WALL-E

Episode SummaryErin and Rachel travel 700 years into the future to discuss WALL-E (2008), Pixar’s robot romance with an unintentionally anti-capitalist message. Fatphobia and misogyny make this dystopian tale unwatchable despite its endearing protagonist, striking animation, and moments of nostalgia. Episode BibliographyThe 81st Academy Awards | 2009. (2009, February 22). Oscars.org. https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2009Akers, D. (2008, June 9). Wall-E: A Movie With a Full Heart, or A Tribute to Justin. Spectrum. https://spectrummagazine.org/news/wall-e-movie-full-heart-or-tribute-justin/Allen, C. (2008, July 13). Wall-E doesn’t say anything. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/la-op-allen13-2008jul13-story.htmlAnderson, C.T. (2012). Post-apocalyptic nostalgia: WALL-E, garbage, and American ambivalence toward manufactured goods. Literature Interpretation Theory, 23(3), 267-282, DOI: 10.1080/10436928.2012.703598Ball, S. (2009, January 23). Mr. Oscar, Tear Down This Wall! Andrew Stanton on How Animated Films are Pigeonholed -- and How Wall-E is Every Man. Newsweek. https://web.archive.org/web/20090204034311/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/archive/2009/01/23/breaking-out-of-the-box-wall-e-director-andrew-stanton-on-the-oscars-the-blurring-of-the-line-between-animation-and-film-and-writing-strong-female-characterBandyk, M. (2009, January 22). Academy Awards Controversy: Wall-E Gets Snubbed For Best Picture Oscar. USNews. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717180938/http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/risky-business/2009/01/22/academy-awards-controversy-wall-e-gets-snubbed-for-best-picture-oscarBarbagallo, R. (2009). Design With a Purpose, an interview with Ralph Eggleston. Animation Art Conservation. https://www.animationartconservation.com/design-with-a-purpose%2c-an-interview-with-ralph-eggleston.htmlBeck, B. (2009). Don't make me laugh: People are funny in WALL-E and Tropic Thunder.  Multicultural Perspectives, 11(2), 90-93. DOI: 10.1080/15210960903028768Bold, K. (2008, July 23). ‘WALL-E’ and the professor. Today@UCI. https://web.archive.org/web/20080726230400/http://today.uci.edu/Features/profile_detail.asp?key=369Bose, M. (2017). Immaterial thoughts: Brand value, environmental sustainability, and WALL-E. Criticism, 59(2), 247-277. DOI: 10.13110/criticism.59.2.0247Caraway, K., & Caraway, B.R. (2020). Representing ecological crises in children’s media: An analysis of The Lorax and Wall-E. Environmental Communication, 14(5), 686-697, DOI: 10.1080/17524032.2019.1710226Coconut Press. (2022, July 1). The Making of WALL-E: The Imperfect Lens (Disney Pixar video). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tlVs4r7zgDesowitz, B. (2009). Hello, WALL•E!: Pixar Reaches for the Stars. Animation World Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20090720073659/http://mag.awn.com/article_view.php?id=3682&page=allDisney Enterprises, Inc./Pixar. (2008, June 12). WALL-E Press Kit. Disney. https://web.archive.org/web/20110711103245/http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/wall-e/media/downloads/WALLEProductionNotes.pdfEbert, R. (2008, June 26). Droid Story. Roger Ebert. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wall-e-2008Film Review: WALL-E. (2008, October 1). BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7500000/newsid_7504500/7504559.stmFlaig, P. (2016). Slapstick after Fordism: WALL-E, automatism and Pixar’s fun factory. Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 11(1), 59-74. DOI: 10.1177/1746847715625017Frick, A. (2008, July 1). Right-Wing Apoplectic Over Pixar’s WALL-E: ‘Malthusian Fear Mongering,’ ‘Fascistic Elements’. Think Progress. https://archive.thinkprogress.org/right-wing-apoplectic-over-pixars-wall-e-malthusian-fear-mongering-fascistic-elements-92e1523a8a6e/Gaffey, A.J. (2018). Flip the switch: Virtue, programming, and the prospect of automatic agency in Wall-E. Southern Communication Journal, 83(1), 41-56. DOI: 10.1080/1041794X.2017.1399434Glint, J.M.S., & Bhuvaneswari, G. (2025). Memory, Social Identity and Technology at Odds: The Implication on Physical Well‑Being in Wall‑E. Human Arenas. DOI: 10.1007/s42087-024-00471-wHill, J. (2008, June 17). When it comes to the retail world, Speed Racer whomps WALL-E. Jim Hill Media. https://jimhillmedia.com/when-it-comes-to-the-retail-world-speed-racer-whomps-wall-e/Hobbes, M., & Gordon, A. [Hosts]. (2022, May 31). MP Watch Part: Wall-E and Spy [Audio podcast episode]. In Maintenance Phase. https://www.maintenancephase.com/Horn, S., & Moro, E. (2008, April 7). Wall•E Preview. IGN. https://web.archive.org/web/20080411234805/http://movies.ign.com/articles/865/865021p4.htmlHuxley, T. (2008, November 13). Q&A With WALL•E's Ben Burtt. Pixar Planet. https://pixarplanet.com/blog/qa-with-walles-ben-burtt/Justin Wright. