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Pixar’s WALL-E was intentionally modeled after the robot Johnny 5 from the Short Circuit films. Johnny 5 is a self-aware and charming robot who escapes the military and is adopted by a young woman. He has a constant thirst for knowledge and is adept at pulling off Three Stooges’ moves. The character is both savvy and naive, with a childlike charm. Short Circuit was praised for its realistic puppeteering, and actor and puppeteer Tim Blaney gave Johnny 5 his memorable voice.
Pixar’s WALL-E is an imaginative and entertaining film, but many robot lovers may find that WALL-E reminds them of past movies. This is actually intentional. The title character, WALL-E, was specifically modeled after the robot Johnny 5, a cute and intelligent robot with deep feelings who was featured in two films, Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2 in the mid to late 1980s .
Those who remember the Short Circuit movies will probably remember the appearance of Johnny 5, initially called Number 5 but later namesake Johnny. He has caterpillar tracks, very similar to a tank, flexible eyes very similar to WALL-E and speaks with an almost human voice. Originally designed for military use, Johnny 5 suffers a short circuit during a power surge and loses much of its programming that would keep it on a military base. Instead the robot becomes much more self-aware and through a series of mishaps escapes, and is “adopted” by a young woman named Stephanie (played by brat pack star Ally Sheedy).
The appearance of the little robot starts a dangerous search for Stephanie and the designer of the robot, as they try to escape the military who want to capture Johnny 5. In particular, Johnny 5 fears the “showdown”, because in his first antics, he accidentally kills bug and now he appreciates “living”. He has no desire to become an all-powerful robot in the army and would much rather spend his time reading and watching TV shows like The Three Stooges.
Some almost famous characteristics of Johnny 5 include his constant thirst for knowledge, with the line “Need input!” which he often speaks to Stephanie. He can quickly read an encyclopedia. He is also adept at pulling off some of the Three Stooges’ moves in an attempt to elude the US military who want to reclaim him. In all many people find him very charming.
Short Circuit was particularly praised for its expansive and realistic puppeteering. The makers of the film used both a remote-controlled robot for long shots and a puppet-style robot for close-ups. Actor and puppeteer Tim Blaney gave Johnny 5 his memorable voice.
Like many robots, Johnny 5 is somewhat intellectually superior to humans, but has a harder time understanding the complexity of human emotion. He is often confused by his own emotions and his point of view in the first film attempts to capture what it must be like to try to study and understand the human condition. The character is both savvy and naïve, with a childlike charm that continues to appeal to lovers of comedy films.
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