WALL-E
Summary:
Released in summer of 2008, WALL-E is a Disney Pixar film set in a distant, dystopian future. This film is vastly different from any other properties by Pixar. Rather than setting the protagonist in a cheery and upbeat world, WALL-E begins on earth where humans have used its resources to their limit. Humans have been forced to leave earth due to their unending consumerism, so only cockroaches and WALL-E remain. WALL-E is the last of sentient robots designed to organize the mass pollution left by humans. The mega corporation, Buy-N-Large, along with human’s consumerism has left the earth as a desolate wasteland. There are no humans, there is no wildlife, and there is no plant life. Earth’s surface and atmosphere has become so polluted that the earth can no longer sustain life. The horror of human consumerism is further drawn out as WALL-E begins to work. He happily travels through a city of trash and organizes it into little cubes unaware of the disaster that took place for so much trash to begin in the first place.
The first third of the movie takes place on earth. Later a spaceship delivers EVE, a robot intended to search for life on earth and determine if humans can return. WALL-E and EVE interact, and a cute relationship develops. However, while showing EVE his vast collection in his “home,” WALL-E shows her a boot with a small sapling in it. EVE takes the boot, places it into her interior compartment, and shuts down. Eventually, the spaceship returns and takes EVE. WALL-E hops aboard and travels to the Axiom, the spaceship intended to hold humans for 5 years so the mass pollution could be dealt with.
As WALL-E and EVE arrive, EVE is shipped off to the captain’s quarters. WALL-E quickly follows, but along the way catches a glimpse of humanity's fate. Humans are bound to hover chairs unable to move or walk on their own. They are fed highly processed drinks and are completely absorbed in their devices. Humans have lost their identity and are now the same consumer.
In the captain’s quarters, the captain is the same as other humans. The ship’s autopilot, dubbed “Auto,” runs the entire ship. Once EVE reveals the plant and that life can exist on earth again, the captain is dumbfounded. He does not know what earth is. Auto quickly gets rid of EVE and WALL-E by sending them to the robot repair shop, and the captain begins his own research about the earth and human’s history. Auto attempts to get rid of the plant, but WALL-E and EVE save it.
Eventually, Auto’s intentions and the terrible decision humans had made is revealed. Humans are not supposed to return to earth. This is revealed when the former president of the BNL sends a message to the Axiom explaining that earth is not and never will be suitable for human life ever again. The message is almost 700 years old. Auto is programmed to stop at nothing to keep humans in space. The captain knows that humans can return to earth because of the plant. Together, WALL-E, EVE, and the captain shut down Auto and return to earth.
The film ends with humanity returning to their roots and cleaning up a mess left for them 700 years ago while WALL-E and EVE continue to help anyway they can. While WALL-E may not be eco-horror in itself, the concept and larger themes in the film create an eco-horror dynamic that cannot be ignored. Themes of consumerism, human neglect, and humanity's need for earth generate a horrific glimpse into our future if humanity cannot change their ways.
Themes:
The Walt Disney company has been one of the largest producers of movies and other entertainment for nearly 100 years. They have been able to incorporate universal themes to relate to audiences and spread a message. Usually, the message is happy and cheery with some childish creature happily singing Disney’s desired theme. However, WALL-E does not do this. Instead of a happy message, WALL-E offers a critique and message for the audience. While the delivery is similar to their other films, Disney instead aims to critique human’s consumerism and neglect while also sending a message of how humans need the earth to live. WALL-E is by no means an eco-horror film. It has no jump scares, and any action present in the movie is child friendly. However, WALL-E’s concept and overall themes fit seamlessly into the eco-horror genre.
Consumerism & Neglect:
Throughout the film, the theme of human’s unending consumerism is present. After ravaging earth and being forced to leave, humans have still not learned from their mistakes. Even 700 years later, humans are consuming on the Axiom the same as their ancestors, if not worse. Humans have lost their identity in favor of becoming a mass herd of consumers all wanting the same thing (Oosterwijk and McCarthy). The theme of consumerism is so important for two reasons. First, this is a direct reflection and critique of the modern world. While some effort has been to fix this such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, this critique still holds true nearly 15 years later. Secondly, the impact of human’s consumerism if not changed on earth is explored. This impact is entirely negative. The earth is uninhabitable due to the mass consumption and pollution of Buy-N-Large products.
