In Disney/Pixar's new spectacular animated adventure WALL•E,
a determined robot in a world abandoned by mankind, discovers a new purpose in
life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation
Evaluator).
EVE comes to realize that WALL•E (or Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) has inadvertently stumbled on the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly waiting on board the luxury spaceship Axiom for news that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most incredible comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.
EVE is a sleek, state-of-the-art probe-droid. She's fast, she flies and she's equipped with a laser gun. EVE, also called Probe One by the Captain of the Axiom (the enormous luxury mother ship which houses thousands of displaced humans), is one of a fleet of similar robots sent to Earth on an undisclosed scanning mission. EVE has a classified directive and she is determined to complete her mission successfully. She hardly even notices her new admirer WALL•E. One day, frustrated with not finding what she is looking for, she takes a break and makes an unexpected bond with this quirky robot. Together, they embark on an amazing journey through space.
Animating EVE posed its share of challenges for Pixar. With only two blinking eyes and four moving parts, she required a lot of advanced thought and just the right subtle movement. Designed to look like a futuristic robot, EVE is the epitome of elegance and simplicity.
"We wanted her to be graceful," says director Andrew Stanton. "There are different ways to convey what is masculine and what is feminine in this world and we felt that she should be fluid, seamless, she should have attractive feminine qualities."
Animator Angus MacLane explains, "While WALL•E's movements are more traditional with motors, gears and cogs, EVE is this sleek egg-shaped robot who moves through the use of magnets. Every frame and composition has to be cheated ever so slightly so that it's pleasing to the eye. She has this gracefulness and elegance in the way she moves which you'd expect in a technically advanced robot."
Supervising animator Steve Hunter adds, "Every plane change, every angle, and even the way her head curved around to the back when rotated had to be posed in a certain way to make it feel right. Everything with her had to be really, really subtle. Basically, she consists of only four parts, and two eyes that blink. We had a lot of discussions about how she would move using her arms. We treated her almost like a drawing in some ways and came up with just the right poses to express emotion. It's pretty amazing how much you really read into her."
Opening soon across the Philippines, WALL-E is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.