In the first part of this series, I have described Wall-E’s absurd condition on Earth and his attempts to cope with the stress that originated from this situation. Though merely an instrument for the service of humanity, Wall E seemed to have developed attributes comparable to Nietzsche’s Ubermensch, and could still be able to lead a happy life despite the fact that he was utterly alone. What is great about this cute yellow fella is that he did not allow the nominal aspects of his life to define and constrain him – for example, the fact that he was merely a trash compactor and nobody really cared about him – and instead he strived for what he really wanted in his existence. In an existentialist’s point of view, Wall E has lived an authentic life, because he was honest to face his situation and has attempted to find out his own meaning from that, rather than the other way around.
Yet, that is not the end of the story. No matter Hollywood or not, the most important aspect for any drama, or indeed our existence in general, is self-actualization. That is a certain point that we have to prove our worth, to show that we can meet up with our potential to achieve. Whatever the outcome will be, the fact that we have at least tried our best will relieve the psychological burden inherent in this aspect, and generate a peace of mind because we will have no regrets about we have given up the chance. So far, Wall E has proven himself to be an existential hero, yet he has not got an opportunity to prove his own worth. Then that opportunity came with the arrival of a female robot and her mothership – in the name of EVE.
The relationship between Wall E and Eve is possibly one of the greatest aspects of the whole film, as it has moved way beyond the clichés of modern rom-com or the ‘love stories’ which rely on sentimentality to create a tear-jerking experience. When you watch Wall E and Eve’s story, you kind of think of films like Charlie Chaplin’s ‘City Lights’, and in fact there are quite a number of parallels between these two films too. While Chaplin’s films are supposed to be funny, there are moments that the audience will tear up rather than laugh, and there are a few of those cases in his silent classic. Wall E is certainly intended for kids because there are quite a lot of slapstick scenes, yet what makes the film so powerful is really the bittersweet parts. Those are the moments when a genuine emotional experience is possible and the audience member can identify with the characters.
I have repeatedly stressed that 'Wall E' is a love story, and indeed it is a very well-done one. I would like to go back to the analogy of Chaplin's 'City Lights' again, because I can see a lot of parallels between the two films. If one only looks at the funny actions by Chaplin in the film, he will surely miss the power of the classic film itself. Because the Chaplin classic is a love story - even without the funny parts the story is powerful by itself. Though people have different opinions about the meaning of the title, I always feel that 'City Lights' refer to Chaplin's character - because he is the light that selflessly helped the blind girl to navigate around the harsh city and attempted to find happiness for her. I suppose that is exactly the same scenario in Wall E. The little robot needed to deliver actions to prove himself for other's respect, and pass on his optimistic outlook of life onto others.
Let's talk about our female protagonist, EVE. The wonderful aspect about EVE is that she is not merely a damsel-in-distress in the simplistic manner. EVE is just as resourceful and intelligent as Wall E, and also has a strong sense of herself. Though she is merely a robot from a large corporation, she can be qualified as a Disney princess, and I would add probably one of the coolest. When I look at EVE, I cannot stop myself comparing her to Kei in Katsuhiro Otomo's 'Akira' (1988). I think they belong to the same character type, the kind of girls who want to engage their male counterparts a run for the money! And, Wall E, just like Kaneda in 'Akira', cannot probably just impress their respective lasses simply by sweet talk alone. They have to prove their worth to her - to show their courage and resourcefulness when dealing with the nasty situations the screenwriters can think of.
When Wall E and EVE first met, EVE was staged in the foreground, with a high angle towards Wall E, which showed himself further in the background. The scene exaggerated EVE's size and made Wall E a much smaller robot - which in a sense he was. I guess this arrangement put the audience into Wall E's perspective, because that was a love at first sight and that would motivate Wall E's actions for the rest of the story. After a surprised greeting - which landed Wall E flat on the floor - the two robots introduced themselves to each other and they headed back to Wall E's place. Without any human (or robot) connection for a long time, and with Barbra Streisand (on the screen) as his only experience with women, Wall E led EVE around the house and introduced passionately about all the antiques he has hoarded for quite some time. It was exactly that innocence from Wall E that could melt anyone's heart. True, Wall E may be considered as a simple-minded robot, yet his compassion and willingness to connect with others are the reasons why he will become popular around people. One does not need to pretend to be edgy or special, or search for pickup lines from the PUA websites, to ask other people to like you. The most important secret is compassion, to show that you care about others and want to connect. At least, Wall E succeeded in this pursuit and EVE was certainly smiling and tilting her head (if she had the ability to). Their relationship would be challenged a couple of times soon after, due to Wall E's occasional lapses into the sloppy end, yet this little yellow fellow would self-actualize by showing its true self.
The second part of the film became more mainstream-oriented because it fell back to the usual Hollywood plots, and the critique of the modern life was very similar to that of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. Things were becoming clinical and cold calculations predominated the various parties in the second act of the film, while the first half was spontaneous to the true feeling of the protagonist. At the end, Wall E demonstrated the power of sacrifice – he risked his neck to save the day, and ended up losing all the previous memories and fruitful life experience as a robot.
I feel that Pixar has been conscientious regarding the ending of the story because the creators of the story did not want to alienate audience by offering a dark ending, though that was absolutely reasonable given the serious tone of the story – I would say Wall E is probably one of the most realistic Pixar films when compared against the human condition. When EVE was in a state of despair of not being able to restore Wall E’s memory, Wall E’s hand suddenly held on EVE’s, and this simple symbolism of human connection (OK they are robots I know) worth more than a thousand words. Wall E finally remembered everything, and the two robots reconciled and could live happily ever after. Personally, I feel an open ending will be a more powerful one in this case (much like what I feel about the film ‘Passengers’), when the outcome is left to the viewer’s imaginations. Though for such an ‘European’ or Antonioni-esque ending the animation studio might find it too risky to do so.
With the combination of a nice plot and a deep message, ‘Wall E’ will be acclaimed as a modern classic in the field of animated feature.
(2/2)
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
