Video: Is “Wall-E” green propaganda?
posted at 11:04 am on July 3, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Answer: Who cares? Is “Bambi” anti-hunting propaganda? Per Lileks, it’s a must-see, which makes it an odd target for conservatives who should be used by now to dining on entertainment seasoned with lefty assumptions. Surely it’s no reason to deny a kid the pleasure of the film. Simply scrape the green-ish ideological residue away with a little chit chat afterwards if it bothers you that much. Responsible parenting, n’est-ce pas?
But I’m preaching to the choir. Most righties aren’t worried about the film’s politics; if they were, it wouldn’t have done $80 million in six days. But Dan Abrams has his axe to grind and so grind it he shall, even if he has to Dowdify a quote to do it: Pay attention to the snippet from Jonah Goldberg that he cites, then compare it to Goldberg’s post at the Corner to see what minor detail Abrams omitted. Also left unmentioned is the fact that National Review’s one full-length review of the movie — titled “Adorably Wall-E” — called it “moving” and “touching” and criticized it mainly for the thinness of the plot. So much for the “radical right.”
Exit question: Since when do leftist intellectuals scoff at analyzing children’s stories for their political subtexts? You think if, oh, say, Twentieth Century Fox rolled out an animated movie about a scrappy band of American children traveling to another planet to depose an evil alien dictator, Keith Olbermann might detect a hidden message or two? Hey, Abrams: Invite a few feminists on and ask them what they think of “Cinderella.”
Update: Writer-director Andrew Stanton comments on the political message about halfway down the page here. “The last thing I’m going to do is try to make a message movie!”
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I haven’t seen it, but when I first heard a description about the movie that was basically a robot that was left behind on Earth after Humans had to leave because we trashed the place, I about screamed.
Told my kid that before she saw it, but she liked it anyway.
cntrlfrk on July 3, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I thought Wall E was designed to offend fat people, not conservatives.
Ars Moriendi on July 3, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I heard this was really cute.
I was going to take my Mom out to see this for her birthday. Because it is light hearted. And the scene with him putting the bra on his eyes made me laugh.
upinak on July 3, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Saw it last night, and yes it’s there. However that doesn’t mean I’d snub the film. It’s got some great physical comedy and is generally a good movie. ** It shows humans in the future as fat lazy people reliant soley on robots and global corporations. Of course, being a pixar film, they change their ways and save the environment. I’d still recommend it though.
Meric1837 on July 3, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Second look at Wall-E!!!
aquaviva on July 3, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Do robots dream of electric sheep?
Or are they hydrogen-powered?
profitsbeard on July 3, 2008 at 11:11 AM
The we-trashed-the-earth slant was a little annoying but not over the top so much.
I suppose a greater case could be made for the too-lazy-run-by-technology angle.
Grafted on July 3, 2008 at 11:11 AM
AHH, the HTML code took out my spoiler alert. Sorry, Allah can you delete my previous post?
Meric1837 on July 3, 2008 at 11:11 AM
God, I can’t even watch Abrams for more than 3 seconds.
What I like to say about Wall-E is this:
Sure, it is DEFINITELY propaganda, but nobody ever said propaganda had to be bad.
jimmy the notable on July 3, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Well I guess I am just going to have to swallow hard and take Mom. Thanks for the narrative!
upinak on July 3, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Hey, I just want to watch a movie…
right2bright on July 3, 2008 at 11:13 AM
My 7 year old son refuses to see the movie.
May be reading the Federalist Papers to him when he was baby helped after all.
TexasDude on July 3, 2008 at 11:13 AM
It is a brilliant movie. So much more than green propaganda. Pixar’s best.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 11:14 AM
I cant wait to see Fox&Friends in the morning with their photoshopped picture of Dan Abrams, LMAO.
WoosterOh on July 3, 2008 at 11:14 AM
Saw it. It’s amazing to behold, and it’s message is honestly one of personal responsibility. The conservative complaints about WALL-E for it’s greenish/anti-corporation message and it’s stay the course crack are overblown. Lileks is right.
