Great Character: WALL-E (“WALL-E”)
This month’s theme: Pixar. Today’s guest post by Jason Cuthbert features WALL-E from the 2008 WALL-E, screenplay by Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, story by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter.
In 2008, Pixar gave us everything you could want in a movie — genuine romance, science fiction spectacle, brilliant observation of the human (and not so human) condition, vibrant animation, a beating heart, interplanetary adventure, a sense of humor…oh…and the kids can stay in the room and the adults can stay awake. WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, merged the imagination of the yet-to-be-seen with real life issues like consumer overload and environmental sabotage.
WALL-E plot summary from IMDB:
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.
WALL-E swept the top honors for an animated feature film from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and the Saturn Award. That enduring bot also grossed over half a billion dollars and sat at the #1 on Time magazine’s “Best Movies of the Decade” list. Not bad for a mechanical icon that speaks next to no dialogue and cleans up our polluted messes for a living.
VOICE IN COMMERCIAL: Too much garbage in your face? There’s plenty of space out in space! BnL StarLiners leaving each day. We’ll clean up the mess while you’re away.
The adorable protagonist WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter — Earth-Class) is a kid-friendly robot as cool as Johnny 5 (Short Circuit), as resourceful as R2D2 (Star Wars) and as pure-hearted and sympathetic as the galactic traveler E.T. (E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial). This metallic janitor has evolved beyond man-made functionality, and has developed feelings, compassion and an overwhelming sense of loneliness on the futuristic ghost town of planet Earth. The 1969 Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau musical “Hello, Dolly!” becomes his vicarious portal into experiencing what love must feel like.
WALL-E’s need to be needed by someone first manifests it’s self to us through his friendship with a Twinkie-loving cockroach. But, then a lady robot named EVE, looking as sleek as if Apple designed her, enters WALL-E’s World.
EVE: [EVE repeats “Directive” in multiple languages, ending with… ] Directive?
[WALL-E demonstrates his trash-compacting function]
WALL.E: Ta-dah!
After centuries of creating and stacking cubes out of garbage in complete solitude, EVE gives WALL-E a new sense of purpose, a reason to care about someone — beyond the focus of completing his maintenance directives. Her happiness becomes his happiness, just like the self-less transcendence into the “higher self” made by Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Ironically, the chronically lazy, bloated, bone-loss distant descendants of the human race have done the exact opposite. Instead of evolving into their higher selves, their emotions and desires are literally on autopilot while aboard the Axiom.
CAPTAIN: Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to day 255,642 aboard the Axiom. As always, the weather is a balmy 72 degrees and sunny, and, uh… Oh, I see the ship’s log is showing that today is the 700th anniversary of our five-year cruise. Well, I’m sure our forefathers would be proud to know that 700 years later we’d be… doing the exact same thing they were doing.
As the Captain begins to learn more about Earth, and what it means to be a human, beyond self-centered gratification, WALL-E’s bond with EVE also becomes more and more “human.” Especially when they partake in an emotionally expressive activity that the blubbery remains of our human race wish they could physically handle — dancing.
For his constructive dealings with loneliness and boredom, his selfless sweet “nature,” and his wonderful journey to fulfill his need to be needed — WALL-E is an incredibility GREAT CHARACTER.
WALL-E is an important part of the Pixar legacy dating back to a famous lunch in 1994. In this video, Andrew Stanton discusses that momentous occasion:
WALL-E is one of the single most charming characters in the Pixar pantheon.
Thanks to Jason for yet another Great Character post. Join us in comments for a discussion of WALL-E and why the little robot is such a compelling character.
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