One such dove, EVE, returns with a green plant, in exactly the same fashion as Noah’s dove brings back an olive branch to the Ark.īut a major difference separates the myth from the Pixar film. In a wildly similar fashion, the Axiom sends out its own probes (white ones, like doves) to retrieve signs from Earth that it is habitable again, or that the flood of trash and dust has receded. The parallel to Noah’s Ark, another famous story from Genesis, is easy to see from a human survival point of view. But there are other details that enhance this narrative, and also toy with it.įor example, in the original story, Noah sends out a dove in search of a sign that the waters have receded. Then the film leaves Earth for the Axiom, the colossal cruise ship in space where humanity has been surviving in luxury for 700 years. The parallel to Genesis fades here, mostly because there is no tempter or serpentine antagonist in the story at this point.īut it is still noteworthy that it is the appearance of a tree (whose fruit permanently changes their relationship, and human history as well) that begins the conflict that threatens to ruin WALL-E and EVE’s blossoming relationship.

Her directive takes over, and she seals the plant away in her guts and goes into a sleep mode, waiting for the mothership to return her to the Axiom. She is curved, mysterious, and intoxicating.īut their would-be romance is suddenly halted when WALL-E shows her one of his trinkets, the one piece of garden-life he was able to tend: a plant. In an obvious nod to classic feminine symbolism, EVE is egg-shaped and white as a spotless wedding dress. While not cut from WALL-E’s rib cage, the robot EVE is certainly “bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” When WALL-E sees her for the first time, he is smitten, and Adam’s words may be running through the little bot’s circuits!

There is even a breath-taking shot of WALL-E gazing into heaven, the stars reflecting in his digital lenses, and we can imagine his prayer, begging for a suitable companion…. He enjoys the company of a cockroach, but like the Adam of Genesis, a wild creature is “no help mate for him,” ( Genesis 2:20). He collects trinkets and stows them away and longs to share them with a companion who is fitting for him. The major difference, though, is that in this Garden, Adam isn’t naming animals and tending to plant-life – he’s collecting garbage into neat squares and stacking it into looming towers of reeking filth. WALL-E’s post-apocalyptic vision of Earth isn’t just a heavy duty prediction – it’s an allegory parallel to the famous Garden of Eden story from Genesis, and WALL-E is Adam reborn as a robot, laboring away each day, deaf to time, and lonely as ever. His task: To subdue the wild growth and make order out of chaos. Here are 10 things you probably never noticed about WALL-E! 1. The Garden of WALL-EdenĪ solitary worker toils alone, the sole inhabitant of a planet. So my guess is that you’ve probably seen, and enjoyed, WALL-E , the 2008 film by Pixar Studios.īut did you know this epic tale is incredibly deep, exploring themes and ideas far beyond just a love-struck robot’s journey into space?

You probably know a good story when you see one.

Wally the robot