Ennuipundit on July 3, 2008 at 11:14 AM
The movie is not that bad. EVERY human, with the distractions of technology taken away, does the right thing. They try to come back to earth, they are nice to each other, they understand the importance of self-determination, and they take care of the life they enjoy so much. I’m sorry, but I saw the whole thing about the “boiling the frog” metaphor. Buying more and more technology to make life easier and easier may have a “fat people on cruise ship” dystopia at the end, but it doesn’t have to.
shirgall on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM
I can’t wait to see it.
jtorres138 on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Well, when one’s chosen candidate’s foreign policy is based on Winnie the Pooh, any criticism of Wall-E is a vicious right-wing attack on his environmental policy!
Master Shake on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Abrams is coming off as more of a pompass jerk then Olberdouche. He scoffs and talks over his guest more then anyone and then keeps telling them their wrong. Theres going to be a party in tvland when MSNBC gets taken off the air after the NBC firesale in Sept.
Rbastid on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM
Agreed! It is a brilliant movie.
aquaviva on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM
I saw it last W/E… other than portraying people as fat lazy sloths, I thought it was an anti Wal-Mart movie!
Hmmmm
CBarker on July 3, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Yes, I heard there was a little green agitprop involved, to which I say, what else is new? We’re saturated in it already. My boy is a little young to sit through anything more than a half hour of Transformers at this point, but I’m sure we’ll see it on DVD.
JammieWearingFool on July 3, 2008 at 11:17 AM
I boycotted Disney long ago because of their stance on gay rights… So I generally have no desire to watch any movie made by Disney (I did go to a friend’s to watch National Treasure)
Darth Keller on July 3, 2008 at 11:18 AM
No it wasn’t “green propaganda”. It *was* anti-capitalist, which even that wouldn’t have bothered me except for the fact that:
(spoilers ahead)
A> it was so in-your-face to make up for the lack of a decent plot.
B> They glossed over the fact that all the GOOD things in movie came from the evil mega-corp too but were waived away (Wall-E is a fluke, Eve is a rebel, but all the “evil” robots are carrying out the evil mega-corp’s wishes)
C> The climax of the movie is cheap heart string pulling. Wall-E does a Spock-esque sacrifice for the good of humanity…except… he doesn’t. The captain is the one that defeats the evil robot and pushes the right button. Wall-E’s sacrifice is in vain yet we have to spend 10 minutes in downer mode watching a robot “die” then have “alzheimers” but oh hey… juuuuustt kidding!
So what’s the movie about? Man should stop building things (and hence advancing science and technology) and become farmers and make babies because that’s all there really is to life.
Coming from a hi-tech company like Pixar you’d think they know better.
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 11:19 AM
I liked it. I didn’t love it. I think most people who see it will be so dazzled by the animation that they won’t even get the propaganda. And it has a little bit more subtle point that the lefties won’t like if they figure it out – once people lose their individuality and become automatons and part of a collective, there isn’t much that makes life worth living. Even the robot Eva finally overcomes her programming to become an individual and fight for her freedom.
rockmom on July 3, 2008 at 11:19 AM
I haven’t seen it and probably won’t. I notice that even though Jonah Goldberg’s quote is short they decided not to use the entire quote.
FWIW Kim Sarafin’s voice doesn’t resonate of Malthusian fear mongering but it is annoying.
roux on July 3, 2008 at 11:19 AM
It’s a great movie. No dialogue for the first 45 minutes or so, and the familty was riveted.
Regarding the green propaganda, eh, I didn’t think much of it. However, I was able to explain to my son that the fat lazy people were a product of nanny-state policies. Heh.
Matticus Finch on July 3, 2008 at 11:20 AM
I am a big Pixar fan. That being said this is nothing more than a comic reinforcer for An Inconvenient Truth.
The animation is great!
Simply take BNL and replace with Wal-Mart and the picture begins to unfold.
Propaganda never looked so good.
RobertInAustin on July 3, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Is there any karate or chicks in bikinis in it?
Alden Pyle on July 3, 2008 at 11:20 AM
It also blatantly rips off Idiocracy, which is much funnier but definitely not for kids.
rockmom on July 3, 2008 at 11:21 AM
BINGO!
And what is the political ideological force driving the green movement?
Marx would have been proud.
