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Throughout the 21st century, Earth
was governed by the Buy n Large megacorporation (BnL), causing mass
consumerism and covering the planet in trash by 2105. In an attempt to
resolve the situation, Earth's population was evacuated on fully automated
luxury BnL starliners for five years while an army of trash compactor
robots called WALL-E's were left behind to clean up the planet. The plan
largely failed, however, forcing humanity to remain in space indefinitely.
Seven hundred years later, in 2805, only one WALL-E unit functions, having
survived by salvaging parts for himself from other defunct WALL-E units.
This unit has developed sentience and a sense of emotion, particularly
curiosity, as shown by his quirky habits of collecting knickknacks from
the mountains of trash.
One day, WALL-E finds a seedling plant growing among the trash and returns
it to his home inside an old transport truck. Later, a spaceship lands and
deploys an advanced probe robot named EVE. WALL-E is instantly mesmerized
by EVE as she carries out her directive of searching for signs of plant
life. Initially aloof and hostile, EVE begins to warm up to WALL-E and
takes a liking to him. During a dust storm, WALL-E takes EVE to his truck
and shows her the plant, causing her automated systems to store the plant
inside her, activate a homing beacon, and deactivate her. WALL-E goes to
great lengths to try to revive and take care of her, even going on a date
with the inactive robot. When her ship returns to collect her, WALL-E
desperately clings to the hull of the ship as it returns to the Axiom, the
flagship of the BnL fleet.
Upon docking, WALL-E follows EVE as she is taken to the bridge of the
ship. As he progresses through the Axiom it becomes apparent that after
centuries of living in microgravity and relying on the ship's automated
systems, the human passengers have suffered severe bone loss and become
obese. The Captain himself does little, leaving control of the ship to the
autopilot, Auto. When EVE is brought to the bridge, the Captain learns
that by placing her plant sample inside the ship's holo-detector as a sign
of Earth being habitable again, the Axiom will enter hyperspace and return
to Earth to allow its passengers to repopulate the planet. However, when
EVE is opened, the plant is missing. EVE is considered defective and taken
to the robot repair ward along with WALL-E, though the Captain's curiosity
is piqued and he begins researching Earth history.
At the repair ward, WALL-E causes chaos and accidentally releases a horde
of malfunctioning robots to roam the ship, resulting in the ship's
security designating him and EVE as "rogue robots." Annoyed with WALL-E's
disruptive influence, EVE attempts to send him back to Earth on an escape
pod. However, they see Auto's assistant GO-4 deposit the missing plant
into the escape pod and set it to self-destruct. WALL-E manages to save
the plant, and EVE gratefully gives him a "kiss" in the form of an
electric spark. The two robots celebrate on a spacewalk around the Axiom
before returning the plant to the Captain. The Captain reviews EVE's
visual records of the devastated Earth, and vows to return there to
restore the planet. EVE, meanwhile, sees WALL-E's commitment to her
well-being while she was inactive and falls in love with him. However,
Auto reveals that he was given a final directive to keep humanity in
space, as Earth had been deemed uninhabitable at the time he was given the
directive. The Captain argues the plant is proof that life is once again
sustainable on Earth, but Auto stages a mutiny, locking the Captain in his
quarters, electrocuting WALL-E and sending him down a trash chute with EVE
and the plant.
With WALL-E severely damaged, EVE realizes the only parts to repair him
are on Earth, which they can reach quickly if they can activate the
hyperjump. With the help of M-O, the other rogue robots and the human
passengers, WALL-E and EVE attempt to place the plant in the
holo-detector, but Auto's control of the ship prevents them from doing so,
and WALL-E is further damaged in the process. The Captain breaks free of
his quarters and deactivates Auto, allowing the holo-detector to activate,
sending the ship back to Earth. EVE quickly takes WALL-E back to his truck
and attempts to repair him, but his memory and personality appear to have
been erased as he reverts to his original trash-compacting duties.
Heartbroken, EVE gives him a farewell "kiss", which causes another spark
that inadvertently restores WALL-E to his unique personality, happily
reuniting the two robots. WALL-E and EVE rejoin the humans and robots as
they begin working together to restore Earth, taking care to plant the
seedling that brought them back home. |
