and this song could symbolise more than WALL-E’s character but the world as it once was: joyous and simple. This is juxtaposed with the images that show how different Earth is now and suggests the past has been all but forgotten. Forgotten, that is, until WALL-E restores life as the characters once knew it; he embodies the hopeless romantic. This further resonates when WALL-E is back in his storage cabin and listens to “It Only takes a Moment”. He becomes captivated by the image of the Cornelius (Michael Crawford) and Irene (Marianne McAndrew) in love and copies them holding hands by putting his two metal hands together. WALL-E wants companionship and the audience can sympathise with him through the use of music and images of loneliness in a deserted world. The use of these songs demonstrates an intelligent use of sound and how it can function creatively aside from simply synchronising with the images. It seeks to evoke an emotional response from the audience concerning the state of the Earth in relation to how it once was and it assists in the construction of character showing WALLE’s need for companionship.
“intricate soundscapes breathe life into the metal bots” WALL-E and his robot friends become more likeable and relatable than the humans within the film and the robots are able to connect with the audience without saying a word. Even M-O (Microbe Obliterator), a small robot designed to clean the ship, has more personality and characteristics than many of the humans we encounter. This result is largely achieved by the complex and dedicated work of the sound team who create intricate soundscapes that breathe life into the metal bots. In an interview, Ben Burtt, sound designer for WALL-E as well as the Star Wars (1977-2005) and Indiana Jones franchises (1981-2008) stated: “There are 2600 sound files made for WALL-E, which is a lot more than I made for any other movie. A Star Wars movie, which is huge, usually takes about 1,000 new sounds. Indiana Jones movies, maybe 700 or 800. So this was gigantic, partly because it just needed so much detail in the sound”.
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In comparing WALL-E to the size of the Star Wars universe, it is clear the attention, effort and creativity put into the sound is vast and that sound has not been put on the back burner in favour of the animated visuals. WALL-E’s soundscape features numerous mechanical clanks and clangs: WALL-E beeps, screams, yelps, groans and whistles; a squeaky door has been made a charming character trait and a motor has been edited to mimic the sound of his name. Each and every sound has had to be made, sourced and collected to help bring these animated characters to life. I have discussed the sound effects and the songs that appear in WALL-E but there is another element of sound that is just as significant and this is the voiceover of the Axiom’s computer. The computer’s voice is in fact American actress Sigourney Weaver, nicknamed the “Sci-fi Queen” due to her roles in the four Alien films (1979-1997), Galaxy Quest (1999), Avatar (2009), Paul (2011) and Cabin in the Woods (2011) and as the voice of the Planet Express Ship in an episode of Futurama (2002). Weaver’s voice is probably most recognised for her role as Ellen Ripley in Alien, a strong leading lady in the science fiction genre. Stanton, being a fan of the Alien films, wanted Weaver for the computer’s voice as a nod to sci-fi as she becomes “mother” of the ship. These examples shows that sound can be just as creative and holds the same level of importance that visuals have even though sound is regularly pushed to the side of discussions. It is refreshing to see a mainstream movie like WALL-E return to the roots of cinema and break conventions by allowing the visuals to speak for themselves without the need to narrate the action. Without dialogue, it is up to the audience to interpret the visuals and other accompanying sound to decide what it means for them, especially when they do not seem to match in an apparent way. It is clear that even though it is a Disney film aimed at a younger audience, WALL-E not only demonstrates the importance of sound in a traditional way but also the capability of sound and its creative impact on the audience.