Wednesday, February 28, 2007

More on that 2008 Pixar flick

From Jimhillmedia, [spoilers] 'WALL E starts out on Earth in the year 2700. Which -- due to the horrible way that humans have treated this planet -- is now just one massive trash heap floating in space.

Earth in fact has become so toxic that -- centuries before our story actually gets underway -- mankind has abandoned the planet. We're now all living aboard the Axiom, this massive spaceship that circles high overhead. Waiting for the day that the planet once again becomes inhabitable.

But the only problem is that mankind hired this enormous, inept corporation -- Buynlarge -- to supervise the clean-up effort. And that company -- in turn -- sent hundreds of thousands of robots down to the planet's surface to pick up all of the trash.

But Buynlarge's Waste Allocation Load Lifters -- Earth Class units really weren't up to the task. And so -- over the centuries -- these robots slowly began breaking down. Until now (as the film's story finally, officially gets underway) there's only one WALL E left running on the entire planet.
And so every morning, this WALL E powers up and then tries to accomplish the task that he's been programmed to do. Which is pick up all of the trash that's been scattered around the Earth. It's obviously an impossible job. But still this robot (with the help of his pet cockroach, Spot) does what he can every day.
But here's the thing, folks. Over the past 700 years, WALL E has gotten ... quirky. To be specific, he's become somewhat self-aware & curious.
"Curious about what?," you ask. Well, humans for starters. Over the centuries, this WALL E has collected an amazing array of human artifacts. Things like a Rubik's Cube, a lightbulb, a Playmate portable ice chest. But this robot's proudest possession is an old VCR. On which he plays -- over and over again -- a VHS copy of "Hello, Dolly !"
Now let's pause here for a moment and just think about that. Everything that this robot knows (Or -- more importantly -- thinks he knows) about mankind, he's either learned from picking through garbage and/or by watching a 700-year-old Barbra Streisand film.
Anyway ... Given that he's the last operational robot left on the planet, with only Spot to keep him company, WALL E has become lonely. He longs for companionship.
Which is why this robot is thrilled one morning when a spaceship almost lands on him. And what should float out of the craft but this sleek new unit, EVE.
Eve has been sent down to Earth to find ...something (Sorry. But I really don't to give "WALL E" 's entire story away with today's article). And as this sleek new unit hovers around the planet, endlessly scanning the Earth's surface ... WALL E follows along behind EVE like a lovesick pup. Desperate to get her attention, to have this newer model notice him.
It isn't 'til a sudden sandstorm forces WALL E & EVE to seek shelter in the very same vehicle that these two mechanical devices then really begin trying to communicate. With the trash-collecting robot trying to impress this more advanced model by showing off his collection of rare human artifacts.
But then EVE is recalled. And as she reboards her craft to return to space, WALL E has a decision to make. Should this robot just do as he's programmed? Remain on Earth and continue to pick his way through those never-ending mountains of trash? Or should WALL E actually take a chance, continue to try & win EVE over by following her out into outer space?
At the very last moment, as EVE's rocket is actually blasting off, WALL E latches onto her craft. And this robot -- along with the rocket -- is hurtled off into space. Which is where the real fun begins ...
Now keep in mind that all I've described here is just the first third of "WALL E." Which plays out with little or no dialogue. By that I mean: The age-old trash-picking robot and the sleek new scanning droid may beep & boop at one another. But -- with the exception of the music & the dialogue that we hear coming from that VCR that plays "Hello, Dolly !" -- that's it. The rest of this section of Pixar's 2008 release is (in effect) a silent movie.
And wait 'til you see what happens to WALL E once he gets on board the Axiom and finds out what has become of mankind. How -- because humans have grown even more lazy in the 700 years that they've been off Earth -- we're all now just these enormous fat blobs who can only move about because we travel in huge floating lounge chairs.
The rest of this amazing motion picture is set deep out in space, where WALL E runs into some even more mis-begotten creatures ... And some 700 years after doing what he was built to do, this robot will finally discover what he was meant to do.'

1 comment:

Octopunk said...

Wow, that all sounds pretty weird. I love the idea that the first third of the movie has almost no dialogue.

Salem's Lot 1979 and Salem's Lot 2024

Happy Halloween everybody! Julie's working late and the boy doesn't have school tomorrow so he's heading to one of those crazy f...