It might seem strange to compare two films as disparate as Wall-E, a gentle, uplifting animated movie meant for a young audience, and The Dark Knight, a bombastic, violent meditation on heroism and terrorism in the 21st century. Yet both movies make statements on the corruption of society, and how it has come about.
Wall-E: Dystopia
Wall-E paints a picture of an Earth completely trashed - literally. The familiar landscapes of our cities have been altered by unwanted additions - towering skyscrapers constructed of discarded junk. The viewer learns that consumerism has caused this dystopia, and that the only people who have survived are those who escaped into space, there to wait "a few years" in maximum comfort until the robots - the Wall-E's - have cleaned up the mess. By the time our Wall-E enters the picture, the Earth has been depopulated for five centuries.
Sociopaths in Space
The surviving humans have lost all connection to the Earth and each other. They never even look up from their personal video screens. In real terms, although they appear fat and harmless as they float in their comfy loungers, they are sociopaths.
Wall-E Restores the Connections
Wall-E is not content to compact and discard. He saves things, and even has a friend, although it's only a cockroach. His most precious possession is a worn videotape of "Hello Dolly," and the part he plays over and over again is "It Only Takes a Moment," in which the young lovers touch hands in the ultimate gesture of connection. Throughout the film, Wall-E craves this touch, and when he receives it, it is the emotional climax of the movie. The humans begin to throw off their indifference when Wall-E and Eve (Wall-E's beloved) dance among the stars outside the ship, and a man and a woman turn off their screens to watch it - "accidentally" brushing hands as a result. Once the humans begin to connect with their surroundings and each other, it is only a matter of time before they return to Earth and begin healing what they have broken.
The Dark Knight: Dark, But Not Hopeless
In contrast, the world of "The Dark Knight" is much more like our own. Gotham City is a dangerous place, but Batman's intervention, and the arrival of a few principled public servants (including crusading District Attorney Harvey Dent, Gotham's White Knight) is starting to turn the tide. Then, the Joker arrives on the scene.
The Joker as Virus
The Joker (Heath Ledger, in his final performance) is a mindless agent of chaos whose only purpose is to infect others with his evil. Again and again, he puts principled people in impossible situations. As Alfred (the butler) says to Bruce Wayne, "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
Batman Saves Gotham's Soul
Despite the Joker's best efforts, he ultimately fails in his quest to destroy Gotham City's spirit. Unfortunately, Harvey Dent falls prey to the Joker's machinations, and Batman takes the blame for Dent's actions, becoming the Dark Knight in order to let Gotham City keep its White Knight.
Wall-E: A More Effective Morality TaleIn the end, "The Dark Knight" is too ambitious to succeed. The laser-like focus of "Wall-E" on connection and empathy is far more effective. Once again, Pixar's animated characters are more real than flesh-and-blood.
