Robot's charms represent a work of love

You might imagine that making a lighthearted Pixar comedy is all fun and games. But Andrew Stanton, the Oscar-winning director of "Finding Nemo" and now "WALL•E," describes it as a years-long marathon that requires the lonely intensity of a long-distance runner.

First, he said, comes the search for an idea so compelling that it can't be ignored. Pixar's projects aren't based on demographic research or audience focus groups, Stanton said. "All that's behind these movies is just the desire to see it as a movie because you love the idea so much," he said. "That's pretty much where I'm spending my time ... years in a hole privately saying, 'How much do I like this idea?'"

The idea of a lonely robot trash collector occurred to Stanton in 1994, and the love story that underscores his adventures gestated for a decade until it became irresistible. Logic dictated that there should be hardly any spoken English dialogue for the first third of the film, a decision that many studios would shy away from. But agreeing to present the story in the best possible form is the kind of passionate commitment that has given Pixar its unparalleled track record, Stanton said.

Making films as if they were handcrafted art objects rather than mass-produced trinkets is in the studio's DNA, he explained.

"There's no place like us. One, we're not in Los Angeles, we never have been. We're up in San Francisco, so we're sort of out of that culture," Stanton said. "Two, we're an artist-run studio. John Lasseter is a filmmaker and he runs the whole place. I think the only place that's really had that historically is Walt Disney Studios." While an MBA might conclude that Pixar is making the most foolish processes and decision-making ever, "when you look at it from the eyes of filmmaking and artists, it all makes sense."

That innovative spirit was championed by Apple guru Steve Jobs, who bought the company from George Lucas in 1986. "He supported us almost as a fan and protected us from all the things that could derail us -- shareholder anxiety, marketing anxiety, money," Stanton said. "He was a great shield for all these other things that can cause a lot of unnecessary distractions in trying to make a great movie."

Stanton decided that making "WALL•E" work meant going against the tradition of mainstream animated comedies. The film's robots are machines, functional appliances, not anthropomorphized tin men. They're not subject to cartoon physics, bending or stretching in comical ways. He likens the choice to entertaining with drama rather than slapstick.

The same thinking influenced the film's photorealistic feel, Stanton said. "I wanted you to believe that box was really there. I knew the more you believed these objects were there on the dusty ground or out in space, the more charming they would be when they come to life.

"If you're looking for the kind of emotional investment and response that hopefully this movie gives you, the only way you're going to get it is by respecting the integrity of the object."

He drew inspiration for his main character from R2-D2, who won viewers' hearts without overtly human characteristics. Even now, reminiscing about the plucky little droid puts a tone of affection in Stanton's voice.

"You saw him almost as a moving trash can. You didn't see him as a person, but the minute he had those little beeps and stuff I felt that he was trying to speak and I was trying to translate it every time he spoke. It's very engaging."

While much of "WALL•E" is set on a barren, trash-polluted Earth, Stanton insists that the film isn't an ecological message movie, as some critics have charged.

"I didn't have an agenda politically or ecologically," he said. "The thing that drove all my decisions was going for things that were very 'gettable' visually because I knew my characters weren't going to be speaking traditionally so I needed stuff that you just got whatever age you were. Trash is very gettable." It also allowed the robot character to show his interest in humanity by being able to examine our litter.

A substantially word-free romance set on a wasteland trash planet is hardly the formula for surefire success, Stanton admitted. "It was always a challenge. You had to really hit the bull's-eye every time. But that's part of the fun of being artistic, trying to meet those challenges.

"We have worked very hard to create a culture that promotes risk taking -- and expects you to fall off your bike and make a lot of mistakes -- because we understand that's what it takes to get the good stuff."

Colin Covert • 612-673-7186