One of the recurring myths involving the movie rating system is the notion of the G rating being as much a commercial kiss-of-death as the adults-only NC-17 rating.

Rumor has it that the squeaky-clean, general audiences label turns off kids as well as adults. Therefore, over the years, spicy bits have been added to G movies to bump them to PG or PG-13 ratings

It was reported in 1977 that George Lucas heightened some of the action sequences in "Star Wars" to turn a G into a PG. Lucas was afraid that a G would make his space opera look like kiddie matinee fare (that's exactly what the movie was, of course, but on a much more lavish scale).

Well, a G-rated movie dominated the multiplexes this week, the terrific Pixar animated film "WALL-E," which was the top grossing film of the June 27-29 weekend with $62.5 million.

(The second slot was filled by an ultra-violent R-rated action flick, "Wanted," which grossed $10 million less than the G picture.)

"WALL-E" is my favorite sort of movie — a smart, challenging and entertaining piece of work that can be seen by anyone at any age.

We all talk a lot about "family" movies, but the sad truth is that multiplexes make it easy for a family group to split up in the lobby and spend the next few hours apart.

As a child of the late 1950s and 1960s, my early moviegoing experiences were in large single-screen theaters before the rating system was started in 1968, so I saw a lot of movies in family groups.

It was

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fun to see pictures like "West Side Story" and "Lawrence of Arabia" with relatives of various ages and then talk about the movie afterwards — it was a bonding time and a chance to start honing some critical faculties.

"WALL-E" is first and foremost a highly entertaining film about life on Earth — hundreds of years from now — where the lone robot of the title has a sentimental attachment to relics of 20th century life. We learn in the course of the film that humans have abandoned the planet because of uncontrollable pollution and are living fat and not-so-happy lives in giant spaceships.

The Pixar geniuses raise important contemporary issues, along with more personal material about isolation and love, in the context of a movie that is fun from start to finish. "WALL-E" has the feel of an instant classic.