Pixar: We're Still All Just Fat Blobs
Bad news, folks. It looks like Pixar's latest movie, Wall-E, still portrays the future of humankind as big fat blobs - as mentioned here back in November. In Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips's review, he notes:
Awaiting the word that Earth is once again habitable, the ship spends year after year in space, sustaining the last remaining humans--blobby, pampered creatures who never get out of their whiz-bang flying loungers long enough to look at what they've become.
Final judgment can wait until we've seen the flick, of course, but this is a big big disappointment. (Updated: eliza points out that per a Fatshionista post with spoilers the portrayal is toned down - so it looks like there has been an improvement, in any case, that should be recognized.)
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Posted by paul on June 26, 2008
Here is a review from a screening on fatshionista (SPOILERS AHOY). Apparently, the portrayals of humans were even more offensive before -- the anti-fat rhetoric has been toned down a little. Still, I don't know that I would go see this, which sucks because that little robot is damn cute.
Google is indexing really quickly, too -- I searched for fatshionista wall-e and this post came up fourth.
This is definitely going to be an issue at my house. My 4-year-old has seen previews for this for ages and has been running around the house saying, "WALL-E" in that robot voice for months now. I can't imagine how we're going to get away with NOT seeing it. On the other hand, I have no idea how to talk with him about what he's likely to see. Oh, Pixar...why have you forsaken me?
I was really quite amazed that the producers seem to have actually responded to the concerns raised last year and revisited the portrayal of the fat people in the movie prior to release. On occasion I fear that we all sit here on fat blogs and sites, preaching to the converted but making little impact on those with wider influence. I'm encouraged by the possibility that there are non-SA folk out there who might just be open-minded enough to our philosophy to regard it as worthy of consideration.
Whilst in any other circumstances, prompting such action from a company the size of Disney-Pixar would count as a fairly major win, I have a hard time viewing it as such because the movie retains some fat-phobic elements, though not as many as it would had the fat blogging community not called them on it. Although part of me feels I should go watch WALL-E to show my appreciation for their good intentions, I doubt I'd enjoy it and will probably end up seeing Kung-Fu Panda instead - supposedly a much more positive movie, though itself not entirely unproblematic.
"It is possible to be fat and fit; not everyone is meant to, or can, be thin. The scourge of modern society is not obesity, but body fascism" - Amy Lamé
I don't know if I will see Wall-E, it really depends on whether my older child shows any interest, which has yet to happen.
Richie, we just took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda, and I would say it definitely has a nice fat-positive payoff. To get there, though, you have to wade through the fat stereotypes. The character development would not have been as satisfying without most of those elements, in my opinion anyway.
What I really liked about Kung Fu Panda is that my son and his friends ALL want to be the panda when they are role playing at recess (they have heated arguments over this issue). Right now I am really struggling with my son who has, seemingly overnight, developed a real fear and aversion toward fat. It really does help to be able to say "Hey, the panda was fat, and he was the coolest one in the movie, right?" My son is way too young to appreciate any social justice arguments, so I thank Kung Fu Panda for bringing this issue to his level and showing him that cool is totally unrelated to body-type. If we do see Wall-E, I hope it doesn't undo any progress we may have made.
Cariad,
If your son wants to see the movie, there is actually some positive portrayal of the fat humans if you can look past the negative stereotyping. I'll try to be vague so as not to spoil. They weren't dumb per se, but ignorant. They were never given the opportunity to learn anything. They weren't lazy, their robot captors never let them do any kind of physical activity. They had been prisoners their whole lives. When Wall-E comes and they are introduced to physical activity and knowledge, they are quick to enjoy these new freedoms and even rebel against the robots. One of the characters to help defeat the villain was a human, and he had to use both his brain and strength to do so. You could also point out that it was thin people who over-consumed and destroyed Earth and fat people who eagerly take on the challenge to repair it.
I'm not saying there isn't negative stereotyping; there certainly is. But if your son really wants to see it, there are things you could point out that take the edge off.
I just saw this movie, and besides the fact they protray human kind as not only fat slothful, but also dumb as shit. The only enjoyment i took out of it was the robots... all shapes and sizes... but all humans were slothful, dumb, and fat. I think the worst was the credits when they protray the evolution as more activity = getting thinner...
It's up to you guys but my mouth dropped open a few times during the movie for the crude way in which fat are displayed...
I wish i could write more eloquently a complaint to Disney... a petition maybe? I dunno Something, because they went too far! It's totally not acceptable!
