WALL-E

The lastest Disney Pixar animation to hit our screens is, in fact, one of the great ones. In the year 2500, WALL-E, a “Waste Allocator Load Lifter—Earth Class,” is sent to earth to clean up the mess left by the humans when they took off to live on the space station, Axiom. WALL-E had spent over 700 years alone, trying to once more make earth inhabitable for the eventual human return.

This curious, cute robot explores the waste with his pet cockroach, daily doing his job while collecting for himself items he deems to be of value or interest, which most humans would consider mundane. He then packs and stacks rejected junk into monumental towers of neatly pressed cubes, following his “directive.” At night, he retreats to a snug hideaway and moons over a battered videotape of lovers holding hands in Hello, Dolly! Eventually, WALL-E gets shaken out of his long-time pattern when a spaceship arrives to deposit a sleek, white robot that simultaneously threatens his way of life and offers an end to his clearly-communicated loneliness. “EVE,” an “Extraterrestrial Vegetation Examiner,” is sent by the humans on Axiom to search for any form of life that could one day make earth inhabitable again.

Through a series of twists and turns, WALL-E follows EVE back to the Axiom. On Axiom, we see humans who have been so consumed by themselves—and a fast-paced and yet incredibly lazy lifestyle—that they’ve become overweight, selfish and all about the quick fix, riding around on floating recliners with video screen interactions, while consuming all their meals “in a cup.”

By this time, most of them do not even know about the world they have left behind.

The movie takes a shot at pollution as a whole, creating an eerie but somewhat realistic awareness of the potential dangers earth is facing should it continue to not be looked after.

Environmentalists have been saying for years that we need to clean up our act or face devastating consequences. Maybe, just maybe, this movie might be the something to wake that awareness inside all of us to do something to change the mess we’re headed toward.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to look after the world God has given us. And then in turn, to look after our fellow man.

It’s too easy for us to accept problems with a “this is just how it is” mentality and forget about the essential, important things in life.

As WALL-E shows us by his homely collections, what may seem worthless and useless to some may be treasures for others.

WALL-E is a simple story with minimal vocal content, paced with stand-alone gags, creative character development and a series of comedic revealations, illustrating what happens to humanity and the earth. It’s a humourous, touching film, unlike any other animation that’s been made for quite some time, and is definitely worth watching and thinking about.