“Long. Boring. Sad.” Ouch.

My 8-year-old sidekick might have been in a bad mood that day, but his opinion adds up to three strikes against Pixar’s new movie, “WALL-E.”

I’m less harsh about the film. The animation is incredible, especially when “WALL-E” makes it out to space. The robots share many humorous, touching moments. And it’s actually only 12 minutes longer than the other popular kids flick, “Kung Fu Panda.”

But “Panda” is more fun. It carries a simpler message — believe in yourself — while “WALL-E” tries to tackle multiple social issues such as pollution, love, corporate takeover, obesity and consumerism.

The messages can become muddled to kids, and that cute bucket of bolts can only blink his eyes and sigh so much.

It’s safe to say that I’m in the minority by liking, but not loving, this film. P-D Film critic Joe Williams says “WALL-E” is one of the best movies of the year. AP gives the movie three and a half out of four stars. Around the net, critics are raving.

It’s tough to find appropriate movies for kids, and this one is worth seeing. But the first 30 minutes are virtually silent so buy a bucket of popcorn to keep them busy.

“WALL-E” is being aggressively promoted, and I’m sure it will be commercially successful. But in the fight for the most entertaining summer movie for kids, the panda is still standing.

PHOTO: A scene from the animated feature, “Wall-E.” Photo by Disney/PIXAR.