Pixar, Wall-E, and the virtue of work
I’m pretty exited about Pixar’s upcoming robot film called Wall-E. The premise is that Wall-E is a robot left on earth to clean up all the trash humans left behind when they flew off into the stars. Or, to put it another way, he’s a robot with a job.
Watch the newest Wall-E Trailer here.
The idea of “jobs” in Pixar’s highly successful series of animated movies is not entirely new. Far from it, it is even a reoccurring theme. Ratatouille’s whole thrust is about the seemingly mundane and underappreciated grunt work of food production in a high class restaurant. Monsters Inc is centered around a fantastical “scream” powered energy company. Even Cars drives around the topic with advertising executives, toe trucks, hotel keepers, truckers, auto mechanics, and (of course) professional race cars. Compare these films with the majority of the drivel produced by Disney, 20th Century Fox, or Dream Works and you get a stark contrast both in box office success and quality. Pixar has tapped into something that transcends age and gender and background. Something that speaks to the heart of 9 to 5 folks and their kids. Something common, understandable, and virtuous.
Isn’t it strange that people pay good money to watch cartoon characters go through the struggles, conflicts, and challenges of good old work? Maybe. But I think it is more strange that people pay money to see fantastic story lines with space ships, princesses, and magic spells that are so far removed from daily bread winning and bed making. Why idealize and fantasize about the impossible? Why not be content with what you have?
Perhaps none of Pixar’s films hits this theme more than the Incredibles. While falling into the fantastic adventure category the film is also also about a house wife making dinner, vacuuming, and unpacking boxes. It shows a man frustrated with being a cog in a cube farm, having a crummy commute, and being forced to leave his youthful glory days behind. It shows the dirty work of feeding a family, the fun of guys night out, the trepidation of trusting a baby sitter with your infant. It shows life. And it shows work. And that is a good thing.
Everyday 99% of 6 and a half billion people get up, throw on some clothes, and face the day. That could mean school, it could mean bathroom cleaning, it could mean chopping wood. It could even mean taking a ride on the space shuttle. Whatever the case, it is incredible. Fantastic if you will. Far more amazing than any space battle or prince charming sword fight or smoke ring blowing hobbit in a make believe world without toilets or grocery stores. I commend Pixar for doing such an excellent job in their work and for promoting the virtue of work itself. Good show!
