It’s not about saving the earth, it’s about saving humanity.

Mr. Stanton has left us many hints about the story that he tells very successfully.

First: Where are the human beings in this film? What is their giant space craft called? What does Eve (and yes, the name is supposed to resonate!) look like? What does her color and shape represent? How does she move from one place to another? What does that remind you of? And what is she sent out from the huge shape shape to find and bring back to the ship?

Does that remind you of anything?

Second hint: What is a recurring theme / image in “Wall-E”? Hint: Wall-E sees this happen in “Hello Dolly” on the Beta tape he watches, and becomes fascinated with it. His quest is to make this wonderful thing happen with Eve. And when does he finally succeed? And what happens to him then, at that moment?

Third hint: Who (or really, what?) is that antagonist in this film? What is he called? What does that tell us about how the human beings have been living?

Fourth hint: Describe the qualities of Wall-E. He is so lovable, so adorable — why? What does he do that endears us to him? And how is he different from the humans on the space ship?

Don’t believe me? Then read this interview (http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/andrewstanton.html) in Christianity Today, in which Andrew Stanton says the following:

Q: “It seemed like a story about fat, lazy, American consumers who don’t care about the environment and …

A: Stanton: That’s your interpretation, but that’s not where I was coming from.”

My view: This is a love story, as Mr. Stanton says, and it’s also a story in praise of what used to be called a “low tech, high touch” life. It’s a story of the beauty of love, the transformative value of work, and of the danger of going on auto-pilot, with the consequence being that you miss out on what’s really important in life.

So what do the towering stacks of trash represent? Well, God made a rainbow once upon a time and promised never to cover the earth with water again. But He didn’t promise not to cover it with anything else….

What is brilliant about this approach is that Pixar is luring viewers in with a cute cast of characters and the more populist environmental angle. Then, they pull out the rug from under everybody and point to the real source of our problems, be those in the environment, our home lives, our jobs, or our communities. Pollution and unnecessary waste have been fueled by a lifestyle focused on instant gratification and consumerism fueled by a combination of greed and fear. I genuinely hope this film impacts as many people as possible regarding the way they are living their lives.