A science fiction tale in animation form, Wall E confronts
adult issues as a robot in outer space travels to Earth to clean
up a polluted planet. It grossed a whopping 23 million on its
opening day, and over 63 million on its first weekend, going on
to break records as one of the most successful launches of an
animation film by Pixar Studios of all time. To date has grossed
over a stunning half a billion dollars world wide. It won Golden
Globe for best animated picture of the year.
After Wall E easily later scooped up best animated feature film
of the year at the Academy Awards ®, the films screenwriter
and director stepped over in the press room of the Oscar’s
® to have a few words and tell us all his thoughts on
animation, storytelling, and the creative process of his
work.
Q. WALL E was kind of a film that a lot of
people described as groundbreaking in terms of its character
development. Do you see (animation) going in that direction
now?
ANDREW STANTON: To be honest we were trying to
go that deep with the first movie we made at Pixar. TOY STORY was
an attempt to just show that it's a movie and we just happen to
be using animation as a medium to tell it. It's like saying
because it's in black and white suddenly it means it has to be a
cop movie or mystery… We have just been trying to make the
most sophisticated film that we can with the very deep
characters, with and we assume that if it's well told then any
age will understand it. So, that's been sort of the same attack
on every film. Even though WALL E is different and maybe it's
getting more attention, I don't feel like we have approached it
any differently than we have in any of the other films. So, yes
is the answer, but we have always been that way.
Q. The theme of this film is extremely
important. Some people said it may be the most important theme
that's dealt with here at the Oscars, so, would you talk about
the importance of this…?
ANDREW STANTON: I think a lot of people attach a
little too specifically to the ecological aspect or the
complacency aspect of humanity, but I use those as devices to
focus on the biggest issue, which is people caring about one
another, people connecting with one another. Whether that's
literally love between two characters like robots or just your
acknowledging that your neighbor is right next to you, as opposed
to being (spatially) blocked between a cell phone or something. I
feel that disconnection is going to be the cause indirectly of
anything that happens in life that's bad for humanity, or of the
planet, so to me, my focus was connectivity. It wasn't any other
specific consequence other than that.
Thank you for your time.
ANDREW STANTON: Thank you very much.
Copyright
© Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. © 2009,
The Holl
ywood Sentinel. Used with permission with kind courtesy
of the 81st Academy Awards®.