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 13, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_WrightKorfiatis, K., Photiou, M., & Petrou, S. (2020). Effects of ecoanimations on nine and twelve year old children’s environmental conceptions: How WALL-E changed young spectators’ views of earth and environmental protection. The Journal of Environmental Education, 51(5), 381-394. DOI: 10.1080/00958964.2020.1747965 Lloyd, A. (2023, December 1). Counteracting Bone and Muscle Loss in Microgravity. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/counteracting-bone-and-muscle-loss-in-microgravity/Mattie, S. (2014). WALL-E on the problem of technology. Perspectives on Political Science, 43(1), 12-20. DOI: 10.1080/10457097.2013.784576Murray, R.L., & Heumann, J.K. (2011). That’s all folks? Ecocritical readings of American animated features. University of Nebraska Press. Ness, M. (2017, September 28). Robots in Love: WALL-E. Reactor. https://reactormag.com/robots-in-love-wall-e/Pixar. (2016a, October 16). Robo-Everything | WALL•E | Disney•Pixar. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqquKFkH-iI&list=PLLhVNqe2jAb8X9ocSkynckJmcP5y0B4Vc&index=9Pixar. (2016b, October 19). Captain's Log | WALL•E | Disney•Pixar. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRUoIOkp9AU&list=PLLhVNqe2jAb8X9ocSkynckJmcP5y0B4Vc&index=5Pixar. (2016c, October 19). Live Action | WALL•E | Disney•Pixar. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQh4z-j0ScI&list=PLLhVNqe2jAb8X9ocSkynckJmcP5y0B4Vc&index=15Pixar. (2016d, October 19). Trash Planet | WALL•E | Disney•Pixar. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmnSYmqpIEY&list=PLLhVNqe2jAb8X9ocSkynckJmcP5y0B4Vc&index=14Pixar. (2016e, October 19). WALL•E and EVE | WALL•E | Disney•Pixar. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-AYOhIYZlQ&list=PLLhVNqe2jAb8X9ocSkynckJmcP5y0B4Vc&index=12Potokar, S. (2017, March 8). Wall-E Animation Foley and Sound Design. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IPxIvbc_csPrice, D. A. (2009). The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Recording Academy. (2025). 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards. GRAMMY.com. https://www.grammy.com/awards/51st-annual-grammy-awardsRoberts, S. (2008). Andrew Stanton Interview, Wall-E. Movies Online. https://web.archive.org/web/20080626061223/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_14899.htmlRobinson, T. (2008, June 26). Andrew Stanton. A.V. Club. https://web.archive.org/web/20080908045321/http://www.avclub.com/content/interview/andrew_stantonStanton, A. (Director). (2008). WALL-E [Film]. Pixar Animation Studios.Suellentrop, C. (2008, June 30). Another Brick in the ‘WALL-E’. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/another-brick-in-the-wall-e/Tranter, P., & Sharpe, S. (2012). Disney-Pixar to the rescue: Harnessing positive affect for enhancing children’s active mobility. Journal of Transport Geography, 20, 34-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.04.006van Oosterwijk, I., & McCarthy, W. (2023). Once upon a dystopian time: The portrayal and perception of environmentalism in Pixar’s Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 40(7), 848-873. DOI: 10.1080/10509208.2022.2049181 WALL-E. (n.d.). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WALL-EWALL-E. (n.d.). Box Office Mojo. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3615065601/Willman, C. (2008, July 14). 'WALL-E': How he found 'Hello, Dolly!' Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/article/2008/07/14/wall-e-how-he-found-hello-dolly/Yates, M. (2015). Labor as “nature,” nature as labor. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 22(3), 525-543.