Format: Movie

Released: 2008

Screenplay By: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon

Directed By: Andrew Stanton

Run Time: 90 minutes

Character: Wall-E

New Role: A robot in love

Plot summary of the 2008 Computer-Animated Sci-Fi Romance movie Wall-E continues below…

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Story Structure Analysis: Wall-E

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DRAMATIC PHASE ONE: THE SETUP

All of the main characters are introduced. The story world and its mechanics are established. Foundations are laid for the main throughline, subplots and central conflict.

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ACT ONE: DEALING WITH AN IMPERFECT SITUATION

A character in an Imperfect Situation faces Oppressive Opposition as he pursues an Initial Goal. But when there is a Disturbance to his routine, he faces a Dilemma regarding his situation and must assume a New Role.

Alone on Earth, Wall-E the robot (the imperfect situation) follows the directives of his makers (oppressive opposition) to clean up the garbage humanity left behind (initial goal). But after he discovers a strange growing plant (the disturbance), he encounters another, futurist robot (the dilemma) and immediately falls in love with it (the new role).

The Imperfect Situation: Wall-E is all alone on Earth, but longs for meaningful companionship after gaining sentience. He goes about the futile task of cleaning up the planet all by himself.

Initial Goal: Clean up the garbage left behind by humanity. 

Oppressive Opposition: Wall-E’s makers left him on Earth to clean up their mess. He goes about his programming without question even though it would appear to be pointless. 

Turning Point Catalyst – The Disturbance: 9 minutes (10%) – Wall-E wakes up groggy because he needs to recharge. He goes to work and we see how he collects things he likes, culminating in a small seedling he gingerly places into his pack.

Turning Point One – The Dilemma: 12 minutes (13.3%) – As Wall-E is returning home he sees the red laser from the approaching ship and chases it like a cat. Wall-E sees Eve emerge from the ship, the first other self-propelled object beside his roach he’s seen in presumably centuries. He follows her around and finally makes her acquaintance when she befriends the roach and almost kills Wall-E.

The New Role: Instantly smitten with Eve, Wall-E becomes a robot in love. 

Act Run Time: 19 minutes (21.1%)

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ACT TWO: LEARNING THE RULES OF AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION

The character Learns the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation and faces Incidental Opposition in pursuit of a Transitional Goal. But when he receives a Reality Check, he makes a Commitment to his New Role.

Act Start Time: 19 minutes (21.1%)

Unsure of how to interact with the new robot (the unfamiliar situation), Wall-E is repeatedly blown off by Eve (incidental opposition) as he tries to get to know her (transitional goal). But when Wall-E shows Eve the plant he found and she shuts down after putting it in her innards (the reality check) Wall-E stows aboard the ship that comes to take her away (the commitment).

The Unfamiliar Situation: Wall-E meets another sentient being for the first time in centuries, and as a result doesn’t quite understand how to interact with it. 

Transitional Goal: Get to know the new robot.

Incidental Opposition: Because Eve is unfamiliar with Earth she presumes everything is a threat, including Wall-E. She nearly kills him when he startles her, however once she determines he’s not a threat she ignores him and dismisses his overtures at friendship.

Turning Point Catalyst – The Reality Check: 23 minutes (25.5%) – Wall-E takes Eve to his crib and shows off his collection of fancy junk. She shows him things about his junk that he didn’t know, like how to turn on a lightbulb or solve a rubix cube, but almost destroys his cassette of Hello Dolly. He shows her the movie and how to dance though she damages him in  the process. He demonstrates how he has parts that he uses to fix himself as needed. When he shows Eve the plant she scans it and shuts down. He is unable to revive her.

Turning Point Two – The Commitment: 31 minutes (34.4%) – Resigned to the fact Eve will not wake up, Wall-E goes back to work making garbage cubes.

He sees the approaching ship and rushes back to Eve. When he sees the ship taking Eve, he hitches a ride to save her.

Act Run Time: 14 minutes (15.5%) 

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DRAMATIC PHASE TWO: CONFRONTATION

The character is thrown in the middle of the Central Conflict and is placed at direct odds with the forces of antagonism. He undergoes a series of successes and failures as he works toward resolving the main throughline.

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ACT THREE: STUMBLING INTO THE CENTRAL CONFLICT

The character stumbles into the Central Conflict and faces Intentional Opposition in pursuit of a False Goal. But when there is a grave Turn of events, he has a Moment of Truth.

Act Start Time: 33 minutes (36.6%)

Wall-E and a ragtag group of robots earn the ire of the ship’s Auto-pilot (the central conflict) who wants to stop Eve (intentional opposition) from fulfilling her directive (false goal). But when the plant is revealed to have disappeared (the turn), Eve and Wall-E discover GO-4 stole it to destroy it (the moment of truth).

The Central Conflict: The free robots and the humans vs. the Auto-pilot and it’s programmed minions.

False Goal: Watch over Eve while she is brought to the end of her directive.

Intentional Opposition: The Auto-pilot and his subordinates are revealed to be at odds with Eve’s directive and the humans’ desire to return to Earth.

