EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL

FILM FE$TWAL

Action!

You decide who will win this year.

08

22 THE LIST 19 Jun—3 Jul 2008

LovMachine

Pixar's latest creation is a sci-fi adventure about a lovesick robot who has been left behind on Earth to clean up after the human race. Eddie Harrison talks to Angus MacLane, directing animator of Wall-E

ould you fall in love with a robot‘.’ Animation

stttdio Pixar is betting that you will. The little

metal critter with designs on your heart is called WALL-Ii. and this summer. he‘ll be giving Indiana Jones and Carrie Bradshaw a run for their money at the worldwide box-office.

()ne of the most anticipated films of the 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival programme. director Andrew Stanton‘s follow-up to Finding ano is a sci-fi adventure carefully calibrated to repeat the formula that has made Pixar one of the world‘s most respected brand names: family entertainment. but with universal appeal.

‘I guess you could trace WALL-E‘s ancestry back to Luxo Jr. the little table lamp that appeared in Pixar’s very first lilm.‘ says directing animator Angus MacLane, who has been responsible for the character design and animation of Pixar heroes from Toy Story 2 to The Incredibles‘.

‘What was amazing about Luxo Jr was the way that people could relate so easily to that table-lamp as it hopped across the screen. and that‘s the same way we hope audiences will read emotion into WALL—Ii. Andrew [Stanton. the director] always imagined WALL-l5 as having eyes like binoculars. magnifying the emotions that he feels to the audience. so you could say WALL-E‘s personality drove our design.‘

What kind of robot is this WALL-Ii then'.’ \Vell. his name is an acronym for Waste Allocation Load Lifter liarth-class. a glorified cleaning tuachine. But to .\lacl.ane. he‘s something more that just a fancy vacuum cleaner. ‘I guess there's a tendency in modern animations to try and fill the screen with noise and action. but WALL-li‘s story is much more about simplicity and calm.‘ says MacLane. ’lle‘s definitely not some cocksure superhero or tnale fantasy figure. he‘s a really down to earth gtty trying to figure out what to do with his life. He‘s really easy to relate to.~

But will the world fall for WALL-E‘s robot charms“? After all. inferior models have burnt its before. The robot shares a few ramshackle qualities with Johnny—5 from Short ('in'uil. or even lluey. Dewey and Louie. the robot gardeners who helped out Bruce l)ern in his battle to preserve the liarth's flora and fauna in Douglas 'l‘urnbull's remarkable I973 drama Silent Running.

l'ltimately though. it‘s this particular robot's predicament which may just win us over: WALL-E‘s in love. ‘ln the film. WALL-Ii has been left behind on liarth to clean up after the human race. and 7()() years later some romance comes into his life in the form of live. a sleek. floating wind-chime of a robot.~ says .\1acl.ane. ‘They‘re very different in temperament; WALL-[i knows exactly who he is. while live is still trying to figure out how to balance up her work and her personal life. So