Narrative Essay Sample: Well Done, WALL-E

In a world that was once populated by people like Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out, few things are stirring: WALL-E—a curious robot, last of his kind, whose job is to clean up said garbage—and his pet cockroach. That is until EVE arrives searching for signs of life on the barren Earth. Thus begins Disney Pixar’s delightful film, WALL-E. WALL-E falls in love with this sleek white robot and decides to show her his home, full of his collection of treasures found among the trash. He shows her his favorite movie, Hello, Dolly! and even his newest and most prized possession, a small plant potted in a boot.

This triggers EVE’s directive. Taking the plant, she goes into hibernation to await retrieval. WALL-E, distraught, takes her outside, thinking she needs to charge in the sun like he does. When nothing changes, WALL-E stays by her side through rain, lightning, night times, until he finally returns to his job. But while he’s away, a ship comes to collect EVE. WALL-E is just able to make it on board before it flies back to the Axiom, where the now bloated humans live, engrossed in their screens and carried always by hoverchairs.

The ship’s administrative robots take the plant away and try to dispose of it, but WALL-E and EVE rescue it, getting branded as rogue robots. They and some other defective robots accidentally rescued by WALL-E awaken the Captain and the humans from their oblivion as they fight the administrative robots together to ensure they can return to Earth. WALL-E sacrifices himself to make sure that EVE could complete her directive and take them all back to Earth. Using what WALL-E had taught her before, she fixes WALL-E up, but his memory is wiped. It is only when they hold hands like they have seen humans do in Hello, Dolly! does WALL-E finally remember.

This heartwarming story of robots in love also has great messages for humans that it conveys masterfully. It warns of the danger of corporations taking over the world through excessive consumerism. It warns of the waste resulting from this consumerism and how it threatens our planet. It warns of the dangers of technology and that we’re missing out on simple joys in life by being glued to a screen. It warns to not be too focused on your directive that you ignore others and forget morals. When the Captain is learning about Earth, getting excited over every little thing, including a tiny plant in an old boot, as well as how excited WALL-E gets about commonplace things he finds in the trash, it warns us to not take even the simplest things for granted.

To get across such a deep, yet humorous and emotional story, the characters needed to be equally as deep, humorous, and emotional. But how do you get that with voiceless robots? First, though they are generally wordless, they aren’t completely voiceless; using their own language of whistles, whirrs, clicks, and beeps much like R2-D2, they can communicate in ways that even the viewers can understand. They also occasionally form words from these robotic sounds like “Directive,” “WALL-E,” “E-VUH,” “Plant,” and “Mo.” Second, like the silent movies, the musical score helps the viewer feel the appropriate emotion; whether it is fast-paced and tense when WALL-E is scared, or dreamlike and happy when he is feeling love for EVE, it always matches and helps clarify WALL-E’s emotions. Third, Disney and Pixar have historically done an amazing job at bringing life and emotion to animals, toys, and inanimate inhuman objects. They do not disappoint in this for WALL-E. Every part of the robots’ bodies helps to show their emotion, such as WALL-E’s binocular “eyes” and “eyebrows” made from his top covering, his and EVE’s abilities to collapse into themselves, and all of the visible and invisible joints that allow them to have nearly human movement.

These expertly designed characters must also have a magnificent setting in which to interact, which they definitely do. The first setting we see is the trashed Earth, brown, dusty, lifeless, and full of trash. The grand scale of the trash piles in contrast to the skyscrapers and the little WALL-E creates a sense of awe that is almost uncomfortable in just the right way. Then, we see WALL-E’s home of treasures, trash he has collected over 700 years of doing his job. The haphazard Christmas lights and organized cubbies of some of the most ordinary things that fascinate WALL-E help to highlight his characterization and curiousness. The Axiom is a stunning, busy, state-of-the-art technological center, clean and white in huge contrast to the barren brown of Earth. The lines of different colors followed by the robots and hoverchairs highlight the strict order of the ship. The trash bay on the Axiom, with similar piles of trash to call back the awfulness of Earth’s current state and the giant WALL-A’s, once again contrasts the rest of the Axiom to show that consumerism after leaving Earth has only gotten worse, not better.

Besides these main settings, the overall visual design and detail of this film is mindblowing! Every little detail, down to the lighting in the different primary settings, locations within those settings, and even in space was impeccable. Even how each particle of dust acts, during Earth’s dust storms and when EVE blasts something, is flawless. Incorporating filmed footage of human actors into the digitally animated world was especially unique, something never seen before from Pixar. This was done so naturally, though, that it helped to build the animated world rather than pull the audience out. These scenes, directly from the film Hello, Dolly! as well as exposition scenes from before leaving Earth playing in WALL-E’s background as he speeds through the city and throughout the film, are meant to really stand out as important.

Overall, WALL-E is a fantastic film with an enjoyable story, deep themes, emotive characters, and stunning visual and audio design. It was very fun and satisfying to watch in so many ways. I would definitely recommend watching this film at any age and any time.