About "WALL-E"
What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn off the last robot?
That's the intriguing and whimsical premise posed by Disney-Pixar's extraordinary new computer-animated comedy set in space, "WALL-E." Filled with humor, heart, fantasy, and emotion, "WALL-E" takes moviegoers on a remarkable journey across the galaxy, and once again demonstrates Pixar's ability to create entire worlds and set new standards for storytelling, character development, out-of-this-world music composition and state-of-the-art CG animation.
Set in a galaxy not so very far away, "WALL-E" is an original and exciting comedy about a determined robot. After hundreds of lonely years doing what he was built for, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting on board the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most incredible comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.
Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across the universe 800 years into the future is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
The ninth feature from Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, "WALL-E" follows the Studio's most recent triumph, "Ratatouille," which won an OscarŽ for Best Animated Feature, garnered the best reviews for any 2007 release, and was a box office hit all over the globe. The combined worldwide box office gross for Pixar's first eight releases is an astounding $4.3 billion.
"WALL-E" is the latest film from Academy AwardŽ-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton, who joined Pixar in 1990 as its second animator and the fledgling studio's ninth employee. He was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar nomination in 1996 for his contribution to "Toy Story" and was credited as a screenwriter on subsequent Pixar films, including "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo," for which he earned an Oscar nomination as co-writer. Additionally, he co-directed "A Bug's Life," executive produced "Monsters, Inc." and the 2007 Academy Award-winning "Ratatouille," and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for "Finding Nemo."
Disney-Pixar's "WALL-E," directed by Andrew Stanton, from an original story by Stanton and Pete Docter, and screenplay by Stanton and Jim Reardon, is executive produced by John Lasseter and produced by Jim Morris ("Star Wars, Episodes I and II," "Pearl Harbor," "The Abyss," and three of the "Harry Potter" films), who helped create some of the industry's ground breaking visual effects during his 18-year association with ILM as president of Lucas Digital. Lindsey Collins, an 11- year Pixar veteran, serves as co-producer; Tom Porter is associate producer. OscarŽ-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins serves as visual consultant.
The voice cast includes funny man Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger ("Cheers," "Ratatouille," "Toy Story"), award-winning actress Kathy Najimy ("Sister Act," "King of the Hill"), stage and film star Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Gorillas In The Mist," "Baby Mama"), and acclaimed four-time OscarŽ-winning sound designer Ben Burtt ("E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"). Comedian Fred Willard ("Best In Show," "Back to You") also appears in the film.
WALL-E's expressive range of robotic voices was created by Burtt, whose memorable work includes creating the "voice" of such other legendary robots as R2-D2 (from the "Star Wars" films). Drawing on 30 years of experience as one of the industry's top sound experts, Burtt was involved from the film's earliest stages in creating an entire world of sound for all of the robotic characters and the space craft, as well as all environments.
The original score for "WALL-E" is composed by eight-time OscarŽ nominee Thomas Newman, who had previously worked with Stanton on "Finding Nemo." Rock-and-roll legend Peter Gabriel collaborated with Newman on an original song called "Down to Earth." Gabriel wrote the lyrics for this captivating and clever musical epilogue, and performs the song as well.
About the "WALL-E" Characters
WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) is the last robot left on Earth, programmed to clean up the planet, one trash cube at a time. However, after 700 years he's developed one little glitch - a personality. He's extremely curious, highly inquisitive and a little lonely. WALL-E was one of thousands of robots sent by the Buy n Large corporation to clean up the planet while humans went on a luxury space cruise. He is alone, except for the companionship of his pet cockroach, affectionately known within Pixar's walls as Hal (named after a famous 1920s producer, Hal Roach, and in homage to HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssy"). WALL-E faithfully compacts cubes of trash everyday, uncovering and collecting artifacts along the way. In fact, WALL-E has amassed a treasure trove of knick-knacks -- a Rubik's CubeŽ, a light bulb, a spork -- which he keeps in a transport truck he calls home. A bit of a romantic, WALL-E dreams of making a connection one day, certain that there must be more to life than this monotonous job he does every day. His dream takes him across the galaxy and on an adventure beyond his greatest expectations.
EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is a sleek, state-of-the-art probe-droid. She's fast, she flies and she's equipped with a laser gun. EVE, also called Probe One by the Captain of the Axiom (the enormous luxury mother ship which houses thousands of displaced humans), is one of a fleet of similar robots sent to Earth on an undisclosed scanning mission. EVE has a classified directive and she is determined to complete her mission successfully. She hardly even notices her new admirer WALL-E. One day, frustrated with not finding what she is looking for, she takes a break and makes an unexpected bond with this quirky robot. Together, they embark on an amazing journey through space.
M-O (Microbe-Obliterator) is a cleaner-bot programmed to clean anything that comes aboard the Axiom that is deemed a "foreign contaminant." M-O travels speedily around the Axiom on his roller ball, cleaning the dirty objects he encounters. His biggest challenge comes on the day WALL-E shows up on the ship. M-O becomes fixated on the filthiest robot he has ever seen. A game of cat and mouse ensues as M-O attempts to wash years of garbage residue off WALL-E. However, as WALL-E tries to escape this pest, the two eventually become friends and M-O is soon WALL-E's devoted sidekick.
AXIOM is the space-docked ship housing humans. Serving as the voice of the ship's computer is Sigourney Weaver, who coincidentally made her motion picture debut in "Alien," one of Stanton's inspirations for the film. And since her character in "Alien" battled Mother, the ship's computer, casting Weaver in the role was ultimately a nod to sci-fi for the filmmakers.
CAPTAIN is the current commander of the Axiom. Trapped in a routine, like WALL-E, the Captain longs for a break in the tiresome cycle of his so-called life. His uneventful duties are simply checking and re-checking the ship's status with Auto, the autopilot. When he is informed of a long-awaited discovery by one of the probe-droids, he discovers his inner calling to become the courageous leader he never could have imagined and plots a new course for humanity. Jeff Garlin, part of the hilarious ensemble cast on the popular HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," lends his voice to this likeable character.
AUTO is the Axiom's autopilot, who has piloted the ship through all of its 700 years in space. A carefully programmed robot in the form of the ship's steering wheel, Auto's manner is cold, mechanical and seemingly dutiful to the Captain. Unknown to all the Axiom crew, a hidden mandate exists in Auto's programming. Auto is determined to execute these secret orders at any cost, regardless of the consequences for the inhabitants of the Axiom.
REJECT BOTS are the Axiom's cornucopia of robots that perform every function imaginable to serve the ship's passengers and keep them in the lap of luxury. However, even hundreds of years in the future, machines are still fallible. Robots that have malfunctioned are sent to the repair ward and branded with a red boot. WALL-E befriends this renegade group of reject bots, among them a Beautician-bot that fails to beautify her clients, a Vacu-bot that erroneously spits out dirt, and an Umbrella-bot that opens and closes at inopportune moments. The misfit robots band together with WALL-E to change the fate of the Axiom.
GO-4 is the Axiom's first mate, who harbors a secret with the autopilot. A roving pneumatic capsule with a siren light for a head, he is dutiful to a fault.
JOHN and MARY are two of the humans living on the Axiom, where they have settled into a life of pampered luxury. The arrival of WALL-E jolts them from their daily routines and causes them to realize the existence of one another, and that there may be more to life than floating around on their high tech deck chairs. Pixar veteran/good luck charm John Ratzenberger lends his voice to the character of John, while actress/comedienne Kathy Najimy ("Sister Act," "King of the Hill") speaks for Mary.
SHELBY FORTHRIGHT is the personable and charming CEO of the Buy n Large corporation, the massive global entity that gained control of the universe with its product line of robots (including the WALL-E line) and luxury space cruisers (like the Axiom). The corporation's promises of a great big beautiful tomorrow echo on through Forthright's digital messages even though things haven't turned out according to plan. Fred Willard ("Best in Show," "Fernwood 2 Night") appears in the film as the face of the company.
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