WALL-E (2008)

Film and Plot Synopsis

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, the curious and lovable WALL-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE.

‘WALL-E’ Movie Summary

Roughly seven centuries into the future, mountains of waste overwhelms Earth to the point it’s devoid of any traces of plant or animal existence. This grim reality is the direct result of relentless environmental degradation and reckless consumer behavior spanning numerous years. As a response to the escalating inhospitality of Earth’s environment, humanity’s remnants opted several centuries ago to shelter aboard a spacecraft named Axiom, leading to the abandonment of the planet.

At Axiom’s helm is the immense conglomerate recognized as Buy N Large, with its all-present BnL symbol gracing even the artificial sun casting light upon the ship’s central concourse. In its inception, the ambitious plan entailed a five-year sojourn in space for humans, during which specialized sanitation robots, known as “WALL-Es,” were assigned the duty of preparing Earth for subsequent recolonization efforts. However, an unexpected twist of fate unfolded over the course of seven centuries, leaving only a solitary WALL-E (Ben Burtt) operational.

WALL-E spends his days compacting debris into solid blocks and building structures with them. He also collects some of the more interesting artifacts and keeps them in the garage he shares with his only friend—a cockroach. At night, he watches Hello Dolly on VHS and dreams of having a hand to hold. Most of his finds are spare parts and electronics, but one day he discovers a lonely plant. Not sure what it is, he recognizes that it needs soil and care. He picks it up and puts it in a dirt-filled old shoe.

The following day, a massive spaceship descends, releasing another robot named EVE (Elissa Knight). This Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator instantly captivates WALL-E and he tries to hold her hand. However, EVE swiftly shoots at him with her plasma cannon. She then takes flight, scouring Earth for signs of vegetation but her search yields no results. Eventually, WALL-E befriends her and leads her to his garage full of an assortment of human relics. 

Despite this, EVE remains resistant to his hand-holding attempts. Desperate to impress her, WALL-E shows her the plant he discovered. This triggers her primary directive and she instantly places the plant into a special containment capsule within her body. She then transmits a signal to the mothership as she enters hibernation mode.

Unable to comprehend what has happened, WALL-E sets out to ensure her safety and comfort until she wakes back up. He shields her from thunderstorms and other elements and even escorts her to a park where they can watch the sunset.

An unspecified number of days pass and the probeship returns to retrieve EVE. WALL-E hitches a ride on it which transports them back to the Axiom, situated several light years away from Earth. Once there, EVE and WALL-E undergo an examination in the landing bay. EVE, still in hibernation mode, is escorted to the ship’s commander. WALL-E follows her as a cleaning robot named M-O (Ben Burtt) makes it his mission to scrub WALL-E clean to eliminate any foreign contaminants.

As WALL-E traverses the ship, he encounters humans for the first time who are obese and immobile, relying on hover chairs to navigate the Axiom. Equipped with video screens, these chairs enable them to interact with each other and view advertisements for consumable food products. An unintended bump from WALL-E causes one of the humans, John (John Ratzenberger), to tumble from his hover chair. Acting as a helping hand, WALL-E assists John back into his seat and introduces himself. Though initially bewildered, John expresses gratitude and reciprocates with an introduction of his own.

WALL-E traces EVE’s path to Captain McCrea’s (Jeff Garlin) chambers, where he, like the other humans, is immobile and pampered. McCrea experiences a mix of confusion and excitement over Operation Recolonize which EVE’s discovery has set in motion. However, McCrea’s attempt to reactivate EVE and command her to reveal the plant leads to a startling revelation: the plant is missing. Consequently, McCrea EVE and WALL-E to be transported to the repair bay. Once they’ve departed, he educates himself about Earth.

Within the repair bay, WALL-E misunderstands the repair crew’s actions as harmful to EVE. In an effort to protect her, he inadvertently unleashes other robots undergoing maintenance when he fires her plasma cannon. Amidst the chaos of the ensuing breakout, security robots capture images of EVE and WALL-E. The ship’s computer broadcasts to the humans that the two robots have become renegades. Incensed by this turn of events, EVE escorts WALL-E to an escape pod, intending to send him back to Earth. However, before she can accomplish this, they spot Gopher placing the plant inside the escape pod. Once Gopher departs, WALL-E rescues the plant but winds up being released into space with the escape pod.

As the escape pod is about to self-destruct, WALL-E releases the emergency escape hatch and uses a fire extinguisher to exit the pod while keeping the plant safe. EVE sets out to rescue WALL-E and as the two fly among the stars, they share an electric kiss.

EVE and WALL-E return to McCrea’s cabin through a garbage chute and present him with the plant. However, Auto (MacInTalk), the ship’s autopilot system, exposes its role as the one who pilfered the plant earlier. Auto holds no intention of permitting a return to Earth and invokes a directive issued centuries ago when Earth was presumed permanently uninhabitable. A forceful blast from Auto propels WALL-E, EVE, and the plant back down the garbage chute. Auto then confines McCrea to his quarters. WALL-E and EVE narrowly avoid being launched into space along with the other discarded items but not before WALL-E is injured.

Meanwhile, McCrea cracks the code to hack into the ship’s communication system. He instructs EVE and WALL-E to proceed to the ship’s central deck, where a specialized apparatus can initiate the ship’s return to Earth upon the placement of the plant within it. The liberated robots from the repair bay help WALL-E and EVE reach the central deck where a machine rises from a platform. Auto tries to force the machine back into its enclosure, but WALL-E intervenes to prevent this and the encounter seems to smash WALL-E to death. McCrea successfully regains his footing and deactivates Auto, allowing EVE to insert the plant into the machine. The Axiom immediately sets out to return to Earth.

Upon arriving on Earth, EVE takes WALL-E back to his garage and repairs him. Once he reboots, he doesn’t recognize EVE and starts compressing garbage. Desperate, EVE takes hold of WALL-E’s hand and gives him another electric kiss, giving WALL-E a proper reboot.

McCrea steps out of the Axiom with the other humans and explains to them how to nurture the plant and rejuvenate the planet. As the camera pans out, we see signs of burgeoning plant life just beyond the city limits.