I am in Edinburgh today for work, for the fifth time in as many weeks.

I’ve noticed the crowds get more and more sizeable and touristy as the city builds up to the annual hellish bedlam that is the Festival. I’m sure I’ve vented my spleen on this blog as to how much I hate the Edinburgh festival and its pretentious mediocrity, so am glad that the trips down here are going to ease off in the coming couple of months.

Yet another expedition on the 0645 today was no easier thanks to a late night last night, but it was worth it – I went to see Wall·E at the cinema.

Wall·E is an animated film set in the future about a robot whose job is to tidy the planet up, after humankind made a mess of the place before retreating to a giant spaceship. Wall·E is the last robot on the planet, and continues his work until… well, I’ll not ruin the plot. Just go and see it.

The film is most remarkable for its first half hour, where we simply get to know Wall·E, his work and his routines. That sounds dull, but it – like the rest of the film – is gorgeously animated, with engaging characterisation, humour and even romance. There is a real sense of “humanity” about Wall·E the robot, more than you get in many films’ human characters.

With nods to both early silent films and later epics like 2001, the story relies so much on music, subtle action and physical expression. It’s an unusual watch, but a beautiful one.

And moreover, thanks to the film’s Wikipedia page, I have now discovered the excellent word “interpunct“.

I hope I now get to use it as much as possible in conversation.