well as a framed drawing from Dumbo (1941), Lasseter's favourite Disney film.
Hmm ... first thought - Cool, we have the same taste! Dumbo's my absolute favourite of all time too (for my love of elephants) ... then, it dawned on me - hey ... so that's why the man created WALL-E! Sigh ... what wouldn't I do to talk to him?
