"Things have changed since Captain Planet!" I'd tell my hypothetical Grandchildren.
"In my day, you had to be a superhero to save the Earth!"
Now, kids get their dose of environmental ethics in Computer-Generated Imagery. Pixar Animation Studios makes films that traditionally appeal to and are marketed for a young audience, though the studio's box-office triumphs and strong critical reception evidence an ability to connect with people of all ages. For their popularity alone, Pixar's films are an easily pertinent cultural snap-shot that include children as part of the picture. Wall-E is particularly special. That Wall-E makes bed-wettingly serious environmental suggestions about the future points to a contemporary anxiety in our relationship with the Earth. And don't let Wall-E's charming robotic eyes distract you from an important point: though the film carries a message that warns against the big-corporation, it was released by Disney.
Wall-E opens zooming through space, giving us the sense of the vastness of our universe before calmy arriving home, on Earth. After penetrating the cloud layer we discover the shapes of what look like city skylines, and upon closer look realize the Earth is now covered in towers of compacted trash. Who could be responsible for the desolation of our home, and why? The buck stops with "Buy-N-Large," a take off the big corporation retail store. Remembering that the major demographic of this film hasn't yet had their first job, it's significant that the world's most successful animation studio (who I remind you is distributed by one of the world's largest brands) is challenging our kids with such big ideas. Hm... there must be something going on?
This film is obviously a bi-product of an expanding trend towards environmental consciousness. Hollywood has always been criticized for it's liberal agenda, but Wall-E's suggestions seem ulta-progressive in nature, to the point where some might propose it seeks to brainwash youngsters. Devin Faraci, writer of The Devin Advocate, argues that while Wall-E's message demands environmental consciousness and also some kind of social responsibility, it is ultimately void and hypocritical due to the fact that Disney has such a large role in its creation and marketing. He makes a good point, suggesting, "The truth is that Wall-E feels like a really well-made stop smoking ad starring Joe Camel."
No one can argue that the film's message is hypocritical considering that millions of Wall-E promotional products will eventually become the heaping trash pile the movie warns itself against. Still, the film's hypocrisy is what convinces me that something significant is happening here. After credits roll, the studio leaves us by repeating its harmonic "Buy-N-Large" jingle accompanying the fictional brand logo - as if to say, "Though our intentions are good, this movie is a product of the sins it preaches against." That the film is self-reflexive about it's impact and, that Disney is ok with denouncing itself, is revolutionary. While Disney certainly hasn't destroyed the future of their company, it would seem they're committing artistic suicide by marketing these ideas. Regardless of whether Wall-E is hypocritical, it marks an important historical moment in which even our largest corporations realize the impact of their reach, and actually depend on selling the idea of an alternative mindset.
