Andrew Stanton, WALL-E

As the director of the Pixar-Disney $160 million robotic futuristic fantasy WALL-E , Andrew Stanton hardly qualifies as either an independent or a foreign filmmaker. But Stanton's innovative work would make any indie filmmaker proud for following "Finding Nemo," WALL-E intentionally nods to the silent comedy of Chaplin and Keaton along with Kubrick and "Hello, Dolly!" references. The ninth employee hired at Pixar nearly 20 years ago, the Cal Arts grad is now a veep as well as a personal filmmaker. Stanton talks about how he did it, what Chaplin and Keaton films he loves most and how Pixar's personal visions remain alive and well under the Disney umbrella.