Going Beyond Our Directive: Wall-E and the Limits of Social Commentary

Abstract

The film Wall-E (2008) is both a love story and a social commentary about our current practices of consumption. Analysis of the film as text and of the theatre experience reveals the limitations of Wall-E’s social commentary: while some features of the film position viewers as critical readers of current social practices, other features of the film and of the viewing experience position viewers as consumers and naturalize traditional consumer practices. Wall-E thus illustrates the complex ways that kinderculture positions audiences as critics/consumers and the affective nature of its critical stance.