RobertInAustin on July 3, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Idiotcracy for kids? Regardless, I’m not going to stop shopping at Wall-E World. Disclaimer: Haven’t seen it yet.
BohicaTwentyTwo on July 3, 2008 at 11:24 AM
I question the timing. For some reason.
Beo on July 3, 2008 at 11:28 AM
The animation was great, but IMO it wasn’t the best Pixar film (or even second best).
It is quite heavy on the message for this adult. I don’t know how much kids will care. We are as likely to trash the earth as we are to build a galactic cruise liner that caters to your every wish.
Honestly, the very best part was the animated short preceeding the movie. It was hysterical.
Darksean on July 3, 2008 at 11:28 AM
It was cute, and funny, get over it peoples.
Squid Shark on July 3, 2008 at 11:28 AM
I was hesitant to see it because of all the “pro-Green” buzz it was getting, but the sweetness of Wall-E and his longing for any kind of contact won me over. And I think that’s what the story was mainly about.
Gottafang on July 3, 2008 at 11:30 AM
And, yeah, the animated short that proceeded it was an absolute hoot.
Gottafang on July 3, 2008 at 11:31 AM
I beg to differ.
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Skywise
No it wasn’t “green propaganda”. It *was* anti-capitalist,
It’s anti overt consumerism. It’s more of an indictment of our disposable society. There’s a longer rant there, but that will have to do.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Happy Feet was definitely green prop.
yo on July 3, 2008 at 11:36 AM
There is the subtext of a trashed Earth, but this message has been done over and over that, I dunno, maybe I’m numb to it. The thing is, one of the few environmental concerns that I do care about is the wastefulness of our society. I do scoff at people who use disposable dishware all the time when they could simply stop being lazy and wash the dishes from time to time. I do see the endless streams of junk mail as being a waste of paper. Then again, this isn’t an environmental attitude. It’s, actually, a conservative attitude. So this underlying message doesn’t really bother me. If they want to make a movie where the bad kids are shown as leaving lights on when they leave the room or leaving the air conditioner on with the windows open, fine. There are a lot of wasteful, lazy people in this country. The thing is that it doesn’t take environmentalists to fix their paradigm. It takes parents using common sense and being responsible to do it.
That said, I’ll probably be seeing the movie. It looks cute. If I had a kid, and they asked if the Earth would ever really be like that, I’d say it would be if they didn’t clean up their room and keep it from looking like that.
MadisonConservative on July 3, 2008 at 11:38 AM
For me the strengths of this film far outweighed its weaknesses. I didn’t find the political message — such as it was — offensive or annoying in the slightest.
Read the Lileks review, and take into account that there is an animation that plays over the end credits that has be considered in all of this, too.
http://lileks.com/bleats/archive/08/0608/063008.html
Purple Fury on July 3, 2008 at 11:38 AM
My kid’s, all under the age of 8, thought it was a fun movie.
I suppose you could read quite a bit into the underlying themes but my kids paid far more attention to the cool robots and chubby characters than the sin’s of industrialization. Not to mention any underlying global warming agenda was completely lost on them.
At any rate, a good biblical discussion gluttony, economics and freedom on the way home in the car serves to quell any liberal doctrine.
regal on July 3, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Ditto RobertinAustin.
Our family thought it was nothing like the creative storylines of Toy Story or Cars……. definitely agenda driven Al Gore-ish type stuff……trashed atmosphere, junk space, Wal-Mart takes big hit and consumerism ruins the planet…..with Eve as intrepid robot returning dutifully to look for her prime directive…..”plant life”!!! So much trash that skyscrapers are eclipsed by mounds of it and humans must leave the planet……
Hollywood driven message and a shame Pixar has turned creative characters into a greenpeace storyline.
Starlink on July 3, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Abrams needs to get some semblence of a life. Wall-e is a fantastic film with a green message (and not a bad one), plus a real scary image of mankind in the future. There’s also a strong message of not getting all of your inputs about the world from a computer screen. As if anybody here suffers from that….
Myself, I betting that the short that will come out with the DVD will entail Mo (the cleaning robot) when he first lands on Earth. Anyone wh has seen the movie can relate.
michaelo on July 3, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Ferngully? Yes.
