I remember watching WALL-E for the first time at a friend’s birthday party years ago. At the time, I just saw it as an animated movie with an interesting plot. But as years went by, I started realizing just how relevant and clever this story is. Watching it again reinforced this feeling. This is a love story that takes place in the midst of climate change and how humans have abandoned earth. The way the first third of the movie works without any sort of voice over is particularly fascinating; they creators’ use of visuals and music was fundamental in making this work. More than anything, you are drawn by the interactions between WALL-E and EVE and their development as a couple.

Then they take you into space and it makes a commentary on global warming. Humans have left the Earth and it’s believed that there is no salvation down there. But a tiny ray of hope, like a plant, can change the course of a civilization. Humans needed to be reminded of the beauty of Earth and how we have damaged most of our world. We must take responsibility for the use resources and vegetation before it’s too late. But perhaps it’s never too late, as WALL-E, EVE and the captain showed us throughout the movie. Now that I’m older, I appreciate the story and overall film achievement a lot more.