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In the Apocalypse, Your Best Friend Could Be a Roach
Disney is no stranger to having dark elements in their stories. Hell, Bambi traumatized several generations of children. Not me though, I was already effed up from A Nightmare on Elm Street and Aliens. So for WALL-E to be a cautionary tale about the power corporations hold, the devastation humans bring to the planet without a care, and dependency on technology; it’s not off-brand. Then of course there are the more horror-adjacent live-action films released by Disney… Watcher in the Woods did have an effect on me… But that’s not a story for this article.
How many of those stories from Disney felt so close to reality that there’s such a heavy foreboding? Unless there’s climate crisis denial at play and an unawareness of the reach major corporations have, it’s hard to see WALL-E as lighthearted by any means.
“Okay But What the Hell Are You Talking About?”
Whenever I talk about my favorite Pixar movies (because I love Pixar over Disney and refuse to accept that certain titles were created after the buyout), it seems few people watched or remember WALL-E, so please allow me to summarize.
Synopsis
In WALL-E, the titular character (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class) is an older model robot that roams about a decimated landscape of what is Earth 700 years from 2008. Earth is junked out and void of human life. Save for WALL-E and his little bestie who’s a cockroach. And let me say… it’s the cutest cockroach you’ll ever see. That’s how magical Pixar is, they’ll make you find a roach adorable.
WALL-E has a routine he goes through for “cleaning up” Earth. But he also collects things. Among his prized possessions is a videotape of Hello Dolly, which he watches every night with what seems to be a longing for love and connection.
One fateful day in the guise of a random laser, another robot, EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), lands. Her mission is to find evidence of life. WALL-E silently stalks EVE for the day. He eventually makes himself known when EVE gets caught up on a giant shipyard magnet and wreaks havoc with her arm laser canon.
It’s the roach, of course, that helps defuse the situation so they can become friendly with each other. There’s a series of cute exchanges before EVE reveals her mission, in which WALL-E is able to help by showing her the plant he has sprouting in a boot.
The Plot Thickens…
Once EVE’s achieved that part of her mission, she goes into a sort of lockdown mode and sends a retrieval beacon to the main ship. WALL-E, completely unaware of what’s happening, oddly courts her until the day comes that the ship takes her away. Refusing to let her go, WALL-E gets sucked up onto the ship, and that’s where the real adventure begins.
WALL-E is old as hell, but I’m not giving any spoilers, because it is really an entertaining and adorable watch if you dig animated films. But the gist is that you learn that 700 years ago, megacorp Buy n Large launched some giant space cruise ships to save humanity. So humans have been living on these ships for 700 years, and also physically evolved to live this new lifestyle.
But with EVE’s mission, the plant coming on board launches a sequence of events that changes the course of history. It really is compelling stuff for what’s essentially a kid’s movie. There’s even a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference.
“No Really, Why Should I Watch It Though?”
Well, I’m not saying you should. I mean, you could go the rest of your life not having seen it and be fine. But for one, if you love cute things, WALL-E is super cute, even if dark and foreboding. And the development of his and EVE’s relationship is adorable. If you find robots doing goofy things and emulating humourous human behavior, you’ll definitely enjoy it. Also if you’re like me, you find it fascinating when they pack such heavy themes into films that are supposed to be simple and cute. It’s truly artful screenwriting.
Then there’s the stunning animation. I love all of the textures and environments. I’m not sure why it always blows my mind, but it does.
While I can’t say WALL-E is a “just for the fun” kind of watch, I can say there’s so much in it to enjoy. You may not really be bothered by the themes if you’re someone who doesn’t like glaringly obvious themes in your movies.
WALL-E is streaming on Disney+ and available on various VOD platforms.
