Wall-E and What We Leave Behind

My wife and I rewatched the movie “Wall-E” (copyright Pixar/Disney) the other night for the umpteenth time. We often turn to this movie when we are in the mood for a simple feel-good evening, and so we have easily watched it over a dozen times. In fact, we have a running joke about “rogue robots” that continues to this day. So it was with some surprise that I received a new insight from the film. I had always gotten the film’s messages touching on the environment, overconsumption and leading a sedentary life. But this time I focused on what the film said about isolation and connection, and thus I finally figured out how Eve really brings Wall-E back to life.

Start with isolation. Wall-E is technically “busy” all day, every day, but he’s profoundly alone. He works, he collects, he survives. That mirrors modern life a little too well: full calendars, full feeds, but empty chairs. Productivity without presence.

The humans on the Axiom provide our cautionary tale. They are surrounded by people but utterly disconnected. Screens replace eye contact. Chairs replace walking. Algorithms replace choice. The moment when two people accidentally look up and notice each other is played for comedy - but it’s also quietly tragic. Connection requires friction. You must bump into someone, metaphorically or literally.

The movie is not anti-technology; it’s anti-disengagement.

But here is the real new insight I had. In the final scene Wall-E is “dead” but Eve is able to bring his body back to life. However, his memory has been erased, and he remembers nothing of Eve. Eve attempts to jog his memory with numerous items and gestures, but it is not until a spark leaps between the two robots that Wall-E regains his memories. Now, many others have already observed what I have just stated. But I have never seen it explained in this way.

What I finally came to realize is that thru Wall-E and Eve’s connection, they planted memories and even the consciousness of each other, inside each of their respective hard drives. In human terms: their love allowed a bit of their souls to become resident in the other person’s heart. When the two robots experienced their first “kiss” (spark) early in their relationship, that was simply the first download. At the end of the film, when another spark connects them, the part of Wall-E’s soul that had become resident in Eve, was uploaded back into Wall-E.

Those who know me, know that I have been struggling with my mortality. With less time in front of me than behind, I have often considered what legacy (if any) I stand to leave behind. What I learned from watching a movie for the umpteenth time, is that if I leave anything behind after I am gone, it will be the little bit of my soul that I have left in others. And so now I find making connections with others … my friends, my family, my neighbors … to be my new mission and my final purpose.

Not a sermon … just a thought.

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