Wall-E? Probably not.
Ortzinator on July 3, 2008 at 11:42 AM
yo –
Agreed, Happy Feet was far more sledgehammer enviro propaganda. But I loved it anyway.
I figure this spate of enviro-prop in movies isn’t much different from the nuclear-war-prop of the 60s and 70s, like Planet of the Apes, which is still an awesome movie even if the premise was ridiculous. This too shall pass.
rockmom on July 3, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Do any of you remember when this all started…………..?
Seven Percent Solution on July 3, 2008 at 11:43 AM
DUH… is everything that hollywood puts on on TV or the big screen propaganda? YES… gimmie a break, we all know this…
Kaptain Amerika on July 3, 2008 at 11:46 AM
If it even comes close to The Incredibles, it will be worth seeing. Personally, I feel The Incredibles and Toy Story 2 are the best movies from pixar. I found Finding Nemo boring and Cars was bland.
robblefarian on July 3, 2008 at 11:46 AM
This “report” is a blatant attempt to divert our attention from the aliens without faces.
corona on July 3, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Oh sure, it’s that too as part in parcel of an anti-capitalist message. “Buying things doesn’t make you happy” yeah, got that. But its smothered in the greater message that you only buy things because the evil mega corp hypnotizes you into doing this while controlling every aspect of your life womb-to-tomb. When you really should just be growing pizza plants.
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Oh, and I think I would give Dan Abrams a sock right in the puss if I saw him on the street. He actually is almost worse than Olbermann in his absolutely arrogant condescending attitude to those who disagree with him.
MadisonConservative on July 3, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Dan Abrams is a communist.
VolMagic on July 3, 2008 at 11:53 AM
I have all but quit going to the movies because I get so damn sick of being preached to by the leftist subplot message currents that pretty much ruin whatever good entertainment value there is for me. Sort of like, Shut up and Sing! already. Sometimes I wish it wasn’t so transparent so that I could just enjoy the entertainment for what it is, but I can’t. Plus, even when there is a great movie, there’s always a Penn, a Sarandon, a Robbins, a Clooney or some other self-important leftist moron that ruins it for me – I just can’t separate the movie from the actors most of the time. Ditto for most TV these days. Sucks.
Fishoutofwater on July 3, 2008 at 11:55 AM
And that’s a pathetic weakness of American conservativism: the arts are not generally encouraged as a career path among us.
ScottMcC on July 3, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I wouldn’t call studio pictures “art”
VolMagic on July 3, 2008 at 12:08 PM
And Scarlet O’Hara was a slave owner.
If a person is so weak willed as to be twisted into a green monster by a movie then they were a lost cause anyway.
Limerick on July 3, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Oh sure, it’s that too as part in parcel of an anti-capitalist message. “Buying things doesn’t make you happy” yeah, got that. But its smothered in the greater message that you only buy things because the evil mega corp hypnotizes you into doing this while controlling every aspect of your life womb-to-tomb. When you really should just be growing pizza plants.
Skywise
Well, that’s not what I walked away with. There were many key moments, but when the Captain stood and took control from Auto, it seemed to me that it was a call for personal responsibility. The couple Wall-E saved brought up the notion of individuality.
And that dance in space was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Wait a minute. A world where everyone is the same, has their needs met, is lead by someone with the title “Chairman”, and doesn’t work? That’s a communist utopia, not a capitalist dystopia.
Yet the humans escape from it by paying attention to what’s going on?
This is not a anti-capitalist paean, by any means.
A lot of stuff was there to be just-plain-funny. A halo of satellites so thick no spaceship and take off without hitting a few? Funny. Making a robot play simulated golf for you? Funny. Learning to go beyond your mission/directive to find deeper meaning? Insightful.
Sure, some of the stuff hit below the belt against capitalists, but it hit below the belt on anti-capitalists too: No struggle/mission/entrepreneurship makes for boring identical blobs of consumption! Put that in your cupcake shake and drink it.
shirgall on July 3, 2008 at 12:18 PM
I agree with Madison Conservative, the basic message of conservation isn’t a bad one. It’s been taken to an extreme by the likes of Al Gore, but there is no reason for people to be wasteful. Two of my sons have seen the movie and they loved it and they are young adults. It appears to be marketed to all age groups.
