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 Cube®, 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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