Wow Im impressed by the discussion! I totally understand why the eyes bothered you. I mean even when his eyes are turned off like you mentioned, he still looks cute and not really like a trash collecting machine. I only saw a brief trailer for this movie before it came out so I was expecting a very serious robot and I wasn’t that excited. But his eyes throughout the movie is one of the things that made me really like him, and I know some other people that liked his eyes a lot too. For me it wasn’t about relating to him, but more about [spoil]rooting for him and hoping Eve would return his affection[/spoil] as well as hoping he found what he was looking for and if his eyes looked more serious and machine like than human than both of those things wouldn’t have been portrayed as well, especially because, as mentioned previously, he didn’t talk and we depended greatly on his eyes. So I guess maybe what I’m saying is for a robot his eyes are a little or very strange depending on your view, but with this plotline it works well. That’s just my thought on it at least! 
If we’re going into the whole realism thing, then we have to consider what the humans were thinking when they designed WALL-E. Why would they give him such expressive eyes as they do not aid his purpose?
A fair point, definitely. The only real explanation I can give (if we treat this as if it’s real life, not a movie) is that in a sense, the Earth was in the WALL-Es’ hands. They were going to be the saviour of the humans. And perhaps at this point, humans weren’t entirely comfortable with leaving the Earth with a bunch of robots, so they were therefore designed to appeal to the entire human race.
I can just imagine the advert now, with an image of WALL-E projected about all over the place as the ‘friendly’ robot who will save humanity. It also confirms that as a group of robots, the WALL-Es are helping save humanity, not taking over the Earth as could be conceived by paranoid humans.
I like where you are taking this. Except that Wall-E was not designed by humans to eventually save humans. If any machine was designed to do that it would have been Eve. Wall-E was designed as a trash collector. But the good point is that the humans had to make all the robots cutesy and trustworthy, like stuffed animals and Hello Kitty, to get the humans to trust B&L enough to know their needs would be taking care of without any worries. These cutesy little robots do not represent a threat and they exist solely to serve people. It makes since. But it is just me, I don’t buy that is the reason. Today I was in Barnes and Noble and saw several kids coloring books with Wall-E on the cover. Big eyes sell more merchandise.
david- Well, it was just an idea, a theory more than anything.
Anyway, as you said, WALL-E’s eyes help with merchandising, right? Is that such a bad thing? Aside from the many plausible reasons that can be given as to why his eyes are like they are, perhaps Pixar did want the merchandising to do well. At the end of the day, although Pixar rarely acts like it, is IS a company, a business, and to survive they need to make money.
I doubt that WALL-E’s eyes were designed to be cute soley for merchandising, but if it helps, then why not?
Well, of course, if Wall-E sells more merchandise, then so be it. Fine. Good for Disney. Good for Pixar.
Honestly… I think WALL-E is just cute because Pixar tends to make all of their characters ‘cute’ in some way. Maybe not quite as mind-bogglingly cute as WALL-E, but I’ve had conversations with people who hate the designs for A Bug’s Life because they said the designs made them feel like PIXAR was only trying to reach pre-schoolers. I’ve also heard from people who hate the eyes-in-windshield choice in Cars. I was kind of shocked when I heard this, but everyone has their opinion. I was kind of shocked by this post too, but I see where everyone is coming from… I guess I just think PIXAR has every reason to design WALL-E the way they did. I personally think it is realistic, serves his function, etc. but I’ve already gone over that. HOWEVER…
I don’t think merchandising was ever REALLY in the picture. I’m sure it was considered, but I don’t think someone drew a sketch of WALL-E some other way and Andrew said “Uhm, it’s good… but it needs to be more sellable.” Andrew actually just got ‘in trouble’ with the press for saying “We never think about the audience.” All of us know when he said this, he meant that he doesn’t think about film trends or what Disney/ etc. WANTS the company to do when he proposes an idea. He thinks about the movie he would like to make, that he thinks other people could enjoy, and then the people at PIXAR all help to shape the idea into something even greater.
