Wall-E: Movie Analysis

In the film Wall-E, both the robots and the humans are governed by a directive. The role of a directive is important in the film because it helps to guide the actions of the various robots aboard the Axiom. One of the important questions raised by the film is: What is the role of a directive in Wall-E, how does it impact the actions of the various robotic characters seen in the film, and how do the actions taken by robots in the film as a result of their directive impact the humans onboard the Axiom? In, “Going Beyond Our Directive: Wall-E and the Limits of Social Commentary,” by Ann Howey, the author is responding to this question raised by the film. In response to this question, the author specifically examines the role of directive in the

In Wall-E, MO is seen as a member of the robotic crew aboard the Axiom. With this position, MO must follow all the rules and order aboard the ship such as staying on his preprogrammed navigation path. However, MO also has a directive to find and eliminate foreign contaminates aboard the ship. After Wall-E has traveled through the ship and created a track of dirt, MO is faced with a choice, either follow the navigation path set for him or go off course to clean up the foreign contaminants. MO ultimately chooses to clean the ship and in the process chooses to follow one of his directives at the expense of his other one. In this way, MO is going beyond his directive to further his original and intended purpose. While leaving the navigation track may have been outside the letter of MO’s directive, it was within the spirit of his directive which was to clean foreign contaminants from the Axiom. Thus, MO was able to be more effective as a robot because he expanded beyond his

While AUTO is seen as a very capable machine who runs the day to day operations of the Axiom, he is unable to go beyond his directive, something accomplished by Eve, MO, and Wall-E. This rigidity and inability to move beyond his directive ultimately results in AUTO being unable to truly accomplish the spirit of his overall directive which is to ensure the health and safety of all aboard the Axiom. From the scenes at the end of the film, it appears that humans are able to survive and even thrive on Earth after the return of the Axiom. Thus, it would have been in the best interest of all on board the ship if AUTO had allowed for a peaceful return to Earth. However, AUTO still resorted to following override A113, a 700-year-old directive, solely because those are his orders. AUTO’s inability to move beyond his directive, staying squarely within its tight bounds, ultimately results in his downfall and his failure as a