WALL-E

Andrew Stanton seems to value very much the design and look of an animated film. Evidence of this can be seen in “Finding Nemo” and also in his second film: “WALL-E”. When I first saw the latter film, I was amazed with the huge risks that Pixar was taking with their ninth feature film. With “WALL-E”, Pixar attempted the science fiction genre but with a G-rating. It was also the first of their films to take place in a futuristic setting. The film was universally received with open arms & applause in 2008 and I think it is better than “Finding Nemo” because “WALL-E” has a better story. Despite their lack of dialogue, our main characters are very likable and relate-able. Due to the desires of Stanton as the director, the film makes some substantial breakthroughs in computer animation. With the help of Ben Burtt, the film takes on a reality that gives it power.

“WALL-E” was thought up in 1994 as “Toy Story” neared completion. The idea in essence was to make a film staring R2-D2 or Luxo Jr. (the Pixar lamp) as the only working robot left on Earth. Over the next decade, the story was molded and rewritten and that is what I believe makes great movies as was the case with “Inception”. “Avatar” for example had its focus on the visuals while every element of “WALL-E” was given a lot of attention, especially the story. The film has some strong themes, even religious ones that make it appealing on the level of the soul. Just as “Star Wars” is popular because of the many themes incorporated and organized into it, the themes integrated into “WALL-E” make its story powerful. There are some themes that will always resonate in the human race, never dying, and that is why storytelling will never stop. It is also cool how it is a post-apocalyptic tale for kids. I love how Michael Crawford’s voice starts the movie off suddenly. The song makes the space images we see even more beautiful. Then the song contrasts what we are seeing once the camera enters Earth. The use of “Hello Dolly” throughout the movie is very smart. There are common themes between the films and I love how songs from that classic musical begin & end this Pixar movie. The exposition at the start is well handled. WALL-E becomes appealing early on due to his collection at home. EVE’s arrival introduces more drama and comedy. When WALL-E tries to take Eve’s hand for the first time, it is a very passionate moment thanks to the animation, the song “It Only Takes a Moment” and with the use of close-ups. I love the montage when WALL-E spends time with EVE in shut-down mode and the score resembles that of a chewing gum commercial. I think it is pretty funny how the satellite that is on WALL-E’s head as he is shot into space is the first satellite, Sputnik. One of the reasons why I like the story of “WALL-E” is because of the protagonist’s unintentional impact on the passengers of the Axiom. WALL-E shakes up the routine that has lasted for so long. One initial example is that M-O realizes that he can leave the assigned path on the floor. Also, Mary sees past her viewscreen probably for the first time. The Captain shakes hands with WALL-E and this leads to him learning all about Earth. When Mary and John meet in real life thanks to WALL-E, it may be the first time humans have interacted in person in centuries. WALL-E changes the lives of the passengers and thereby all of humanity. He inadvertently saves the earth and the human race. The first two men that we see on the Axiom mock a real-life part of our society. Two people may communicate more through text messaging to each other than by actually talking vocally to each other. A person may even text someone that is standing right next to them. I find humor in the scene when the broken robots celebrate WALL-E as their liberator. The story of the film really gets going once we see Gopher trying to destroy the plant. The film has introduced conflict and given our characters a clear mission to accomplish. The sequence where WALL-E and EVE dance in space is very lovely and the score helps with that mood. I also like the scene with John and Mary in the pool and their lines: “Stop that.” “Make me.” It is a powerful moment when EVE sees WALL-E’s care for her when she was shut down. She also understands why WALL-E wants to holds hands and it is another sweet, romantic plot point. I love how the Captain rises to the occasion. His several realizations throughout the film are well animated and performed. It is also quite dramatic as he argues with AUTO. I like the computer mice that accidentally reboot EVE. It is a funny joke but at the same time, it doesn’t fully distract us from the fact that our heroes are in trouble. It is dramatic when EVE extends her hand, which is what WALL-E has wanted, but he doesn’t take it. They can only be together if they make it back to Earth where WALL-E can be fixed. EVE’s directive is now personal for her and for us, the audience. The Captain’s fight with AUTO is a great action moment due to the subtext and it is really funny how Gopher almost makes it to the pool. Another hilarious moment is the captain holding on to the wheel during hyper jump. The classic story device of the protagonist “dying” at the end of the climax only to wake up has become cliché. “WALL-E” however has pulled it off more dramatically than we have seen in a long time. Stanton really milks the fact that WALL-E’s memory may be lost and we buy it. The fact that EVE’s love causes WALL-E to remember is quite dramatic but when you think about it, it shouldn't be so dramatic. First of all, we have seen this common motif before many times of true love’s kiss breaking the spell. Secondly and more importantly, they are robots for crying out loud! They shouldn’t have emotions like love, at least not real ones. The amazing thing though is that these characters are no longer robotic to us due to how well made this movie is. They have feelings and souls as it were. The film is so successful because these main characters have become just as real as any movie characters. I am appreciative of the end credit sequence for resolution purpose.