I’m pretty sure the initial sketch of WALL-E’s design as it is today, was just a thought someone drew from guidelines Andrew proposed- and Andrew probably fell in love with it, and later came up with reasons for it being the way it is. OR many not, maybe WALL-E is purely Andrew’s design, I really don’t know, but I think a lot of people forget that yes, PIXAR is a company, but they’re a very lucky company that doesn’t have to think about the marketing for their films. That’s Disney’s job. So if you hate the books and the plushies and the toys that kids (and even adults) are loving of WALL-E right now, remember that while PIXAR designed WALL-E, they did not design the toys. PIXAR is a truely unique company because it’s just a collection of artists who get to do what they love and- oh, right… “We’re making this to share with the rest of the world?”
Andrew has outwardly admitted and said that he is a romantic like WALL-E, and I’m pretty sure WALL-E is as adorable as he is because Andrew liked it, and other people around PIXAR liked it, and they thought “Why not?” because I know even you would have to admit he doesn’t look overtly dolled up. Like I was saying earlier, if he was tricked out with lights and… FLAMES and all that, yeah, that would be ridiculous and it wouldn’t fit… but hey, so he has two eyes instead of one, and they’re personable because we need them to be and they’re cute. Maybe there just wasn’t any further reasoning… maybe that is in itself what bothers you, I don’t know… I guess what I’m trying to say is, WALL-E is meant to appeal largely to kids, and it’s a PIXAR film which are always cute, with cute characters.
And let me just say for the record, I am not trying to bash anyone’s opinion here. @_@ I think people have a tendency think I’m trying to assert myself over everyone else and yell “RAAAAGH, I THINK THIS, AND YOU ARE WRONGGG!” but that’s never what I’m trying to do. I think I just write so much that people become annoyed with my posts. ): SORRY… I just have a lot to say.
Well I for one, Hog-Hug, think you have approached this subject with respect to others. I don’t think you have put down my opinions. I am saying “my” opinions because I seem to be the only one willing to criticize Wall-E’s characterization. Almost everyone else seems to agree with you and the prevailing opinion that Wall-E’s eyes are just fine. I am also of the camp that did not like the eyes in the windshield’s of Cars and I too think that most of Pixar’s films are too cutesy. My favorite of all the Pixar films is the Incredibles. I love it without reservation. But to say that Andrew Stanton makes films without a marketable audience in mind, is just not believable to me. I believe so far, all of Pixar’s films are marketed to kids primarily, though adult “kids” love them too. I will continue to see any and all of Pixar’s films for a myriad of reasons. The animation and imagination that goes into all of Pixar’s films I think is unrivaled at this point. I just hope that someday Pixar will make a film where the main protagonist won’t look like a stuffed animal or a toy. But for Wall-E’s eyes…you know. ; )
Have you ever considered that Pixar films merely represent the stylistic sensibilities of the people that work there?
That’s what I tried to say. Wow. And it took me like 3 paragraphs to do it, and you said it in one sentence. I don’t know why, I just write BOOKS when I try to say something. ):
To be blunt; no.
I actually consider that fairly surprising, and sad … but I suppose it fits in with your argument.
I really can’t believe you think Pixar sells out their integrity like that.
Well, I never said or believed that Pixar had sold out their integrity. I just believe they made a wrong stylistic choice about Wall-E’s eyes. Yes, I also said it was due, in part, to marketing. Hello Kitty, McDonald’s kids meals, yada, yada, yada. But there was so much more that made this film excellent. That is why it disturbs me when people like myself try and critique a film, some moderator or someone else comes along and says that what I had to say is a “spoiler”. How draconian is that? Isn’t part of celebrating Pixar taking the time to write extensively about their films? Imagine if the whole world had a problem with Wall-E’s eyes, like myself. If this actually happened, it would make Pixar the most successful company known to mankind.