WALL·E (2008); animated family film

Poster artwork for the animated comedy family film Wall·E.

A Robotic Romantic by Linh

WALL•E is the latest animated film from Pixar, bringing together the creative team of animators and producers who were responsible for the animated hit films Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Set seven hundred years into the future, WALL•E is simply a love story about a lonely robotic garbologist named WALL•E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class) who has been left on Earth to clean up the rubbish left behind by humans. Everyone has relocated to a giant luxury spaceship called Axiom because Earth can no longer sustain life. When WALL•E meets EVE (who is on a mission to find evidence of life on Earth) he is immediately smitten and attempts to win her love. As EVE is taken to the spaceship Axiom, WALL•E believes she is being kidnapped so he attempts to save her.

Andrew Stanton wrote and directed WALL•E based on the concept, "What if mankind had to leave earth, and somebody forgot to turn off the last robot?" The team behind WALL•E cleverly projects the art of story telling by combining sophisticated visual techniques with audio effects. The first half of the film contains minimal dialogue and only consists of mechanical noises from WALL•E and his cockroach friend Hal. When WALL•E finds himself onboard the Axiom, we hear human voices from animated humans who look like giant babies sitting all day in hover chairs connected to hologram screens.

Ben Burtt's audio and sound effects wizardry provides the ‘voice’ of WALL•E and another robot named M•O, amongst others. Burtt effectively uses his original mechanical sound recordings to give WALL•E the anthropomorhic touch of human feelings with each vocal inflection and an endearing quality. The technology used to create WALL•E, and all the other robots is phenomenal. WALL•E has a curious nature and likes collecting unusual and interesting objects amongst the garbage. He has a VHS copy of the musical Hello Dolly, which taught him to sing, dance and hold hands (his way of expressing love). He is solar powered and has twin hydraulic arm shovels. WALL•E's front opens up to gather and then compress rubbish. He also possesses an inbuilt recorder which he uses to record songs from the musical Hello Dolly. WALL•E's eyes are cameras and between them he has a laser. Some of these technical components are used in other ways throughout the film to project human characteristics.

PIXAR'S STARS: WALL·E (voiced by Ben Burtt) and EVE (Elissa Knight) in the film WALL·E.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar.

EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is voiced by Elissa Knight, and is an advanced probe droid sent to Earth on a scanning mission. EVE is equipped with a laser gun and capable of flight and high speeds. She is determined to complete her task and initially fails to notice her robot Romeo, WALL•E. EVE and WALL•E eventually bond and the more she sees how much WALL•E cares for her, the more she falls for him, ultimately making it her top priority to protect him. 

The most adorable and funny little robot is M-O (Microbe-Obliterator). M-O is also a cleaning robot who resides aboard the Axiom. He's programmed to clean items deemed contaminated, and travels around on a single roller equipped with cleaning equipment. M-O befriends WALL•E after he attempts to clean dirt off WALL•E's body.

The only 'real' human who appears in the film is Fred Willlard's character Shelby Forthright, the CEO of Buy N Large, the corporate giant which built WALL•E and the Axiom. Willard gives an impressive and highly animated performance, almost as if he should be a cartoon human like the rest of the people onboard Axiom.
Alien star Sigourney Weaver provides the Computer's voice onboard the Axiom, and is gaining a reputation as the sci-fi siren with her acting credits including Ghost Busters 1 and 2, the Alien movies and the upcoming James Cameron sci-fi thriller Avatar.

Although the stars of the film are the plethora of robots with various functions, the presence of humans gives a gentle reminder of how fragile humanity can be and the importance of caring for the environment. Other underlying issues include consumerism and corporate commercialism.
WALL•E is pure enjoyment for all ages and comes with some food for thought. Few animated films have engaged the imagination and moved the senses as WALL•E, making it exceptional•e extraordinar•e.

 

THE FINAL FUN-TIER: WALL·E travels into space in the film WALL·E.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar.

 

Director: Andrew Stanton

Writers: Andrew Stanton (screenplay and story), Jim Reardon (screenplay), Pete Docter (story)

Voice Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Nijamy, Sigourney Weaver, MacIn Talk, Lori Alan, Sherry Lynn

Producers: Jim Morris, John Lasseter, Thomas Porter, Gillian Libbert, Lindsey Collins

Cinematographer: Jeremy Lasky, Danielle Feinberg

Original Music Composer: Thomas Newman

Film Editor: Stephen Schaffer

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes