Wall-E and a warning about technology

I decided to examine the poster for the movie “Wall-E,” that came out this summer. My intention was to look at something about which I had a bit of background knowledge. This poster subtly advances a distrust of technology through its use of writing, font, and image. This is the actual image I looked at, ignoring the menu in front. It was the only image I could find that was large enough to see well. The source for this image is http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/walle/
For an image without the computer menu on it, look here http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2055575040/tt0910970

Initially examining the written messages, we see the statement, “From the humans who brought you ‘Finding Nemo’” across the top of the poster. This verbal message is seemingly straightforward, but it has multiple connotations. Literally, the phrase “From the makers of” means that it was the same studio or director that made a previous, popular (and usually financially successful) movie. However, the phrase “From the makers of” has been used in movie advertisements for a long time. It recalls and can bring to mind great movies and movie stars of the past. Although in the “Wall-E” poster the phrase has been altered slightly, the similarity is quite clear: As a reminder of other great movies, and to link “Wall-E” to those great movies.
The interesting twist on the phrase “From the studio (director) of” is the replacement of “studio” or “director” with “humans.” The replacement is important even though it is easy to miss. The statement functions to remind us that humans make movies, not the computers. Using the term “humans” implies that non-humans could be involved in making movies. What non-humans could make movies? Pixar is a well-known animation company that uses computers. (I will address the Disney-Pixar naming below.) So, could the computers make movies? This statement implies that the possibility is real enough that the distinction is important.

The other writing seems to be primarily informational. The terms “Disney” and “Pixar” are centered, with the movie title immediately below them in very large type, followed by the opening date. The interesting aspect of this title is that they all are in different fonts. “Disney” and “Pixar” are in the font of their corporate logo. The name of the movie, “Wall-E” is almost a block-lettered style, while the date of the movie’s opening, June 27, is an arial-type font. These font variations function separately, but they also function as a whole. The words “Disney” and “Pixar” in their logo texts function to remind us of those companies. They underscore the fact that movie-making is a commercial enterprise, and the purpose is to make money. “Wall-E” in block lettering emphasizes the impersonal nature of Wall-E, the robot. This is emphasized by using the same logo on the main character, the robot Wall-E, in the picture. The date is in an arial-type font. This gives the appearance of being sleek and functional. While “Disney” and “Pixar” in their corporate logos demonstrate ornateness, which signifies importance, the date is all efficiency. The only other writing on the poster is at the very bottom. This writing provides a web address for the movie.

The varied fonts function as a whole image because they are so close together. In their togetherness, however, they are contradictory. Because each one looks different, they can be seen as a case of excess. With the exception of the corporate logos, there is no functional reason to have the variety of fonts. Early users of PowerPoint use a wide range of movement, background, and slide transitions as well as colors, to the point of distraction. This poster reminds us of the dangers of technology, and this is one example.

Now that we’ve examined the verbal messages present in the poster, let’s move to the images. In the foreground of the poster is the main character, Wall-E. We know this because his name is printed on his body. Wall-E is a robot, who looks similar to Johnny #5 from the “Short Circuit” movies. Wall-E is looking straight out from the poster, but his head is tilted. Also, his right arm is lifted and his hand is open. Both the head placement and the hand are gestures of vulnerability. The head tilt helps to portray Wall-E as inquisitive and questioning. His hand raised and open is a sign of welcoming. Wall-E sits on what looks like a lava flow covered in trash. There are no readily recognizable items, except for geometric shapes. A few things stand out, such as what appear to be goggles in the small mound of trash closest and most visible to us. A large plastic jug sticks out of the ground behind Wall-E on his left, and what looks like a bath tub can be seen past the jug. Ultimately all of the material demonstrates the proliferation of garbage. While garbage can have different causes, one might be the proliferation of technology. Technology allows us to make more things faster, as well as make new things. When we buy or receive new things, we throw away old things, creating trash.

Rather than describe the rest of the poster, I will analyze the function the images have in the poster. As noted earlier, this poster conveys a distrust of technology. This is consistent with one of the themes of the film. While the “old technology” of Wall-E in the foreground is welcoming, in the background loom two images of “new technology.” One is a large rocket ship, and the other is a small but very “new” looking robot. While the rocket ship is at rest, it appears to be much larger, impersonal, and sterile than Wall-E. The new-looking robot, “EVE” is flying up and to our left. Whereas Wall-E’s expression seems vulnerable, EVE’s is more ambiguous. Her eyes could merely be squinting, but she could be angry. Where we might be able read a smile on Wall-E, EVE has no recognizable mouth that can be viewed, but where her mouth might be there is a grim expression of determination and possibly anger. In the poster, EVE is flying upwards at an angle to her right. However, because the poster is two-dimensional, EVE’s movement could also be seen as flying toward and over us. If we combine all of these features, EVE is attacking us. While the old technology of Wall-E seems welcoming, the poster reminds us that dependence on technology is looming in the background and might well destroy us.

Finally, the image in the background that is most prominent is a planet. Keeping with the theme of a distrust of technology, the planet functions as a reminder of and symbol for the earth. “Save the Planet,” “Think Global, Act Local,” all are slogans of the environmental movement that come to mind when seeing this image. These slogans especially come to mind when considering that there are no people depicted in the poster, and the only reference to humans is in the print at the top. The desolation of the foreground, with all of its garbage, serves to remind us that if we aren’t careful, we won’t have a planet left.

The distrust of technology symbolized in the Wall-E poster provides several subtle messages about the dangers of technology. The use of language, font, and images all work together, reminding us that while technology can be good, there are dangers involved.