Rose on July 3, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Is this a trick question?
Jaibones on July 3, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Bingo. But that’s not how it’s presented.
Look, it’s a kids movie and there were other aspects of it I liked. It’s low on my list of Pixar favorites but being in the Pixar fold puts it far above most other drek out there. If this had been from any other company I would’ve just waived it off as typical. What I’m disappointed with isn’t that Stanton made this message but that it was so haphazardly thought out given the extreme amount of detail given to their works.
You want a GOOD pro-green anti-consumerist (but not quite anti-capitalist) “kids” movie? Princess Mononoke. (though it’s not really for kids per se at a PG-13 rating)
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 12:32 PM
If you are talking purely animation, it’s terrific. However, IMO it doesn’t come close to Incredibles or Toy Story 2. I even liked Cars more (pit stop…).
Just my .02
Darksean on July 3, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Seems like an ink blot movie.
I think I’ll go see it and not worry about any underlying message.
Kids are kids and generally don’t care at all about the message. I watched Captain Planet and Fergully when I was younger, but here I am, still very conservative.
Besides, the worst they’ll get out of this movie is that they shouldn’t eat fast food and shouldn’t take trash lightly. I don’t really see the problem there.
Esthier on July 3, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Completely right. Conservative complaints about this movie are the embarrassing equivalent of Spike Lee trashing Clint Eastwood.
vonspringer on July 3, 2008 at 1:05 PM
these films are directed at our children sir/ma’am can your 5 year old tell the difference and make a judgement on all the facts?
Kaptain Amerika on July 3, 2008 at 1:12 PM
You’re assuming a 5-year-old will even notice.
As I said, I’ve seen some of the most blatant propaganda cartoons that have ever aired, and I came out fine.
Esthier on July 3, 2008 at 1:14 PM
That’s how propaganda works best. Planting the seed into a mind as it’s growing.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:15 PM
It’s not a planet seed if the message completely goes over their heads.
At that point they won’t even remember it.
Again, I’m a product of cartoons like that, and I still don’t agree with them.
Esthier on July 3, 2008 at 1:17 PM
I don’t see it as anti capitalism. The one big controlling coperation (BUYnLARGE) takes care of everyones needs. No one produces anything, and everyone is a ward of the state, including the creche babies. It seems to be a perfect example of what happens when people give up personal responsibility and freedom to live a life of ease while big brother takes care of them.
WHat happens when Walle knocks the blinders (aka screen) from one womans eyes? She looks around and SEES whats going around her for the first time. What happens after the Captain meets Walle? H eends up doing the impossible and fighting to free the people from the total control of BuyNlarge. This movie is not capitalism, for their to be capitalism their has to be compatition. In the movie their was none. To me this movie showed what happens when a liberal agenda takes over. Why was the earth so poluted? because no one took care of their mess. They assumed some one else would do it. BuyNlarger might be a spoof of a corporatioon, but it ended up being the liberal world government, and the people were nothing more then welfare sheep.
I just think some people are so ready to be offended that they just jump on what ever bandwagon is rolling by them at the time. Go see Walle, it is a sweet movie, it is more about loneliness and finding love then it is about some political message.
Wyrd on July 3, 2008 at 1:21 PM
I don’t buy it.
If the “green propaganda” is nuanced, if no one was trying to send a message, then why did it need to be in the movie to begin with?
They couldn’t have made the same movie and instead of trash, maybe Earth was hit by a asteroid and mankind had to leave to survive and the little WALL-E robots were put in place to “fix” the planet (or something along those lines…)?
I’m not trying to be conspiratorial sounding or anything, but that’s exactly what’s dangerous about this type of film…the subtlety. The movie may indeed be entertaining, fun, cool, etc. but don’t excuse the propaganda. This film could have been made without it.
However subtle, there is a “man is bad, corporations are evil, we’re destroying our environment” message.
Most people on this board wouldn’t stand for this type of messaging in their kids schools, why excuse it in a “kids” movie? Because they packaged it up real nice?
catmman on July 3, 2008 at 1:21 PM
these films are directed at our children sir/ma’am can your 5 year old tell the difference and make a judgement on all the facts?