These robot characters are just as real as human beings or anthropomorphic animals. When Walt Disney began to make his full length animated features, cartoon characters took on a sense of reality. Audiences cared for characters that were no more than lines on a piece of paper. Pixar is accomplishing similar kinds of breakthroughs. I saw some kids watching "WALL-E" one time and one of them asked his mother what WALL-E was like when he was a baby. Not only is WALL-E a bunch of computer data on a screen but he is a robot. He doesn't grow or age but this child did not understand that. In his mind, WALL-E was just as alive as a human being. This is probably the greatest accomplishment Pixar has even achieved. In order to create the kind of robots that the story needed, Pixar recruited Ben Burtt. He is essentially R2-D2’s voice as the Oscar-winning sound designer from “Star Wars”. He has been called the father of modern sound design. I love though how Burtt has created a voice for WALL-E that is similar but distinct from R2-D2. The design of the characters had to be appealing as well. I applaud the attention that was given to every part of WALL-E’s design. He is cute but is still a realistic robot. The fact that he has no elbows, mouth or other expressive body parts is fascinating considering that he still gives a dramatic performance. His face sort of brings E.T. to my recollection as well. Our two robotic main characters contrast each other very much, making the romance even sweeter in nature. We have another unlikely couple, just like Linguini and Colette, and I love those kinds of romantic stories. The relationship in this movie however is more unique. Neither WALL-E nor EVE are voiced by professional actors. Burtt is WALL-E while Pixar employee Elissa Knight performs EVE. EVE is revealed early on to have a personality. She flies around after the ship leaves as if she is free to do her job however she wants. The Captain, just like the passengers of the Axiom, is trapped in routine but he is more competent than one might expect. He chooses to ignore AUTO in order to start his day in the normal fashion. He desires to be in some control; he has just never been challenged in his job. His hat symbolizes his ability as Captain. It is not upside down or missing off his head but it is just resting casually on his head. He adjusts it before standing up to AUTO. Jeff Garlin is the voice of the Captain and I love his improvisation in the scene when he is playing with the toy ship and the globe. Another great moment is when he pretends to have the plant. The funny performance from Garlin as he fools AUTO concludes with a serious, dramatic challenge that makes the fight between them quite exciting. M-O is a great addition to the cast (also voiced by Burtt). I love his acting when M-O realizes how much foreign contaminant is on WALL-E. John Ratzenberger finally plays a Pixar character that is also named John and Kathy Najimy’s voice sounds so genuine as Mary. I believed her vocal performance. Sigourney Weaver and Burtt, as two veterans from the science fiction genre, give “WALL-E” credibility as Pixar attempts to penetrate this genre. The Tasmanian Devil-like massage robot is a funny inclusion in the film.

It isn’t just the story and characters that make “WALL-E” amazing as mentioned. Thomas Newman is the perfect composer for Stanton’s films. He brings out the magic and value of the images we see in both “Finding Nemo” and this film. Just like the Pixar films preceding it, “WALL-E” moves computer animation forward. With this movie, director Andrew Stanton wanted to better replicate the look of classic sci-fi films. Pixar therefore studied the imperfections that occur with shooting on film and with camera lenses. The first 30 minutes of the film is where you can best see the application of their study. J.J. Abrams took a similar approach when he made “Star Trek”. Research was a big part of production as crews studied everything they could that related to this story from Chernobyl to binoculars. Another breakthrough in “WALL-E” is complexity. According to the studio, “Monsters Inc.” was the last time that such advancement in complexity was undertaken. The junk on Earth, WALL-E’s collection and the robots on the Axiom show this innovation. Another step forward for Pixar in this movie was the performance of our main character. Animators had to learn how to make a mostly mute character act. WALL-E had to deliver a dramatic & emotional performance and his design made this even more of a challenge. Pixar watched many silent movies to better animate the film such as shows staring Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and of course Charlie Chaplin. The film shows the Pixar universe after centuries have passed because we see the Pizza Planet delivery truck and other references to past Pixar movies such as Rex in WALL-E’s collection. The film is full of stunning visuals but the “wow moment” in this movie is when the passengers of the Axiom are gathered on the Lido deck and the ensuing chaos when Auto tilts the ship. The film references many non-Pixar films from science fiction but the references that play a nice role in the story come from “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Auto is an obvious reference to HAL but the musical references are what most affect the audience. There is the music when the Captain arrives on the bridge when we first meet him and also when he stands on his feet for the first time in his life. "Also Sprach Zarathustra" does create humor but I also feel that the Captain becomes more heroic than without that famous classical music.

“WALL-E” is the “Dumbo” of the new millennium and I have cried while watching both movies in the past. “WALL-E” won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and interestingly, many critics felt it was better than some of the Best Picture nominees for that year. Ben Burtt should have won at least one Oscar for his work on this movie. I feel that his sound work was taken for granted by the audience, critics and the Academy. I also feel that the screenwriters should have won for Best Original Screenplay, which would have made "WALL-E" the first animated film to win that award. “WALL-E” is a visual masterpiece and it pays homage to silent movie actors. The sound in the film makes up for the lack of dialogue. Andrew Stanton more than deserved his second Oscar. I was worried that the financial failure of his first live action film, "John Carter", was going to hinder his career but the success of "Finding Dory" ultimately put my fears to rest. “WALL-E” is such a work of art and I feel it paved the way for the subsequent Pixar film released the following year.

4.5 Stars