1
 


 
Music
 in
 an
 animated
 movie
 with
 almost
 no
 dialogue:
 
Analysis
 of
 the
 soundtrack
 and
 score
 of
 Wall-­‐E
 

 

 
by
 

Bernardo
 Castro
 

 

 

 
Berklee
 College
 of
 Music
 
Valencia
 Campus
 

 
July
 2015
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

2
 

Table
 of
 contents
 

 
I.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………3
 

II.

Plot
 Synopsis……………………………………………………………………………..4
 

III.

Music
 Overview…………………………………………………………………………6
 

IV.

Source
 and
 Pre-­‐Existing
 Music…………………………………………………...7
 

V.

Musical
 Themes………………………………………………………………………...9
 

VI.

Music
 Functions………………………………………………………………………..20
 

VII.

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….21
 

VIII.

Works
 Cited……………………………………………………………………………..23
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

3
 

I.
 Introduction
 
The
 first
 time
 that
 I
 watched
 Wall-­‐E
 I
 remember
 walking
 to
 the
 cinema
 without
 
knowing
  what
  to
  expect.
  I
  had
  heard
  very
  good
  reviews
  about
  it
  and
  wanted
  to
  find
 
out
  what
  all
  the
  fuzz
  was
  about.
  After
  a
  few
  minutes
  of
  starting,
  the
  movie
  had
  me
 
hooked
 and
 impressed
 by
 the
 beauty
 of
 the
 music,
 the
 richness
 and
 complexity
 of
 the
 
sound
 design,
 the
 detailed
 character
 animation
 and
 most
 importantly
 by
 the
 story
 that
 
was
  unfolding
  in
  front
  of
  me.
  When
  the
  movie
  ended
  I
  was
  left
  thinking
  how
  an
 
animated
  movie
  with
  so
  little
  dialogue
  managed
  to
  keep
  the
  whole
  audience
  on
  the
 
edge
 of
 their
 seats
 for
 the
 entire
 98
 minutes
 of
 running
 time.
 
This
 paper
 aims
 to
 analyze
 the
 role
 of
 the
 music
 within
 the
 movie
 Wall-­‐E,
 and
 
especially
  to
  deconstruct
  what
  it
  is
  that
  makes
  the
  narrative
  move
  forward
  in
  a
  movie
 
that,
 as
 mentioned
 previously,
 has
 very
 little
 dialogue.
 
According
  to
  the
  Internet
  Movie
  Database
  (IMDb),
  Wall-­‐E,
  directed
  by
  Andrew
 
Stanton,
  was
  released
  on
  June
  23,
  2008
  by
  Walt
  Disney
  Pictures
  and
  grossed
  a
  little
 
under
 $224
 million
 at
 the
 box
 office.
 
This
  was
  the
  second
  collaboration
  between
  Andrew
  Stanton
  and
  composer
 
Thomas
  Newman,
  the
  first
  one
  being
  Finding
  Nemo,
  another
  critically
  acclaimed
 
animated
  movie
  about
  a
  clownfish
  on
  a
  quest
  to
  find
  his
  son.
  Stanton
  decided
  to
  work
 
with
  Newman
  again
  because,
  as
  he
  mentions
  on
  the
  Notes
  on
  a
  Score
  Interview
 
available
 on
 YouTube,
 he
 “got
 along
 with
 him
 so
 well
 on
 Nemo
 and
 because
 they
 really
 
connect
 on
 a
 creative
 level.”
 
Thomas
 Newman,
 member
 of
 the
 Newman
 dynasty
 of
 film
 composers,
 is
 one
 of
 
the
 sons
 of
 the
 critically
 acclaimed
 composer
 Alfred
 Newman,
 who
 won
 nine
 Academy
 


 

4
 

Awards
  for
  Best
  Film
  Score.
  This
  exposure
  to
  film
  music
  from
  an
  early
  age
  made
 
Thomas
  Newman
  discover
  a
  unique
  sound
  that
  is
  easily
  identifiable
  in
  every
  one
  of
 
the
 films
 he
 has
 worked
 in.
 This
 “Thomas
 Newman
 sound”
 is
 in
 part
 achieved
 through
 
a
 lot
 of
 experimentation
 in
 the
 recording
 studio,
 where
 he
 gets
 together
 with
 four
 or
 
five
  musicians
  and
  tries
  out
  different
  instrumentations
  and
  different
  layers
  for
  a
 
specific
 motive
 or
 idea.
 
