Introduction
WALL-E is an animated science fiction movie, directed by Andrew Stanton and produced by Pixar in 2008. The story takes place in a far future, when a robot named Wall-E, programmed to clean up a desertic Earth covered with waste, falls in love with Eve, a probe sent to Earth with a mysterious task. Their meeting takes Wall-E on an adventure in outer space that will change the fate of humanity.
One of the most impressing things in this movie is that you understand everything with the images only. With so few dialogues, you're still captivated and feeling very strong emotions while watching WALL-E.
This blog was created to comment on different aspects of this movie, regarding Science and Technology, and Society. I won't bother to sum up the whole movie, especially because if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you watch it right now ! Having seen the movie is necessary to follow what I am going to develop in this article.
However, I can still say as a general presentation of this article that this movie mixes science fiction with a love story : the relationship between the two robots is as important as the general plot. Plus it takes from a genre much older than sci-fi : silent films. Indeed, when robots are on the screen, there is almost no dialogue, if not the sounds they manage to emit digitally. The modernity of an animated science fiction movie, mixed with the nostalgic charm of a silent love film, creates a pleasingly puzzling effect for the viewer who can then think about all the implications of the narrative of WALL-E (which by the way is simply beautiful).
First, let's consider the way the future is described in the movie, especially the state of the Earth and of the human condition.
Depiction of the Future
There are two aspects to develop when we see how the future is represented in WALL-E. First, what Earth has become, and second, what Humans have become.
In the very first scene of WALL-E, you see stars, galaxies, and the beauty of space lets you float around, right before you zoom in on a trash-covered, polluted green Earth, with billions of sartificial satellites orbiting around it and no sign of life whatsoever on its surface. Even when Wall-E appears on screen, the minutes pass and you understand that mankind has fled to outer space and all the other cleaning robots are broken. In spite of Wall-E's cheerfulness, you have the impression that something went terribly wrong. Earth has become a giant trashcan.
So, in about five minutes, the first depiction of the future that you see is that pollution has grown out of control and that humanity decided to abandon Earth and have it cleaned up by robots. It is quite typical for a sci-fi movie to depict a pessimistic future, but in this case the preoccupation seems to be very ecological : the first scenes describe an environmental disaster. In my experience, this point of view is quite new in sci-fi movies.
On a slightly deeper level of interpretation, an careful viewer will have noticed how ever-present the Buy'N'Large company is. More than a monopole, this company seems to have taken over all the markets : gas, superstore, transport, bank... This description of the eventual effects of globalization and economic tendancies will be discussed further down, but it is obvious that the omnipotence of the commercial power has a lot to do with what went down on Earth before (and when) humanity decided to flee an uninhabitable Earth. This is another original detail in the pessimism with which modern science fiction sees our future, even if it can be glimpsed in I, Robot.
We find this everpresence of Buy'N'Large later in the movie, when the story takes us aboard the Axiom. Advertising is everywhere, but only for Buy'N'Large. The space ship is like a giant mall with only one brand. Even at schools, machines teach little kids that Buy'N'Large provide them everything they need. The brainwashing starts early in the life of humans.
Everything is white, automatic, BNL robots take care of every single task, which seems marvelous at firt. But then you understand that humanity has willingly fallen for a trap, and now no one can even think about getting out of this condition.
Captain [to Auto] : I can't just sit here and do nothing. That's all I've ever done. That's all anyone on this blasted ship has ever done ! Nothing !
Humans literally spend their lives lying on moving couches. Not moving rendered them obese and unable to walk. Even in their way of life, they seem not to enjoy living : they are so apathetic ! They eat through straws, have no physical contact with each other, can only talk to one another through a holo-screen... In the future, consumerism and technology turned humans into pieces of meat living life lying in front of a screen. Moreover, without the intervention of Wall-E, no human expresses a single feeling throughout the movie.
Instead of depicting mankind as battling against the machines like in Matrix, this movie shows us as empty shells. No intellectual curiosity, monotony... Buy'N'Large, as a company that wanted to make everything easy for its customers, has failed mankind. Humanity is stuck in a dead-end. The conclusion is as gloomy as in other movies, even more so as humans don't actually seem to have conscience of their condition. They're not even human anymore, just emotionless façades of humans, barely self-conscient.
