ECO CRITICISM: WALL-E 2008 (film)
by Andrew Stanton
ECOCRITICISM - is the study of literature and environment from an interdisciplinary point of view where all sciences come together to analyze the environment and brainstorm possible solutions for the correction of the contemporary environmental situation.
PLOT:
In 2805, Earth is covered in garbage due to decades of mass consumerism facilitated by the megacorporation, Buy n Large (BnL). BnL evacuated Earth's population in fully automated star liners in 2105. Left behind were trash compactor Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-Class (WALL-E) robots, to clean the planet. Through years of neglect, most eventually broke down due to lack of maintenance. One WALL-E unit has managed to remain active by repairing itself using parts from other broken units, and after 700 years of life-experience has developed sentience. Apart from his regular duties, he inquisitively collected artifacts of human civilization, and kept these items in his storage truck home. He befriended a cockroach, and enjoys listening to Hello, Dolly!
One day, WALL-E discovers and collects a growing seedling plant. Later a spaceship lands and deploys Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator (EVE). She is an advanced robot sent from the BnL starliner Axiom to search for vegetation on Earth. Inspired by Hello, Dolly!, WALL-E falls in love with the initially cold and hostile EVE. Wall-E wishes to hold hands with her. EVE gradually softens and befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his truck and showcases his collection, she sees the plant and automatically stores it, inside herself. She goes into standby mode waiting for retrieval, from her ship. WALL-E spends time with EVE while she is in standby mode. He then clings to the hull of EVE's ship as it collects and returns her to the starliner Axiom.
On the Axiom, the ship's original human passengers and their descendants have suffered from severe bone loss and become morbidly obese after centuries of living in microgravity and relying on the ship's automated systems for most tasks. Captain B. McCrea, in charge of the ship, mostly leaves control to the robotic autopilot, AUTO. WALL-E follows EVE to the bridge of the Axiom, where the Captain learns that the earth is habitable again by putting the plant in the spaceship holo-detector for verification. The captain plans for the Axiom to make a hyperjump back to Earth so the passengers can recolonize. However, AUTO orders McCrea's robotic assistant GO-4 to steal the plant as part of AUTO's own no return directive.
With the plant missing, EVE is considered defective and taken to the repair ward along with WALL-E. WALL-E mistakes the process on EVE for torture and tries to save her. He accidentally releases a horde of malfunctioning robots. The on-board security systems then designate both WALL-E and EVE as rogue. Angry with WALL-E's disruptions, EVE brings him to the escape pod bay to send him home. There they witness GO-4 dispose of the missing plant by placing it inside a pod which is set to self-destruct. WALL-E enters the pod, which is then jettisoned into space. Fortunately he escapes with the plant before the pod explodes. Reconciling with EVE, they celebrate with a dance in space outside the Axiom. Meanwhile the Captain, learning from the ship's computer, has become fascinated about life on Earth before it was polluted and abandoned.
The plant is brought to the captain. He surveys EVE's recordings of Earth and concludes that mankind must return to restore their home. However, AUTO reveals his directive, which was secretly issued to autopilots after BnL incorrectly concluded in 2110 that the planet could not be saved and that humanity should remain in space. AUTO stages a mutiny and tasers WALL-E, severely damaging him. He also incapacitates EVE and confines the captain to his quarters. EVE realizes the only parts for repairing WALL-E are in his truck back on Earth. She helps him bring the plant to the holo-detector. The presence of a plant in the detector will automatically activate the Axiom's hyperjump. Captain McCrea opens the holo-detector. While fighting with AUTO, chaos on the ship ensues. AUTO partially crushes WALL-E by closing the holo-detector on him. AUTO is eventually disabled by McCrea, who now takes control. EVE places the plant in the holo-detector which frees WALL-E and sets the Axiom on the instant hyperjump to Earth. The human population finally land back on Earth, after being away for hundreds of years
EVE brings WALL-E back to his home where she repairs and reactivates him. After the repair WALL-E no longer recognises EVE, reverting to his original programming - an unfeeling waste compactor. Heartbroken, EVE gives WALL-E a farewell kiss, finally holding hands with him. This jolts WALL-E's memory, and his personality returns. WALL-E and EVE happily reunite as the humans and robots of the Axiom begin to restore Earth and its environment. Viewed through a series of artworks WALL-E and EVE are seen holding hands in front of a large tree, which is revealed to have grown from the tiny plant that brought humankind home.
CRITIQUE:
A trash-swamped world: rubbish as an ecocritical metaphor in dystopian visions of the future. Wall-E is a great film depicting the future of the human race which sets as a reflection to every audience. This film is line in the eco-criticism for its focal point is the biotic environment depletion and the pursuit of a robot to regain the life on Earth. The movie taught us to value our world. We, humans. are capable to destroy and also restore all the things for we are the rational kind. It is in our hands on how we will make this world a better place for us to have a better living to be passed on generation to generation.
