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Untitled Document 2
our ignorant attitudes toward over-consumerism, it might culminate into disastrous and
irreparable environmental destruction. WALL-E unfolds in the grim setting of a
post-apocalyptic, dystopian Earth and within the confines of the technologically
saturated spaceship known as the Axiom. The humans depicted in the movie are
apathetic, careless and purposeless after being forced to abandon the earth because of
how unlivable it has become. They evacuate to the Axiom where they are served on
hand and feet by robots and completely rely on technology to do everything for them.
Meanwhile the all controlling corporation, Buy N Large (BNL) is constantly brainwashing
the humans into over consuming. BNL is the cause of the earth becoming the dystopian
wasteland it currently is as it lured the world into a never ending cycle of over
purchasing and consuming.Stanton's haunting message serves as a warning,
suggesting that if we fail to change our current attitudes and behaviors, the Earth we
now know may inevitably resemble the desolate depiction presented in WALL-E.
Over consumerism emerges as the central theme in WALL-E and the main cause of the
Earth becoming unihabitable. The opening shot of "WALL-E'' presents a bleak image of
Earth, zooming in to reveal a planet overwhelmed by satellites, debris, and trash,
rendering it almost unrecognizable. The cityscape is dominated by towering mounds of
trash, surpassing even the skyscrapers in height. Throughout this opening scene,
several buildings are shown with the Buy-N-Large corporation logo, which subliminally
links the abundance of trash with the corporation. Later in the film, the Axiom's captain
learns from a video that excessive trash has made Earth uninhabitable, necessitating
the Axiom as a temporary refuge until Buy-N-Large can rectify the situation. However, an
ensuing admission by the CEO reveals that the environmental damage is irreversible,
and BNL lacks the ability to resolve the crisis. These scenes in the film show that in the
world of WALL-E humans have consumed so much and produced so much waste, that it
has essentially covered the whole planet and made life unsustainable. Stanton shows
that a society that exalts consumption and produces more waste than it can counter will
eventually lead to the destruction of the environment and the earth as a whole.
During a scene in the movie, the main character WALL-E accidentally turns off one of
the screens of the passengers of the Axiom, Mary. Mary looks around with wide eyes
full of curiosity and shock, as if she has never seen the Axiom before. She says, “I didn’t
know we had a pool.” This seemingly innocuous remark capsulises the extent of
societal detachment from reality, as passengers of the Axiom are so absorbed in their
virtual worlds that they remain oblivious to their physical surroundings.
Another example of technology addiction is when two passengers are calling each
other on their screens and having a conversation while sitting right next to each other.
The film critiques the mindless consumption encouraged by technology, emphasizing
the profound loss of genuine human connection and physical engagement These
scenes underscore how the passengers' preoccupation with screens has led to a
detachment from their immediate environment, including basic amenities. This
detachment reflects the film's broader commentary on the potential dehumanizing
effects of excessive technological reliance.