This is how the future is presented in WALL-E. However depressing it may be, you're not hit that badly when you watch the film. Now I'll try to comment on how Technology is depicted, and on the links between the vision of Technology and this analysis of the future.
Depiction of Technology
From the very beginning of WALL-E we get back to the ambivalence of Society towards technology : high expectations, yet fear caused by catastrophic previous uses of science.
Technology, or more precisely the way mankind has used it, is at one point the cause of humanity's biggest problem as well as the expected solution to this problem. Indeed, because of the economic and industrial growth entailed by all sorts of technical progress, Earth can no longer sustain life. Because of mankind's irresponsibility, pollution has poisoned the water, and no efficient measure was taken before it happened. Instead, the CEO of Buy'N'Large came up with a solution based on another use of techonology : to exile en a space ship and have the Earth cleaned up by robots.
Then again, instead of a solution, the CEO declares in his final appearance that the Operation Cleanup didn't work that well. Once again, high expectations towards technology meet a cataclysmic failure, emphasized by the fact that mankind doesn't actually "live" on the Axiom.
Speaking of which, the Axiom is the standard of technology during the film. It is the most impressive element in WALL-E. Even if the human condition makes technology look gloomy, everything on the Axiom is white, ordered, automatic. Technical perfection is achieved. Robots and humans follow the lines when they move, everything is under control. The viewer is reassured to see all this order in the spaceship, and finds relief in the humorous interventions of Wall-E in the middle of all this organisation; yet he also feels disturbed and doubts the sanity of this controlling atmosphere.
Aboard the Axiom, functional robots accomplish their mission. Auto, who reminds us Hal from 2001 : A Space Odyssey, follows very strictly the instructions given by the CEO of Buy'N'Large (this link between the two films is developed in the conclusion of this article). But robots can be "dysfunctional", mostly because of Wall-E's intervention.
In the next paragraph we'll see how Wall-E seems to be the only human figure in the movie, and how he influences the rest of the characters when he meets them. But we can already discuss on how he, too, offers a view on technology.
Due to his 700 years on Earth, Wall-E is the most archaic element of technology in the film : more angular and dirty than every other clean-white round-shaped robot. In this movie, we also see that he, and many other robots, eventually develop feelings, or at least start interacting out of the limits of their programming. This is very interesting, considering the fact that salvation of humanity eventually comes thanks to the intervention of dysfunctional robots : since humans can't use technology to make things right, technology itself goes back to what makes us really human, in order to help us solving our problems.
Eventually, the most useful and benefic piece of Technology is that which doesn't function, that which we didn't expect to help us. This is a very optimistic point of view on Science and Technology, all things considered, even though the whole movie presents us a very pessimistic view of the future. It brings us back to how mankind should use science as a tool, and not as a goal.
WALL-E's character
Wall-E is, as I said, the most human character in the film. With years of collecting garbage, he eventually developed feelings, with an intensity rarely seen in other sci-fi movies (again, I, Robot). In just the first two minutes of the film, you're already identifying to him. He works hard every day, goes back home, is curious about strange objects, stares at the stars, helps a cockroach... Everything about him makes him nice and human.
What's more, every time Wall-E meets a new character, whether it's a human or a robot, this character begins to act differently, with more free will. Eve, of course, starts expressing anger, disappointment, because of the lack of results of her search, and eventually amazement and laughter when she meets Wall-E and discovers his collection of items.
After the first appearance of MO, the Microb Obliterator who forces his fellow robots to follow the lines on the ground, Wall-E manages to escape. MO, with great courage, decides to jump out of his line to clean up Wall-E's traces, and jumps happily with satisfaction right afterwards.
Another example is the typing robot right before going to the captain's cabin. Wall-E waves at him, and the robot then tries to imitate this unusual gesture. Then when Wall-E gets out, the typing robot waves frantically at him.
Finally, I obviously have to mention John and Mary, who are the first humans to be aware of their surroundings after meeting Wall-E, and their hands touch when they see him fly around with Eve, during their space dance.
So Wall-E, thanks to the personality he managed to develop during centuries, express clear feelings like love and seems to contaminate everyone he meets, robot or human. This is a key element to explain why he and Eve are eventually the elements of technology who save humanity.