This critique of human consumption leads to an implicit theme, Human’s neglect for nature. Humans had completely used up the resources of earth, and rather than correct their errant ways and clean up their massive mess, humans chose to further neglect and leave earth. They chose the easy way out sacrificing the earth and their way of life in favor of consuming more. While these themes are presented in a children's movie, the message is horrifying. WALL-E takes the greatest fears of pollution, consumerism, and neglect and portrays a world where humans have failed every living creature on earth. By the end of the film, humans who have next to no knowledge of earth and had nothing to do with their predecessor’s mistakes choose to return to earth and clean it. They break the cycle of mass consumerism and neglect that had been occurring for hundreds of years offering hope to the audience that humans can reconcile with their current mistakes. They must simply change their ways.
Human’s need for earth:
Another theme explored throughout WALL-E is human’s dependence on earth to live. Humans are rarely seen on earth in the film. In fact, they are only on earth for the last scene, but their lives aboard the Axiom are nowhere near what the audience might expect hundreds of years in the future. Rather than continuing to thrive and grow as a species, humans have almost devolved into lifeless drones hovering wherever Auto tells them to (WIRED Staff). This dynamic is best explored with John and Mary, two humans who are “woken up” by WALL-E, and the captain. Compared to everybody else aboard the Axiom, John, Mary, and the captain are major outliers. Other passengers aboard the Axiom are dull, boring, and zombie-like. They are shells of what humans are meant to be. John and Mary play in the pool, have real face to face conversations, and express personalities no other passengers exhibit. Similarly, the captain undergoes a major transformation after discovering the plant. He researches about the earth and what life was like on it. When Auto tries to take control of the ship and resume the original status quo, the captain expresses his desires to begin living life in the video below:
Humans have merely been surviving. They have not been living. The movie leads viewers to believe that the earth is vital for humans to live a full life. This theme's purpose is meant to illustrate that humans must take care of earth so that they can live better lives.
Relation to Eco-horror:
WALL-E is not an eco-horror film. In fact, there is very little if any horror in the film. However, the message of WALL-E is entirely aimed toward the environment, and a deeper reflection of the film illustrates a horrifying past. The film portrays a dystopian earth that has a toxic atmosphere. Earth is very bleak and dark. Mountains of trash cover the earth. This setting not only critiques human’s current trajectory with their neglect of the environment but also leads to a growing sense of hopelessness as the earth is further explored. Adding to the potential horror of the film, Auto exhibits the traits of a rogue artificial intelligence seen in films such as “The Terminator.” If WALL-E was not produced by Disney and meant for children, the film would be one of the darker eco-horror films made. Even with the limitations of a G rating, WALL-E is able to create a very real environmental warning through a grotesque outlook on earth’s future.
Impact on viewers:
WALL-E’s intended audience is children. It is produced by the Walt Disney company and exists within a long line of movies with similar pieces. However, WALL-E’s message differs greatly compared to other Disney movies. WALL-E has a very explicit message about environmentalism and pollution. It portrays human’s pollution as the catalyst for earth’s demise but redeems human’s errors by the end of the film. With the film targeting children, the message may be lost or convoluted by the younger audience. Rather than understanding the impacts of pollution, children may misinterpret pollution as “cute” or “acceptable” since WALL-E will be there to clean it up. This could have disastrous consequences by enabling the very thing WALL-E is critiquing. Additionally, WALL-E’s message is diminished by the Disney company’s attempts to market toys and video games about the movie (English et al. 23). This diminishes the film since its message is actively ignored by the very company that makes it. Overall, WALL-E poses a very unique and interesting concept that may miss its mark when presented to such a young audience, but when the themes and message of the film are reexamined, they are similar to eco-horror films just without the horror.
