WALL-E's Earth

As mentioned above, the film takes place in the not so distant future, in which the discarded products of the multi-national corporation, Buy N Large, cover the earth. Humans have evacuated the uninhabitable earth and no life remains other than a cockroach, which alludes to the insect’s unremarkable ability to survive throughout history, tracing back to the similarly apocalyptic extinction of the dinosaurs. The earth is blanketed in smog, covered in mountains of garbage, and completely desolate of all living things.  The only movements stem from the lone cockroach, rampant sandstorms and the single functioning robot left on the planet, WALL-E, a trash compactor robot.  All humans were forced to leave the planet after they created so much waste and pollution that the earth could no longer sustain life.  The introduction of WALL-E perfectly captures the despondency of the earth.

The opening credits are complimented by a jolly song from Hello Dolly including lyrics about seeing the wonders of the world. The song is juxtaposed with images of their present earth, completely rampant with pollution. Initially, the opening scenes seem familiar to the audience. The Milky Way galaxy sparkles from afar and as the hypothetical camera pans in on the planets, they appear unchanged.  Even the earth is recognizable until the audience is propelled into its pollution-ridden atmosphere.  What first appears to be a cityscape of skyscrapers is ultimately a ghost town barricaded by towering junkyards. Some skyscrapers are still present but camouflaged by their garbage counterparts and scattered with holographic billboards promoting all things created by the Buy N Large Corporation. Metaphorically, the similarities between the skyscrapers of today, and those of garbage in the movie suggest that the composition of our society today is nothing more than glorified garbage. Afterall, the capitalist large corporations that today’s skyscrapers house propel the constant creation of waste that becomes the earth’s ultimate downfall in WALL-E. So figuratively speaking, in regard to the hypothetical outcomes of WALL-E, our present society is currently creating and living in the squander of our own downfall as we continue to support capitalist large corporations.