WALL-E is a Pixar animated film about the last robot on Earth, WALL-E, who falls in love with a sleek robot probe named Eve. The film explores what it means to live and be alive and has elements of a biblical origin story. The first 45 minutes contain no human dialogue, and the film was hailed as one of the best of 2008. The concept was originally considered too risky to produce due to technological advances and story problems.
WALL-E is the ninth animated feature film from Pixar Animation Studios. The film was released on June 27, 2008 to widespread critical acclaim. The film follows the life of the last robot on the abandoned earth, an Earth-Class Waste Allocation Load Lifter, whose acronym is WALL-E.
The film was originally conceptualized during a lunchtime meeting in the mid-1990s prior to the release of Pixar’s first film, Toy Story. During the meeting, Pixar’s creative team made several suggestions for future films, many of which would become blockbusters over the next decade. At the time, the robot story was considered too risky to put into immediate production, as it would involve significant technological advances and story problems of how to build a plot around a completely isolated character. Director Andrew Stanton has repeatedly said that the idea stuck with him, even though he wouldn’t develop the concept until after he directed the incredibly successful Finding Nemo.
WALL-E tells the story of the lonely robot, whose life is changed forever when a sleek robot probe named Eve is sent to Earth to find signs of potential habitability. In the 22nd century, humans had to leave the Earth after high levels of pollution destroyed the ability to sustain life. For 700 years, humans have lived a quiet existence aboard the Axiom space station, waiting for the day when the robots left behind to clean up the planet will complete their job and life can return to the planet. Unfortunately, with the exception of the rugged WALL-E, the robots have failed, leaving the planet covered in trash for much longer than expected. When Eve discovers plant life, she returns to Axiom to report her discoveries, with the WALL-E in love with her following close behind.
The film has elements of a biblical origin story. Some critics have pointed to Eve’s name as a possible tribute to the first woman in the biblical book of Genesis and have noted her similarity to the dove of biblical significance. The filmmakers also attribute much of their inspiration to early silent films, including the work of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
The first 45 minutes of the film contain no human dialogue, as WALL-E and Eve make robot noises instead of speaking a human language. To facilitate this form of dialogue, Andrew Stanton worked in concert with sound engineer Ben Burtt, who created the robotic language for R2D2 in the Star Wars films. Stanton would write scenes with human dialogue, which Burtt would then translate into robotic noises using what he calls audio puppeteering. By combining universally recognized sound patterns with expression and situation, audience members are able to understand the robots’ intentions and feelings without specifically understanding their words.
Director Andrew Stanton suggests the film is meant to be an exploration of what it means to live and be alive. The humans in the film have reached such a deteriorated state that they are nearly incapable of forming loving relationships with one another. Eve and WALL-E aren’t technically alive, like robots, but their love of humanity and each other gives them the ability to live rather than simply survive on orders. The film was hailed by many critics as one of the best films of 2008, an excellent follow-up to Stanton’s Finding Nemo, and a worthy ninth entry into the Pixar cinematic canon.
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