Kaptain Amerika
Why, no they can’t. This where “being a parent” comes into play. Your 5 year old can’t see the film unless you allow it. What? Responsibility? How utterly leftist of me.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:21 PM
Humans had the technological knowhow to construct a giant spaceship containing all life on Earth, were able to construct all of these wonderful robots, were able to become worseless fat slobs thanks to all of the incredible technology, etc…
Yet couldn’t figure out how to take out the trash?
catmman on July 3, 2008 at 1:25 PM
I am not attempting to say that ‘the message’ will sink into their minds when they walk out of the theater. I am saying that the basic premise of the film (man destroys earth) is the whole text of the film. Earth as a wasteland, created by man IS the movie. This fact can’t go over their heads, when it IS the set and the backdrop of the movie.
It’s like claiming that the message from the film WaterWorld can ‘go over the heads’ – when the entire movie takes place on a flooded earth, after man melts the polar ice caps and all of humanity is floating and drowning. Propaganda can be both subtle and obvious. And if someone wanted to make a message for kids, then doing so and planting the seed that man is bad, that man will destroy the earth in the future, might work (if this is something that they are trying) and this will form the viewers opinions in the future.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Again, kids aren’t that stupid. And how many “Earth is destroyed by man” movies is this now?
If I had kids I’d probably even buy this movie if it’s half as good as the other Pixar films have been.
Esthier on July 3, 2008 at 1:32 PM
It’s like claiming that the message from the film WaterWorld can ‘go over the heads’ – when the entire movie takes place on a flooded earth, after man melts the polar ice caps and all of humanity is floating and drowning.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Why must you make me explain Waterworld? I saw it, ok. It was a bad movie. The only message I got from that movie is that Costner should never get a budget.
Waterworld was about a polar shift. That map was upside down on the kid, from the perspective of the people in the film. North was south and south was north.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:33 PM
I’ve never missed a single Pixar movie, and I won’t miss Wall-E. Sometimes you just have to be able to discern right from wrong. And teach your kids to keep their eyes, ears and mind open.
kirkill on July 3, 2008 at 1:37 PM
I must have missed the scene when they used a compass that pointed south, Krydor. And only seen the parts of the film where the bad guys were using all of their resources from the oil tanker, smoking and drinking … and voting christian republican.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:38 PM
However subtle, there is a “man is bad, corporations are evil, we’re destroying our environment” message.
That’s a pretty accurate recounting of how things are. It’s a bit greyer than that, but a couple of world wars, some corporate financial shenanigans and some questionable environmental practices give meat to the message.
Most people on this board wouldn’t stand for this type of messaging in their kids schools, why excuse it in a “kids” movie? Because they packaged it up real nice?
catmman
Like I said earlier, if you don’t want your kids seeing it, don’t let them.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:40 PM
I must have missed the scene when they used a compass that pointed south, Krydor. And only seen the parts of the film where the bad guys were using all of their resources from the oil tanker, smoking and drinking … and voting christian republican.
wise_man
Dude, the whole damn movie was about getting the map to dry land. The map was tattooed on that kid’s back. The map was upside down for them. It was upside down because of the polar shift.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Dude, the whole damn movie was about ‘mans destruction’, just like the day after tomorrow, just like Al Gore’s “documentary”, just like …
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:45 PM
wise_man
The point is that the movie had nothing to do with man’s rape of the Great Earth Mother. The earth flipped. Mad Mad on a Jet Ski.
The setting was a flooded earth. The McGuffin was the Tattoo.
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Mad MAX. MAD MAX. Looked right before I posted…
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:51 PM
It’s a little disappointing to see, via this insightful movie, that Private Joe Bauers wasn’t, indeed, successful in saving the world.
Dusty on July 3, 2008 at 1:53 PM
But if Wall-E had electrolytes, it would’ve been great.
Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Yeah. What you said.
Also, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 1:59 PM
[Skywise on July 3, 2008 at 1:57 PM]
LOL. I haven’t seen the movie yet. No spoilers, please, but I’m curious, does Wall-E happen to have any problems with lubrication?
