Amanda Schenkman

ROBOTS DIFFER BIOLOGICALLY from

humans; blood and vessels are replaced by machinery and code. But humanity not only derives from biology, but rather

stems from emotions as well. To that point, I pose the question: what in fact makes something “human”? Being “human” is often linked to qualities like kindness, sensitivity, and sympathy. But in cinema, humanity can be defined in different and interesting ways. For example, robotic characters within films often possess these same “human” attributes despite their programmed origin. Pixar’s WALL-E exemplifies how film can delve into the complex link between robots and humanity, as demonstrated through WALL-E’s

relatable and undeniably human nature. Without compassion for others and a moral compass to lead the way, living beings would have no way of relating to or feeling for one another, making their humanity basically worthless. Therefore, these emotion-based attributes such as compassion and sympathy

written by amanda schenkman

the humanity of wall-e

illustrated by tenley abbott

define what it means to be human more than any fixed biology and are exemplified by the truly heartfelt WALL-E.

In Pixar’s animated film, WALL-E, a Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth robot, remains deserted on an abandoned planet: Earth. An environmental global crisis has left the post apocalyptic planet, Earth, completely neglected and trashed. However, this isolation does not bother WALL-E. Each day, he collects garbage, and continuously and repetitively compacts the rubbish into cubes, which he stacks over and over again into piles as high as skyscrapers. At first, he appears just an average

trashworker robot, unknown to the greater world and diligently following his program. Despite this immense isolation, WALL-E completes the job he is coded to do. Never complaining, he stays in line -- lifting and loading is all that matters. The routine of his unchanging actions seems to give him purpose in the abandoned dystopia.

From the very start of the narrative, it is clear that WALL-E has prominent emotions. As he watches a scene from the 1969 film, Hello Dolly!, the rom-com he watches everyday, he becomes overwhelmed by the intimacy and connection on screen. Here, the animators play on the irony of WALLE’s teardrop eyes, using nuts and bolts as a way to convey his true emotional moments. His physical features demonstrate how emotions are an essential part of his personality. While watching Hello Dolly!, WALL-E’’s eyes begin to fall after seeing the lovebirds on screen. The romantic scene has clearly made him think about his own love life, and how he longs for something that may not ever come. Outside

of this moment, WALL-E’s desire for connection is shown through his care, particularly for his petlike friend, Hal. Whenever Hal is in danger, WALL-E tries to rescue him; protectiveness is in his nature.

But everything changes for WALL-E when he discovers another life form on his isolated planet--a miniscule, green seedling. This unearthing acts as the needed catalyst to start WALL-E’s journey and introduce him to all the wonderful and heartbreaking aspects of life and companionship. Moreover, this plant causes Eve, an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator probe, to arrive on Earth. The moment WALL-E meets Eve, his humanity becomes undeniable and unobstructed. He immediately decides to abandon his given code and follow this new, surprising, and unpredictable path; this sense of compassion -- the idea that irrational love will always conquer one’s given programming -- is reiterated throughout the film. Eve appears to be the first interactive being WALL-E has come into contact with, besides Hal. Through this connection, WALL-E instantly falls in love. Even though Eve continues to be defined by her code, only wanting to complete the mission for which she was created, WALL-E follows her and tries to protect her at all costs. Eve gives him that connection for which he has clearly been longing. As the two bots rapidly connect, WALL-E’’s mini sound effects, often screeches, bops, and shifting gears, communicate his affectionate tone towards Eve. His language comes from simple, pure reactions; nothing feels fixed. In his actions, WALL-E’s code feels absent; instead, he adopts humanistic tendencies and moves beyond his robotic, technical code.

On the Axiom, the ship holding the rest of the human race, the beings feel deeply robotic. They have clearly forgotten their own humanity, something that WALL-E, a robot, will eventually restore for them. WALL-E clearly sees the world around him, which is ironic because his eyes are mere nuts and bolts. The people, however, are unrecognizable from one another. They are overdependent on the machinery around them, chained to their hover chairs, glued to their television screens, and incommunicable with one another. Their human biology means nothing; they are essentially robots hosted by the vessel of the human body.

When WALL-E disrupts the repetitive nature of life on the Axiom, he brings a few characters out of this zombie-like trance. When WALL-E bumps into Mary, one of the humans on the ship, she discovers for the first time the giant pool in front

of her, shouting, “I did not know we had a pool!” WALL-E, a robot, literally reintroduces humanity to the people on the Axiom. Without him, Mary might have never broken out of her daze, preventing her, and many others on the ship, from ever understanding and appreciating their humanity again.

However, as WALL-E approaches the end of his life, he exhibits robotic behavior in a way that he never has before, taking on more mechanical tendencies. When he and Eve return to Earth to fix his broken parts, WALL-E acts completely robotic. He lacks emotion, seems unaware of his surroundings, and appears like a robot functioning solely by relying on code. For the first time in the film, he seems like another average WALL-E unit -- loading and lifting is once again his sole purpose. Even his little screeches and beeps sound meaningless. Even his voice no longer sounds like his own. However, just when the audience thinks WALL-E will never feel human again, the most humanesque thing brings him back to life: the famous Hollywood kiss. As Eve kisses him, he slowly begins to resurface, quirks and all. The nuts and bolts that make up his hand firmly hold the machinery that makes up hers. Regardless of their robot structures, Eve and WALLE’s love defies all, demonstrating the strength of their human-like emotions, within their robot selves.

Despite WALL-E’s purpose initially deriving from code, he essentially creates his own destiny. He leaves his routinized reality for something better: a life of emotion, empathy, and an adventure worth living for. WALL-E’s desire to live an exciting life is what makes him human. He feels compassionate; he cares deeply for his surroundings; he appreciates life. WALL-E is not biologically human; however, he possesses the ability to cherish life for what it truly is: a world filled with connection, spontaneity, and irrationality. To summarize the humanity of robots in one statement, as Eldon Tyrell states in Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner, some robots can truly be “more human than human.”