Ecology
Ecology may be the main theme in WALL-E. The quest for vegetal life on a polluted Earth, the fact that Eve bears life inside of her, the fascination of the Captain towards farming, and the morale of the movie, they all tend to awaken an ecologic conscience in the viewer. This is also something that I had never seen before in sci-fi movies : WALL-E is an ecologist movie.
About the final scene, which wraps up the Operation Recolonize, we can relate to Voltaire's novel Candide which conclude kind of the same way. In the end of Candide, after experiencing great hardships, characters eventually declare that "we must cultivate our garden", i.e. cultivate ourselves. However in WALL-E, the conclusion is less metaphorical and promotes real ecological awareness, as well as wise use of technology. Humanity has to prioritize the conservation of the planet rather than over consumerism.
Visual Effects
As an animated movie, it is really worth noticing all the efforts that Pixar Animation Studios made for WALL-E. The image quality and the realism of all the scenes is stunning. Textures and details have been especially taken care of, as we can see when we observe Wall-E's eyegoogles focusing, or Eve and the newer robots' roud envelop.
The effects of lights are also very realistic, as we can see on the image below with the reflections of the lighter's flame on Eve's body. The quality of the animations and the realistic light effect give the movie more power, all the more as the robots (mostly Wall-E) really look like humans made of metal; as if the robots had actually come to life.
Animated movies, especially Pixar movies, especially WALL-E, give us a striking example of the mise en abîme inherent to science fiction movies : a description of future technology using existing new technology. The technical difficulty to create a full animated movie is also worth noticing, especially when you have to imitate the pale lights of a thousand stars in space.
Music and Ambiance
Music plays a more subtle role than visual effects, yet it is at least as important. It contributes to create an atmosphere that takes the viewer further into the movie, and it is also important to the narrative : Wall-E's taste for old music echoes in the Captain's curiosity towards Earth, and makes them "human".
The use of very old music, such as the music in Hello, Dolly ! that Wall-E listens to, creates nostalgia in the heart of the viewer, and contrasts with all the futuristic features of the narrative.
On Wall-E's arrival on the Axiom, when the robots start to activate, a complex melody kicks in, emphasizing the atmosphere of hive created by all this coordinated agitation. We really are in the future.
Of course, the flying scene in the stars between Wall-E and Eve is a real treat for the eyes and the ears. As in any love story, such a dancing scene is crucial for the development of their relationship, and the light music fits perfectly with the ambience.
But above all, the scene that strikes me everytime, is when Wall-E loses his memory and Eve, after several tries to remind him of his own "humanity" and of her, kisses him desperately. There is no music. I just hold my breath, silent, listening to the soft voice of Eve singing, almost whispering, her melody right before kissing a soulless Wall-E. It gets me everytime. This scene is by far my favorite of all the movies I have seen.
Rage against the Machine
As it is said earlier, it is interesting to note that the only piece of technology that solves humanity's problems is a bunch of dysfunctional robots able to have feelings and free will. If "Rage against the Machine" can sound a bit excessive with that conclusion, it still fits with the movie's condemnation of consumerism and the will of robots and humans to get out of their state of conformity and passivity.
This article wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the obvious links between this film and 2001 : A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968). Of course, everyone will recognize HAL 9000 when they see Auto. Plus the use of the music fits perfectly when the Captain finally gets up, offering mankind an exemple of advancement from a lower state. Not to mention when the Captain enventually switches Auto to manual, and we hear Auto scream "Noooooo..."
Auto : On the Axiom, you will survive.
Captain : I don't want to survive. I want to live.
Auto : Must follow my directive.
As for place for Wall-E in the general evolution of science fiction movies, it is quite clear that the depiction of a gloomy, catastrophic future and of a really dependant mankind follows what had been seen in The Matrix, Blade Runner, Terminator, and I, Robot (between others). The idea of colonization, humanity fleeing to space, is also very reminiscent.
Yet this movie ends on a really optimistic note, with a happy ending, for a really sweet love story, and a philosophical (if not political) morale : The axiom is to return to earth. Capital letters deliberately omitted :-)
