WALL-E

WALL-E (promoted with an interpunct as WALL•E) is a 2008 computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Andrew Stanton. It follows the story of a robot named WALL-E who is designed to clean up a waste-covered Earth far in the future. He eventually falls in love with another robot named EVE, and follows her into outer space on an adventure that changes the destiny of both his kind and humanity.

After directing Finding Nemo, Stanton felt Pixar had created believable simulations of underwater physics and was willing to direct a film set in space. Most of the characters do not have actual human voices, but instead communicate with body language and robotic sounds, designed by Ben Burtt, that resemble voices. In addition, it is the first animated feature by Pixar to have segments featuring live-action characters.

Walt Disney Pictures released it in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. The film grossed $23.1 million on its opening day, and $63 million during its opening weekend in 3,992 theaters, ranking #1 at the box office. This ranks the third highest-grossing opening weekend for a Pixar film as of July 2008. Following Pixar tradition, WALL-E was paired with a short film, Presto, for its theatrical release. WALL-E has achieved highly positive reviews with an approval rating of 96% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $534 million worldwide, won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and the 2008 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and was nominated for five other Academy Awards.

Plot

Throughout the 21st century, Earth was governed by the Buy n Large Corporation (BnL), enabling mass consumerism and covering the planet in trash by 2105. In an attempt to resolve the situation, Earth's population was sent on fully automated luxury BnL spaceliners to spend five years on a cruise in space while an army of trash compactor robots named WALL-E were left behind to clean the planet. This plan failed, however, when in 2110 the planet was deemed too toxic to ever support life again, forcing humanity to remain in space indefinitely. Seven hundred years later, only one WALL-E unit still functions, having survived by salvaging parts for himself from his defunct brethren. This unit has developed sentience and a sense of emotion, particularly curiosity, as shown by his quirky habits, from collecting interesting items in the garbage, to domesticating a lone cockroach, to watching the film Hello, Dolly! and playing its show tunes.

One day, a spaceship lands and deploys an advanced, feminine probe robot named EVE, with whom WALL-E falls in love at first sight. EVE, on the other hand, is hostile towards WALL-E at first, concerned only with fulfilling her directive of scanning for signs of plant life. When WALL-E musters the courage to introduce himself, though, EVE warms up to WALL-E and befriends him. WALL-E brings EVE to his truck for shelter during a dust storm and shows her his knickknack collection. When WALL-E shows EVE a seedling plant he found earlier, EVE stores it inside herself and deactivates. WALL-E goes to great lengths to take care of her motionless body (and even takes her out on a date) in the fruitless hope she will awaken. When her ship returns to collect her, WALL-E desperately clings to the hull of the ship as it returns to the Axiom, flagship of the human starliners.

As WALL-E follows EVE as she is taken to the bridge of the ship, it becomes apparent that after centuries of living in microgravity, consuming liquid food and relying on the machinery around them, humans have suffered severe bone loss, and have become extremely obese and unable to walk, reclining on hovering chairs and communicating only through video messaging; even piloting the ship is handled by its computerized autopilot, Auto, rather than the human Captain. On the bridge, EVE is reactivated and the Captain learns that once her plant sample is scanned by the ship's holo-detector, it will make an automatic hyperjump back to Earth so humanity can recolonize the planet. However, when EVE is opened, the plant is found to be missing. EVE accuses WALL-E of taking the plant but she is deemed defective and sent to the robot repair ward with WALL-E, whom the Captain orders to be cleaned.

In the repair ward, WALL-E mistakes EVE's repairs for torture and tries to save her, only to accidentally release a horde of malfunctioning robots to roam the ship. As a result, WALL-E and EVE are designated "rogue robots" by security. Annoyed with WALL-E and his clumsy antics, EVE tries to send him back to Earth on an escape pod. In the pod launch room, they see Auto's security assistant, GO-4, deposit the missing plant into an escape pod and set it to self-destruct. WALL-E sneaks into the pod to retrieve the plant as the pod is ejected, and narrowly escapes with the plant before the pod explodes. Overjoyed that both WALL-E and the plant are safe, EVE gives him a "kiss" in the form of an electric spark and shares a romantic spacewalk with him before returning the plant to the Captain.