Dusty on July 3, 2008 at 2:02 PM
My wife took my 4yo to see it and they left after only seeing half the movie.
TroubledMonkey on July 3, 2008 at 2:03 PM
Krydor on July 3, 2008 at 1:40 PM
You’re OK with it. Fine. I’m not.
Why not address what I said? Would you be fine with your kids coming home from school with material with the kind of propaganda in the film?
catmman on July 3, 2008 at 2:17 PM
Where did all the trash come from BTW?
Rampant consumerism, right?
But the animation is soooo gooood!
Yep. No message here.
Move along.
catmman on July 3, 2008 at 2:18 PM
It seems to me that Wall-E is the exact opposite of green propaganda. Humanity trashes the planet and they just move on, with nothing bad happening to them. Not exactly in the same vein as Day After Tomorrow, is it?
Lehosh on July 3, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Transparently left-wing propaganda.
If the greenies don’t like trash, they should repeal the bans against burning it (4000 year record of safety and effectiveness) and stop requiring “landfills” to mummify it instead of allowing it to decompose.
This is just another case of where Liberals cause a problem, block all reasonable solutions, and then whine that it’s your fault that the problem is still there. The movie is just animated liberal whining.
landlines on July 3, 2008 at 2:22 PM
Duh yup, life is better with good parenting.
I saw the trailer for this and think it’s more an ‘identify with and love the machine’ flick, but all in all it’s a gag me, cute film. Glad my kids are way too old to want to see it.
Christine on July 3, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Pretty much, yes.
wise_man on July 3, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Dan Abrams argunemts against seem to consist of
1. looking surprised that anyone could say this
2. laughing dersively
3. inslting anyone who disagrees with him
Regarding the cute blonde’s arguing that can’t be the message of the film because the film’s creator says it is not, please see intentional fallacy.
snaggletoothie on July 3, 2008 at 2:27 PM
Off topic a bit…When the first Chronicles of Narnia film came out one of my far left ‘friends’ called it a ‘right-wing movie’. I said that even though the author of the books was a Christian writer, no doctrine was pushed in it. They called the four children the sons of Adam, but big whoop. Pretty soon there will be no mention of anything Christian. Perhaps I will have to change my name, everyone mis-spells it anyway. (Kristy, Cristy)
Christine on July 3, 2008 at 2:31 PM
Uh, folks…I hate to break this to ya but it’s a cartoon…
Rocky and Bullwinkle were political satire but I don’t think it changed anything. Well, other than make me think the Russians talked broken english.
CBarker on July 3, 2008 at 2:33 PM
Blech. I’ve seen it, with my kids, and whereas they most certainly didn’t walk away “brainwashed” by it, they were too busy laughing at the robots to pay attention to the background message, that background was there. Man trashed the planet. Man is bad for plants and other living things. It’s there. Denying that it’s there is idiotic. It’s like denying that the sun rises in the east.
What is debatable is whether it was conscious proselytizing or just a plot device.
I’m firmly in the latter camp. They needed a plot device to tell their story about love, and how “doing nothing” is the weakling’s way out. So they chose this plot device to do so. I mean, look at the whole “mankind destroyed the planet and buried it in trash” angle. It’s so wildly exaggerated in the movie that it’s hysterically funny. That’s NOT how you “indoctrinate impressionable minds” if that’s what you’re out to do. It’s hard to leave a message behind in there if the kiddos have been laughing their butts off at the absurdity of it all the entire time they were watching.
All of that aside, Dan Abrams is a jackass in love with himself every bit as much as Bill O’Reilly. If you’re going to ask your guests a question, at least have the common courtesy of letting them answer it, you preening twat. Constantly interrupting the answer while jerking yourself off under the desk to the sound of your own voice does not an “interview” make.
I’d really love it if this fad on on-air auto-eroticism exhibited by show “hosts” would die, rot and blow away, because it’s making me nauseous.
Misha I on July 3, 2008 at 2:35 PM
It seems to me that Wall-E is the exact opposite of green propaganda. Humanity trashes the planet and they just move on…
Lehosh on July 3, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Ummm, this IS green propaganda; not the opposite.
catmman on July 3, 2008 at 2:35 PM
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