You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are. ~Jeph Jacques
...Well, I took my daughter to see this 'gem' of a movie, and I was NOT prepared for the blobules (roly-poly humans, incapable of walking on their own). The first part of the movie was good, with the little robots and such...but THEN I suddenly felt uncomfortable in the theatre, when I realized that ALL of the humans on the ship were 'extremely large' and depicted as being 'LAZY' and inactive. It didn't amuse me in the slightest ~ it really made me feel awkward and uncomfortable. I felt guilty for holding popcorn in my hand and munching on it during the film, and I suddenly felt extremely warm in an air-conditioned theatre. Is that how Disney/Pixar likes to make its paying movie-goers feel? Do I not contribute to paying the salaries of the writers who created that bullshit? Wow, have I ever lost respect for them...
I've heard people say that 'fatness' is the ONE thing that people will focus on and discriminate against another person about before ANYTHING else...not race, gender, relgion, or whatever...it is SIZE. If a school yard bully is going to pick on someone, it will FIRST be because of their fatness, NOT because of their skin color, disability, etc.
What is with this society? Generations ago, I suppose this prejudice still existed. How sad, really. No progress for mankind, eh? People have NO right to judge others (alas, opinions will prevail), and that is the reality here. If someone can define 'perfection' to me & provide a prototype, then we'll talk. I think Disney and Pixar have a bigger responsibility to their audiences, especially with the potential amount of power and influence they possess (in reaching the masses).
GAG!!!
Ya know, I've been reading all the controversy about this movie and all I have to say is that the people at Pixar who came up with this POS movie must never have read any science fiction. I'm sorry, but even the science fiction of the 1930's and 1940's (yeah, I've read the old stuff as well as the newer stuff) had plausible ways of creating shipboard gravity in outer space. If humans ever do end up in outer space for extended periods of time, I'll bet that they will have found a way to create gravity on the ships in which they travel. So Pixar was being obtuse, lazy, and fat-phobic to make this movie with people becoming fat blobs after years in space. I definitely won't be going to see it, nor will I buy it on DVD. I'm not about to give those asshats DH's hard-earned money just so they can insult my intelligence and make fun of fat people.
WLS - Sorry, not my preferred way of dying. *glares at doctor recommending it*
A valid point, but flawed. While the old science fiction stories had tons of ways to create shipboard gravity, most of them have since been proven implausible (gravity generators, localized space warps, dwarf star matter), while others would have complicated the animation process (rotation).
In the end, the decision to have shipboard gravity in the film was based entirely upon the animation process; micro-gravity is as hard to animate as underwater swimming, only more so (by virtue of lower resistance from air than from water).
In addition, the movie concentrates on the robots; it doesn't spend any more time on the fat humans than absolutely necessary to the plot (and, as noted, one of the fat humans helps save the day). Throwing this movie away for its portrayal of fat people is like throwing away the Ten Commandments for its portrayal of Egyptians.
I wonder if the folks at Pixar even realized that there was another way to portray hedonism and enervation. When science fiction writers or fantasists of previous generations wanted to visualize the decline of makind into inactivity, they often made the future humans extremely thin and frail, like the Eloi in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine."
I saw Wall-E this weekend, and I LOVED it! It's probably the sweetest movie I've seen in the last few years. As for the fatness factor, I think it was more linked to the fact that the people on the ship didn't have to move for 700 years, ate everything through a straw, and had everything they needed at their disposal. They were, in fact, big babies.
I would have been ticked off if there was a "physically fit" human hero in this movie, as a counterpoint to the fatties, but there wasn't. Fat people save the day. With the help of robots, of course.
*Gush* It's such a good movie!
I saw it this weekend also. Secondhelpinglaura is right, they weren't so much characterized as fat but rather as big babies. Everything is taken care of for them by the robots. If they fall down, the robots help them up. If it's bedtime, the robots send everyone to their rooms. The captain of the ship articulates a couple times that he doesn't get to do much, and wishes he could do more. And, eventually ,the humans do of course get to do more.
I liked that there wasn't some sudden miracle thin human, or miracle pill to become thin, or even some exercise regimen that they all undergo to become thin, before they reclaim their ship and reclaim their humanity. They do it all while fat. Kind of like Kung Fu Panda. Two movies in one summer that show fatties saving the day! Well, okay, and the robots help too.
That's what I thought when I saw the movie as well.
And of course a little bit of romance between two of the humans made me smile as well...
My 5 year old scrawny son turned to me during the movie and said "gee, those people are really out of shape!"
How on earth did he even know that expression??!! Shame on me for not knowing more about this movie before we went. As I watched all the fat people floating by on chairs sipping out of sippy cups I was furious. It made me think of all the times after soccer games or swim team events when the snacks are passed out by one of the mothers to all the kids. My plump daughter (who was stronger than all of them in the water by the way) would always get looks from the other kids and their parents like, are you really going to eat that? I have seen her put them in her pocket with a look of shame on her face. How dare anyone assume that because someone is bigger that they are lazy or they over-eat! And certainly the fat people in the movie would want to grow pizza - don't they pig out on that all the time? UGH! I'll pass on the message movies - thanks but my kids are covered! I suppose as Defender Mom I was more sensitive about this movie than some but when you watch the most beautiful girl in the world with the most amazing spirit, compare herself to the big screen and look down on herself in disgust - who could accept that as entertainment??!!
