The Best Female Character of the Year is Played by a Robot

I've seen WALL-E twice. I like Pixar movies in general because I get the sense that someone, like, put a little thought into them. This one takes the cake. I like it even more than Ratatouille and The Incredibles, which is saying a lot. There are a million things that make it one of the best films of the year—from the sparse dialogue to the sly anti-consumption message to the computer-designed backdrops—but one of the real points of distinction for me is the relationship between leading man WALL-E and his crush, EVE.

See, EVE is a bitch. She's well-groomed, reserved, and serious about her job. (These are the qualities that make a girl a bitch, right?) She's focused on her career and can't be bothered to deal with WALL-E, even though he is the only robot left on earth. When something (e.g., a rock) threatens her safety, she simply blows it up. When she finally does befriend WALL-E—after first becoming pals with a cockroach, note—she asks him what his directive is. To everyone watching the movie, that's pretty obvious.

Disheveled WALL-E does his ho-hum work every day and doesn't get hung up on it. He yearns for affection, for someone to just hold hands with. (The scene when he practices holding his own hand? Die. So adorable.) He's also super emotional. And loves musicals. He falls for Eve the second he sees her and shyly pursues her. In the end (yes, spoiler alert), Eve of course falls for the John Cusack of battery-operated trash compactors. But in the process she proves to be the strongest, most self-assured female role Hollywood's turned out so far this year.

Her slim competition:
-Hayley Atwell as Lady Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited
-Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor in 21
-Tina Fey as Kate Holbrook in Baby Mama
-Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 in Get Smart
-Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl
-Angelina Jolie as Fox in Wanted

Am I missing any?