Words On Film: Wall-E

"Words on Film" looks at the writing process behind films that have been nominated for “Best Original Screenplay” at the Academy Awards.

The formula for Wall-E (2008) was unlike any children’s movie that preceded it. There was no doubt that Disney/Pixar could produce another popular animated film, but it was a bold move for the story to contain such a preachy message. Most children’s stories shy away from strong morals – attempting to hide them within the narrative rather than making them a focus – but Wall-E does the opposite.

An inhabitable Earth, with one sole non-talking robot left behind, tells the story of our environment and how we are leading it towards disaster. The movie is heartwarming and the message is clear, leaving almost no room for interpretation.

The idea for Wall-E started with the concept of a lonely robot forced to complete the same actions over and over again. Andrew Stanton thought of him as the saddest character possible and it may just be this sad interior to Wall-E that makes audiences love him so much. The sadness that goes along with the film allows the message to be even more important – viewers are certainly more concerned with the future of Wall-E and the other robots than the future of the humans (who really sealed their own fate, after all).

Part of the charm of Wall-E is that the majority of the film contains no dialogue. However, for Stanton, the sounds of the robots really do make up a conversation: he wrote the entire script with actual dialogue included.

The descriptions in the script are also written in a unique way, composed of lines almost reminiscent of poetry.

FADE IN: 

Stars.

The upbeat show tune, Put On Your Sunday Clothes, plays.

“Out there, there’s a world outside of Yonkers...”

More stars.

Distant galaxies, constellations, nebulas...

A single planet.

Drab and brown.

Moving towards it.

Pushing through its polluted atmosphere.

“...Close your eyes and see it glisten...”

Wall-E is one of my all-time favourite films (animated or not). It has a charm to it that few other movies do – I’m always shocked when I come across people who have yet to watch it. Even if you are reluctant to watch a film about a robot, it is worth a chance. The story is too beautiful to be ignored.

Writing Credits: Andrew Stanton (Original Story & Screenplay), Pete Docter (Original Story), & Jim Reardon (Screenplay)