Defender Mom
"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God." ~ Marianne Williamson
Re: "growing pizza": Remember, it's been generations since the humans in WALL*E have grown their own food. Are you saying you've never once met a child that wanted to grow pizza or spaghetti on their dream farm?
And shame on you for assuming that they're pigging out on pizza! Part of "health at any size" is that people can be fat even while eating the healthiest of foods and exercising!
Unfortunately my true mama bear instincts came out on this one. I see your point perfectly and sure most kids want to grow pizza. I admitted to being too sensitive about it because I don't want my daughter hurt - can't really help it. I personally would have been unlikely to be offended at anything and maybe would have enjoyed the movie. But I saw through her eyes - which is why I'm on this website and seeking advice. I want to be a better mom to her and getting the message that I likely overreacted to this movie.
Defender Mom
"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God." ~ Marianne Williamson
----------------I suppose as Defender Mom I was more sensitive about this movie than some but when you watch the most beautiful girl in the world with the most amazing spirit, compare herself to the big screen and look down on herself in disgust - who could accept that as entertainment??!!-------------------------
I'm probably going to catch heat for this, but I was just like your little girl growing up, with an "OFFENDER MOM" in my house. I'm happy to say I grew up able to know the difference between self-hatred and a good story. I'm acutely sensitized in regards to the former, and I know better than to be overly defensive in regards to the latter.
I mean, jeez, maybe it's not so entertaining for kids, but all the adults I know ADORE this movie. It's a simply-told, beautifully-created film. It is what it is - art - and I accept it with flabby open arms.
No heat - I see where you're coming from. I think it is awesome that you can seperate a good story and self-hatred. My daughter thankfully doesn't hate herself but she is also not as mature as you are yet. Wait until you see this through the eyes of your child and you might think differently.
I liked the movie, even going into it not so sure given what I've read here. I was struck far more by the anti-consumerism and messages about our reliance on technology than anything else. The people were drawn and portrayed as big babies. The robots did everything for them, like parents with infants.
I'm not really sure how anyone can look at the people in the movie and see fat adults, to be honest. Even the way they held their drink cups looked like babies holding a bottle. I certainly didn't identify with them, and I'm one of the "very fat (aka super-morbidly-obese)."
Over all, I thought it was a cute movie, and I was amazed at how great a job they did of making the robots communicative without using but two or three words.
I see I'm weeks behind everyone in posting a reply, but I'm brand new to this forum so hope you'll excuse me for dredging up an old thread.
I have to agree with Morrighan and the others who liked this movie. I thought it was sweet, hilarious and another great flick from Pixar.
I saw people who spent their lives sitting in front of a screen (sound familiar?) and as a result got no exercise. I loved the comments from the people who Wall*E got away from their screens for 2 seconds ... "We have a POOL?"
I think that was a big hint.
I didn't think it "defamed" fat people at all. I felt the commentary was against large corporations (gee, I wonder who they were thinking about?) and how they are destroying the planet. A global CEO running the world, trash everywhere and so thick AROUND the planet a ship could barely break through.
Oh, and this isn't science fiction for science minded adults ... it's an animated feature aimed at kids. Come on.
I also think that if everyone here is as comfortable with themselves as they say they are, this whole topic never would have come up. But that's just my opinion and worth what you paid for it.
I haven't seen Wall-E (I'm hoping to catch the tail end of the run with my SO when i'm back in the US in a few weeks) so I can't actually comment on the content. However as I pointed out on the IMDb boards, it would seem that in spite of Pixar's attempts to portray the fat characters in a positive light, offer other explanations for their size and so on, virtually every review I've read has emphasised how humans have become morbidly obese due to junk food and a sedentary lifestyle. That's the message people are overwhelmingly taking away from the movie, whether its makers intended them to or not.
I'm a pretty ecologically-minded sort of guy, one who is suspicious of the motives of megacorporations and governments alike, and a fan of post-apocalyptic themes in fiction, so these elements of the movie actually appeal to me - but I wonder whether I should see it at all after the story one IMDb contributor posted (on a thread entitled 'does this movie make obese people uncomfortable?') of he and his fat wife leaving the theatre at the end of the show and being the focus of every pair of eyes and juvenile snigger in the place.
"if you think fat people have no self-discipline, consider the fact that they haven’t killed you yet." - Miss Conduct, Boston Globe