Turning Point Catalyst – The Turn: 43 minutes (47.7%) – Wall-E accompanies Eve to the command bridge where she is scanned by Auto who relays instructions to GO-4. Wall-E falls into the captain’s quarters, presumably while GO-4 is removing the plan from Eve’s innards. We meet the captain who is told a probe has returned positive. We learn that her mission was to find plant life on Earth. When Eve is opened it’s revealed the plan is gone. Eve and Wall-E are sent for repair. The captain scans the dirt he collected shaking Wall-E’s hand and goes about Googling Earth.

Wall-E and Eve are taken to repair and he meets defective robots. He sees Eve being repaired and thinks she is being tortured. When he escapes his cell he accidentally frees all the other robots who take him for their Che Guerra. The stewards mistake them all for rogue robots and they are forced to flee.

Turning Point Three – The Moment of Truth: 56 minutes (62.2%) – Eve puts him on an escape pod back to Earth, but they must hide when GO-4 enters the chamber. They witness him put the plant on an escape pod with the self-destruct activated. Wall-E manages to escape with the plant and he and Eve celebrate. They float through space on a robo-date. Mary sees them and awakens John and they in turn go on a human date. 

Auto attempts to put the captain to bed, but he wants to continue researching fascinating facts about Earth.

Act Run Time: 29 minutes (32.2%) 

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ACT FOUR: IMPLEMENTING A DOOMED PLAN

The character implements a Doomed Plan and faces Self-Inflicted Opposition in pursuit of a Penultimate Goal. But when an unthinkable Lowpoint occurs, he pulls himself together and discovers a Newfound Resolve.

Act Start Time: 62 minutes (68.8%)

Wall-E and Eve sneak up to the captain’s quarters (the doomed plan) and face off with Auto and GO-4 (self-inflicted opposition) in order to return the plant (penultimate goal). But when Wall-E is severely damaged and he and Eve are nearly jettisoned into space (the lowpoint), he convinces her that he can be repaired by using the plant protocol to return the ship to Earth (the newfound resolve).

The Doomed Plan: Wall-E helps Eve sneak the plant back up to the captain. They are both captured and nearly ejected into space by Auto as a result.

Penultimate Goal: Get the plant to the captain so he can implement the return protocol. 

Self-Inflicted Opposition: Wall-E and Eve attempt to take on Auto and his minions and are summarily defeated.

Turning Point Catalyst – The Lowpoint: 71 minutes (78.8%): Wall-E and Eve are dropped unconscious into the garbage shoot to be ejected into space by Wall-E’s much larger successors. He is out of juice and his chip is damaged.

Turning Point Four – The Newfound Resolve: 74 minutes (82.2%): Wall-E convinces Eve that finishing her mission will send the ship back to Earth where he can be repaired.

Act Run Time: 13 minutes (14.4%)

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DRAMATIC PHASE THREE: RESOLUTION

The character and the forces of antagonism engage in a final confrontation to resolve the Central Conflict. The main throughline and all additional subplots are resolved. The new status quo is established.

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ACT FIVE: TRYING A LONGSHOT

The character tries a Longshot and faces Ultimate Opposition while trying to accomplish the Ultimate Goal. But just when it seems All is Lost, he makes a Final Push against the forces of antagonism and either succeeds or fails.

Act Start Time: 75 minutes (83.3%)

Eve tries to save Wall-E’s life (the longshot) by overriding the Auto-pilot (ultimate opposition) and returning the ship to Earth (ultimate goal). But when Auto overpowers the captain and Eve loses the plant (all is lost), the captain uses his newfound ability to walk to shut Auto down and allow Eve to insert the plant (the final push).

The Longshot: Complete the plant protocol to return Wall-E and the humans home.

Ultimate Goal: Insert the plant in the receiver and return to Earth.

Ultimate Opposition: The Auto-pilot will stop at nothing to prevent the Axiom from returning to Earth. Wall-E is nearly crushed to death.

Turning Point Catalyst – All is Lost: 80 minutes (88.8%) – Auto tosses away the captain and causes Eve to drop the plant. All the baby-people tumble to the ledge and are nearly crushed but Eve saves them. Wall-E attempts to hold the platform up but gets crushed inside it. The captain climbs to his feet for the first time in his life and does battle with Auto.

Turning Point Five – The Final Push: 83 minutes (92.2%) – After the captain restores stability to the ship, Mo, the other robots, and the baby-people toss the plant to Eve who puts it in the chamber. Wall-E is seemingly dead. 

The Axion arrives back at Earth. The humans set foot onto the planet for the first time. Eve rushes Wall-E to his home and replaces his damaged parts. 

Wall-E is revived but doesn’t remember Eve or his roach. Eve is distraught and attempts to hold his hand. When it’s clear he is gone, she gives him a “kiss” and attempts to leave, only he is gripping her hand. Wall-E slowly regains sentience and is ecstatic to realize Eve is holding his hand.

Act Run Time: 14 minutes (15.5%)

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ACT SIX: LIVING IN A NEW SITUATION

Having accomplished (or failed to have accomplished) the Ultimate Goal, the character is shown living in a New Situation.

Act Start Time: 89 minutes (98.8%)

Wall-E, Eve and humanity return to Earth (the new situation).

The New Situation: The baby-people begin farming pizza plants, while the robots start their own little colony. It’s revealed that plants are growing abundantly now.

Act Run Time: 1 minute (1.1%) 

To learn more about six act structure, purchase your copy of “Actions and Goals: The Story Structure Secret” today!

Full Cast and Credits for Wall-E