WALL-E famously references another film throughout its story, and here is what the movie is as well as its deeper meaning explained by WALL-E‘s director. WALL-E is now considered to be a Pixar classic, with the animated film managing to weave a beautifully intricate story about love, the environment, and the post-apocalypse. Despite being an animated movie, one of WALL-E‘s most famous scenes actually involves clips from a live-action movie, although many WALL-E fans have never seen this musical. The movie that WALL-E watches carries significant meaning with it, so there’s a lot to unpack in the comments made by WALL-E director Andrew Stanton.
2008’s WALL-E may not have gotten any sequels or spin-offs, but it is still one of the most well-remembered films to come out of Pixar, with the influential movie often being considered one of the best animated films of all time. WALL-E is unlike anything that Pixar has made since, with the quiet and contemplative film mainly focusing on studying the character of the titular robot. WALL-E lives on a post-apocalyptic Earth, and although he is tasked with cleaning up the remains of humanity, he has become obsessed with them. WALL-E collects and keeps various artifacts left behind by humans, with him being particularly infatuated with a 1969 musical movie.
Hello, Dolly’s Role In WALL-E Explained
Hello, Dolly! is a film that is seen several times throughout the beginning of WALL-E, with the robot trash compactor being obsessed with the film. WALL-E is constantly seen watching Hello, Dolly!, with him even attempting to show it to EVE upon her arrival on Earth. WALL-E is a particular fan of the “It Only Takes a Moment” musical number, with the romantic and emotional moment resonating with the robot. This scene is not only shown at the beginning of the film, but it also reappears near the end when EVE projects it, remembering her times with WALL-E while in space.
Hello, Dolly! is so important to WALL-E that the film even opens with the song “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” with it playing as WALL-E shows off the vast expanses of the universe before revealing the polluted and abandoned Earth. WALL-E and EVE are later seen watching “Put On Your Sunday Clothes,” with WALL-E attempting to teach EVE how to dance. Due to the prevalence of Hello, Dolly! throughout WALL-E, it is clearly important to the story and themes of the film. Luckily, WALL-E director Andrew Stanton has already explained why he picked the musical for his beloved Pixar film.
Why Andrew Stanton Chose Hello, Dolly As WALL-E’s Favorite Musical
Out of all the musicals that could have been chosen for WALL-E, Hello, Dolly! is a strange one. Luckily, director Andrew Stanton already explained why he chose the film as WALL-E’s favorite musical. In an interview with EW, Stanton explains that he actually played Barnaby in Hello, Dolly! while in high school, with the film coming to mind as he was creating WALL-E. Stanton explained that the idea stuck with him, as he wanted the music in the film’s opening to be “something old-fashioned compared to this apocalyptic, futuristic setting.” Luckily, Hello, Dolly! perfectly fit the bill, with it being the musical that made it into the final film.
Andrew Stanton has explained that Hello, Dolly! worked thematically and tonally, but as it turns out, Hello, Dolly! wasn’t always the film included in WALL-E. Originally, Stanton wanted to incorporate old French swing music into WALL-E, although he abandoned the concept after The Triplets of Belleville did something similar in 2003. Stanton was also concerned that he wouldn’t be able to get the rights to Hello, Dolly!, as the film was owned by 20th Century Fox. Stanton thought about the possibility of using Disney-owned musicals, but the Pixar CEO was able to negotiate the deal, allowing Hello, Dolly! to appear in WALL-E.
What Hello, Dolly Teaches WALL-E About Love
One of the biggest reasons that Hello, Dolly! appears in WALL-E is that the film is able to teach WALL-E about love. Hello, Dolly!‘s romantic elements have a huge impact on WALL-E, with it teaching him about the connections that are now extinct on the barren planet. Upon EVE’s arrival on Earth, WALL-E uses Hello, Dolly! as a frame of reference, picking up techniques seen in the film in order to develop a relationship with EVE. WALL-E even mimics human activities seen in the film, with him using a trash can as a hat after seeing one Hello, Dolly! character tip his hat in the film.
One of the most impactful scenes in WALL-E is when the robot watches the “It Only Takes a Moment” scene. In Hello Dolly!, Michael Crawford’s Cornelius and Marianne McAndrew’s Irene sing the song together before holding hands and walking away, something WALL-E has never seen before. While watching the scene, WALL-E holds his own hand, juxtaposing the isolation of the robot with the warm and loving gesture. Later, WALL-E recalls this scene while attempting to hold EVE’s hand. Interestingly, Andrew Stanton explains in the EW interview that the close-up of Cornelius and Irene’s hands isn’t in the original film, with Hello, Dolly! being doctored for WALL-E.
Why Pixar’s Hello, Dolly Decision Paid Off
Although many WALL-E viewers were unfamiliar with Hello, Dolly!, and while it did cost Pixar a lot of money to use, the decision to use the 1969 musical actually paid off in a big way. WALL-E was a huge critical and commercial success, and much of the film’s fantastic reception may not have been seen if it weren’t for the perfect use of Hello, Dolly! in the film. Many comments on YouTube videos about Hello, Dolly! actually talk about WALL-E rather than the musical itself, showing how much of an impact Hello, Dolly! had on the Pixar film.
The inclusion of these songs in WALL-E not only helped the Pixar film, but it also helped Hello, Dolly!. Hello, Dolly! has become much more popular since WALL-E was released in 2008, with the film even having an impact on the cast members of the original film. In the EW interview, Stanton tells an anecdote in which he met Michael Crawford in the aftermath of WALL-E. According to Stanton, Crawford expressed that the opening of WALL-E “blew his mind,” with him understanding the scale of “Put On Your Sunday Clothes.” It’s clear that, without Hello, Dolly!, there would be no WALL-E.
