Qeiteri Armelle

Wall-E does have all the ingredients for that certain kind of cute Disney movie that we all
expect. Wall-E is a beat up, rusty robot who appears to be the sole survivor of an army of
robots left on the earth to clean it up after the human race had trashed and abandoned it.
He looks like a box with a binocular head and acts like a mini trash compactor.

The beginning of the movie is like an old silent film, where Wall-E exhibits certain human
qualities that endear us to him. He is curious, he collects little bits and pieces that he
finds interesting, he has funny mishaps and triumphs, and he has an odd liking for the
movie version of Hello Dolly. It is while he is watching the musical that we learn that
he is also lonely. Michael Crawford, as Cornelius Hackl, has taught Wall-E how to love
and we can almost feel Wall-E’s longing for his own Irene Malloy.

Of course, he does get his wish, in the shape of an egg-shaped robot who comes to Earth
in search of life. This new robot is Eve, and Wall-E is instantly smitten. I found their
beginning scenes fun to watch as they discover their similarities and overcome their
differences. Watching Wall-E with his beat up angles and Eve with her shiny smooth and
curved lines, reminded me of those funny computer commercials that start out with “Hello,
I’m a Mac,” and “I’m a PC.”

After Wall-E finds a plant and gives it to Eve, she seemingly shuts down while waiting
for her mother ship to pick her up. Wall-E does not understand why she has shut down,
but his devotion to her is touching. Eve’s mother ship does arrive, and Wall-E stows away
for the ride and their adventures begin.

As expected from a Pixar film, the CG animation in Wall-E is good. Wall-E reminded me
of a mechanical version of ET, including his curious attempts at understanding human
objects found in the world. The sound effects from sound designer Ben Burtt were another
highlight of the film, especially the robots’ speech and old computer sounds when Wall-E
boots up. The soundtrack is also good, with an extra bonus of a track by Peter Gabriel
during the credits.

Humans do exist in this futuristic world, but on the surface, the trashing of their home
planet has not taught them any lessons. All of the humans live on space ships.
These ships have been provided for them by the corporation “Buy n’ Large,” which
is representative of the massive consumerism that led to earth’s demise. All of the humans’ needs are met by robotic means. They drink supersized drinks, hover around on gliders, and are constantly in front of TV screens. Their remote control lifestyle has also led the race to obesity.

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