The Captain replays EVE's visual recordings and sees that Earth is still devastated and nothing like the imagery of it he has seen. During the recording, EVE witnesses footage of WALL-E's painstaking and selfless dedication of protecting her while she was inactive, and finally understands and reciprocates his feelings for her. The Captain realizes that humanity must return to Earth to restore the planet. Auto, however, reveals that he was given a final directive from Earth seven hundred years ago to keep humanity in space, back when it was assumed that Earth would never be habitable. When the Captain resists, Auto stages a mutiny, electrocuting WALL-E, sending him and EVE down a garbage chute with the plant and confining the Captain to his quarters. In the ship's garbage depot, WALL-E and EVE barely avoid being jettisoned into space with the help of M-O, a obsessive-compulsive cleaning robot. EVE desperately tries in vain to repair the damaged WALL-E, having realized her love for him and no longer caring about her mission. However, WALL-E insists she carry out her directive, gesturing that she can repair him with the spare parts he keeps for himself in his truck on Earth.

Escaping from the garbage depot, WALL-E and EVE recruit various malfunctioning robots to aid them as they make their way to the holo-detector. The Captain, meanwhile, confronts Auto and activates the holo-detector. When Auto tries to close it, WALL-E jams his body inside to keep it open, but it ultimately crushes him. Summoning the strength to stand unaided, the Captain deactivates Auto, allowing EVE to place the plant in the holo-detector and release the dying WALL-E. The Axiom makes its hyperjump to Earth and lands. EVE speeds to WALL-E's truck and repairs and revives him with his spare parts. Unfortunately, his memory and personality appear to have been erased, reverting him to his original programming as an unfeeling garbage compactor. Heartbroken, EVE takes WALL-E's hand and gives him a farewell "kiss" which restores his memory. WALL-E and EVE happily embrace each other as the humans and robots place the plant in the ground, and begin working together to restore their home world.

Cast and characters
Ben Burtt produced the 'voice' of WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class), the titular character and protagonist of the film. WALL-E is a sentient, 700 year old, solar powered mobile trash compactor robot, and is presumably the only functional robot on Earth. He is designed as a small compactor box with all-terrain trends, 2-fingered shovel hands, binocular eyes, and is equipped with a cutting laser between his eyes. He is a very curious, lonely, innocent looking, and sweet being; and always puts others, namely EVE, before himself on his journey to win her heart.
Burtt also created the voice of M-O (Microbe Obliterator), as well as most other robots in the film. M-O is a tiny, obsessive maintenance robot who cleans the ship and inspects incoming shipments for foreign contaminants. Meeting WALL-E has turned his life upside-down, however, when he sees not only how much filth is on his body, but how much he leaves behind. M-O spends a portion of the film following and cleaning WALL-E's tracks throughout the Axiom, leading him to the garbage depot where he saves WALL-E and EVE from being jettisoned into the vacuum of space through the airlock and befriends them.
Elissa Knight as EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), a sleek, state-of-the-art robotic probe whose main function is to locate vegetation on Earth to verify its habitability. She is designed with a white, egg-shaped body with nanotech/energy binding pivot points (fingers, arms, and head), she moves around by a form of antigravity technology, and is equipped with scanners and a plasma cannon in her right arm (the latter she is quick to use, and harsh, even at the slightest provocation). She is initially a cold and hostile robot who is only concerned with her mission but does display basic emotions; when she opens up to WALL-E she learns to convey her emotions more and understands WALL-E's deep feelings about her, allowing her to become more humane and considerate, eventually to feel her own love for WALL-E.
Jeff Garlin as Captain B. McCrea, the sole commander of the Axiom. Throughout his duties as Captain, he is bogged down by daily routines and boredom. Meeting WALL-E, however, has sparked his interest in Earth, and he becomes enthusiastically engrossed in researching the home he never knew before, ultimately paving the way for a more dynamic leadership role. His name is never mentioned in dialogue, but is shown on a holographic commemoration in his cabin along with his predecessors.
Fred Willard as Shelby Forthright, historical CEO of the Buy n Large Corporation. Known for his seemingly unending optimism, Forthright proposed the plans to evacuate, clean up and recolonize the planet. However, he gave up hope after realizing he underestimated just how toxic the planet had become. Fred Willard is the only cast member in this film who plays a live-action character with a speaking role, and the first to do so in any Pixar film.
MacInTalk, the text-to-speech program for the Apple Macintosh, was used as the voice of Auto, the Axiom's artificially intelligent autopilot, computerized into the ship's robotic helm. Auto serves as the antagonist of the film, following the BnL CEO's final directive A113 to keep the human ships in space, thus to maintain the status quo. The characteristic qualities of this voice are retained even in other languages.
John Ratzenberger and Kathy Najimy as John and Mary, respectively. John and Mary are both humans who live on the Axiom and have been largely unaware of their surroundings for most of their lives, constantly talking to their friends on computer screens before them. However, they are brought out of their trances after chance encounters with WALL-E, eventually meeting face-to-face for the first time and falling in love.
Sigourney Weaver as the Axiom's computer.

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