WALL·E (2008)

WALL·E (2008)

WALL-E (stylized with an interpunct as WALL·E) is a 2008 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the story follows a robot named WALL-E, who is designed to clean up an abandoned, waste-covered Earth far in the future. He falls in love with another robot named EVE, who also has a programmed task, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity. Both robots exhibit an appearance of free will and emotions similar to humans, which develop further as the film progresses.

After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater physics and was willing to direct a film set largely in space. WALL-E has minimal dialogue in its early sequences; many of the characters do not have voices, but instead communicate with body language and robotic sounds, which were designed by Ben Burtt. It is also Pixar's first animated feature with segments featuring live-action characters.

WALL-E was released in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. It grossed $23.2 million on its opening day, and $63.1 million during its opening weekend in 3,992 theaters, ranking number one at the box office. This ranks as the fifth highest-grossing opening weekend for a Pixar film. Following Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film, Presto, for its theatrical release.

WALL-E was met with critical acclaim, scoring an approval rating of 96% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $521.3 million worldwide, won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, the final Nebula Award for Best Script, the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film, and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature as well as being nominated for five other Academy Awards at the 81st Academy Awards. WALL-E ranks first in TIME‍ '​s "Best Movies of the Decade". The film is seen as a critique on larger societal issues. It addresses consumerism, corporatism, nostalgia, environmental problems, waste management, human impact on the environment, and risks to human civilization and the planet Earth.

Storyline

In a distant, but not so unrealistic, future where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation, WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earth's history and show tunes, WALL-E is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day, EVE, a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with EVE. WALL-E rescues EVE from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her "directive", EVE takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALL-E, doesn't understand what has happened to his new friend, but, true to his love, he protects her from wind, rain, and lightning, even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim EVE, but WALL-E, ...

Plot

In 2805, Earth is abandoned and covered in heaps of garbage left over from decades of mass consumerism facilitated by the megacorporation Buy 'n' Large (BnL). Seven hundred years earlier, BnL evacuated Earth's population in fully automated starliners, leaving behind WALL-E trash compactor robots to clean the planet for humanity's eventual return. The plan failed, however, and all WALL-E units are now inactive except one, which has developed sentience after so many years of life experience. He manages to remain in operation by repairing himself using parts from other inactive units.

One day, WALL-E discovers a growing seedling. Later, a spaceship lands and deploys EVE, an advanced robot probe sent from the BnL starliner Axiom to search for vegetation on Earth. WALL-E falls in love with the initially cold and hostile EVE, who gradually softens and befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his home and shows her his collection, she sees the plant, automatically stores it inside herself, and goes into standby mode waiting for her ship to retrieve her. WALL-E, not understanding why EVE seems to have shut down, tries numerous methods to reactivate her. When EVE's automated ship returns and collects EVE, WALL-E clings to its hull and thus travels through space to the Axiom, which is hidden behind a nebula.

On the Axiom, the descendants of the ship's original passengers have become morbidly obese after centuries of microgravity effects and relying on the ship's automated systems for their every need. The ship's current captain, McCrea, leaves most of the ship's operations under the control of its robotic autopilot, AUTO.

WALL-E follows EVE to the bridge of the Axiom, where the captain learns that by putting the plant in the ship's holo-detector to verify Earth's habitability, the Axiom will make a hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize it. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of his own no-return directive A113, which was issued to BnL autopilots after the corporation concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved.

With the plant missing, EVE is considered defective and taken to the repair bay along with WALL-E for cleaning. WALL-E mistakes the cleaning procedure performed on EVE for torture and tries to save her, accidentally releasing a quarantined horde of malfunctioning robots. The on-board security systems then designate both WALL-E and EVE as "rogue robots". Fed up with WALL-E's disruptions, EVE takes him to the escape pod bay to send him home. There, they witness GO-4 disposing of the missing plant by placing it inside a pod which is set to self-destruct. WALL-E enters the pod to retrieve the plant, but GO-4 jettisons the pod into space. WALL-E escapes with the plant before the pod explodes and uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself back toward the Axiom, where he and EVE reconcile and celebrate with a dance in space.

When the plant is brought to the captain, EVE's recordings of Earth are analyzed and the captain concludes that mankind must return to restore the planet. However, AUTO reveals his directive and stages a mutiny. When WALL-E tries to protect the plant, AUTO electrocutes and severely damages him. EVE realizes the only parts available to repair WALL-E are in his truck back on Earth. She helps him bring the plant to the holo-detector to activate the ship's hyperjump. McCrea, fighting AUTO for control of the ship, manages to open the detector's access hatch. AUTO partially crushes WALL-E by closing the hatch before McCrea can finally disable the autopilot. EVE places the plant in the holo-detector, freeing WALL-E and instantly setting the Axiom to hyperjump to Earth.

Upon arrival, EVE rushes WALL-E back to his home where she repairs and reactivates him. However, his memory is erased and resumes his original programming as a waste compactor. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E an electrical farewell kiss, which restores his memory and personality. WALL-E and EVE reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom restore Earth and its environment.

User Review

WALL-E, Pixar's latest film, is about a robot named WALL-E (or 'Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class'), who is the only thing left on earth with some sort of emotion. He meets another robot named EVE, and the trip begins.

It's hard to describe in words how incredible I personally find this film.

The animation is flawless. Absolutely flawless. Especially on earth and the robots. It looks real. Much of the time it's impossible to tell whether or not it is real. The few slightly-shaky styled shots that appear a few times in the film only makes the animation that much more amazing and realistic. The humans are really good, too, while not realistic in the sense of you seeing it right now in real life, but they do have a realistic feel to them. The thing with the humans, I believe, is that they were purposefully meant to have this slightly rounded, slightly unrealistic feeling.

I believe the reason is to take a satirical look at humans, and what our goals for a future, perfect utopia, is. It questions what we want, and shows you what is a very, very likely outcome of our desires for a 'better' world, showing both positive and negative effects. The animation for the humans, I believe, was made rounded and slightly more cartoonish to emphasize that that is how we will become. Fat, lazy, yet so perfect. At times, especially with that perspective on the humans, they actually do look very real.

The story is brilliant. There are many little things in the film that have so much meaning to them. There are things that will be nostalgic to older viewers, and things that younger viewers will love to look at. However, it does steer for the cheesy, cliché aspects of a child's film, yet still remaining a completely G-rated film.

I don't call this a child's film at all. Not because it has adult material, because it doesn't. I say this because the film is perfect for everyone. Literally, everyone. There are things in it every person can enjoy, no matter who they are. It has obvious homages to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", and any adult who remembers seeing that film will notice this.

WALL-E is such a lovable character. I've never felt so much emotion for one character. He will definitely go down in history as iconic as Darth Vader, or Indiana Jones. I was so close to crying at pivotal parts in the film, and although I didn't fully break out and cry, I have never felt so much emotion in my heart with any other film as I did with this one.

EVE is very fun and interesting. One scene in particular, with her, was so beautiful, that my eyes got teary. Her chemistry with WALL-E is so oddly perfect. They are so different in appearance and personality, yet they work so well together.

The other robots are all lovable, except for the "enemy" robots, who still add much depth to the film. In particular, M-O was the cutest, obviously not counting WALL-E.

Pixar has always made great animation films. But this, without a doubt, tops all of their own films, and most other films. It restores faith in the animation films. It captures the magic and wonder as past Disney films, which is something I have not seen in most modern animation films.

I would not be surprised at all if this won for best picture of the year. It deserves it more than anything.

This is one of greatest achievements in cinematic history, and I encourage everyone to see this.