This
 recognizable
 sound
 is
 very
 present
 in
 Wall-­‐E,
 where
 some
 of
 the
 sonorities
 
cannot
 be
 easily
 identified
 and
 sound
 more
 like
 a
 combination
 of
 layered
 instruments.
 
 
Ben
 Burtt
 voiced
 Wall-­‐E,
 the
 main
 character,
 and
 he
 was
 also
 in
 charge
 of
 the
 Sound
 
Design
 of
 the
 movie.
 

 
II.
 Plot
 Synopsis
 
Wall-­‐E
  is
 set
 many
 years
 in
 the
 future;
 the
 Earth
 has
 been
 contaminated
 to
 an
 
extreme
  point,
  and
  therefore
  everyone
  has
  been
  evacuated
  to
  a
  spaceship
  called
 
Axiom.
 The
 original
 plan
 was
 to
 evacuate
  all
 living
 species
 from
 the
 Earth
 temporarily
 
while
 robots
 called
 Wall-­‐E,
 where
 in
 charge
 of
 cleaning
 and
 preparing
 the
 Earth
 to
 be
 
inhabitable
 again,
 however
 after
 several
 years
 of
 cleaning
 there
 is
 only
 one
 Wall-­‐E
 left.
 
Wall-­‐E’s
  only
  friend
  is
  a
  cockroach,
  with
  whom
  he
  spends
  his
  days
  cleaning
  and
 
building
 structures
 out
 of
 garbage
 remains.
 He
 collects
 whatever
 he
 finds
 interesting
 
while
  going
  through
  the
  debris
  and
  he
  stores
  everything
  inside
  a
  garage.
  Wall-­‐E’s
 
routine
  is
  spent
  in
  the
  same
  manner
  everyday
  until
  one
  day
  he
  finds
  a
  plant,
  which
  he
 
collects
 and
 stores
 inside
 an
 old
 shoe.
 


 

5
 
The
 following
 day,
 a
 spaceship
 lands
 on
 Earth
 and
 drops
 another
 robot
 called
 

EVE,
 who
 attracts
 Wall-­‐E
 immediately.
 After
 a
 few
 of
 days
 of
 trying
 to
 approach
 her,
 
he
  manages
  to
  take
  her
  back
  to
  his
  garage
  where
  he
  shows
  her
  all
  the
  items
  he
  has
 
collected,
 including
 the
 plant.
 She
 puts
 the
 plant
 inside
 a
 capsule
 within
 her
 body
 and
 
goes
 into
 hibernation
 mode.
 
A
  few
  days
  later
  the
  spaceship
  appears
  back
  on
  Earth
  and
  takes
  EVE
  back
 
onboard.
 Wall-­‐E
 is
 distraught
 by
 the
 thought
 of
 losing
 her
 and
 secretly
 rides
 the
 ship
 
too,
 which
 takes
 them
 back
 to
 the
 Axiom.
 Here
 Wall-­‐E
 encounters
 humans
 for
 the
 first
 
time,
  they
  are
  obese
  and
  unable
  to
  walk
  and
  therefore
  move
  around
  in
  automatic
 
chairs.
 
 
 
EVE
 is
 taken
 to
 the
 captain,
 where
 he
 puts
 her
 off
 hibernation
 mode
 and
 asks
 
her
 to
 deliver
 the
 plant,
 but
 as
 we
 soon
 realize,
 she
 does
 not
 have
 the
 plant
 anymore.
 
The
 captain
 assumes
 that
 she
 has
 some
 sort
 of
 malfunction
 and
 sends
 both
 Wall-­‐E
 and
 
EVE
 to
 get
 repaired.
 In
 the
 repair
 section
 Wall-­‐E
 thinks
 that
 EVE
 is
 being
 harmed
 and
 
in
  an
  attempt
  to
  save
  her
  shoots
  her
  plasma
  cannon
  and
  thus
  accidentally
  releasing
 
other
 robots
 that
 were
 being
 held
 for
 reparation.
 During
 the
 breakout,
 Wall-­‐E
 and
 EVE
 
are
  catalogued
  as
  rogue
  robots
  and
  their
  photos
  are
  displayed
  all
  around
  the
  Axiom
 
for
 humans
 to
 be
 cautious
 in
 case
 they
 encounter
 them.
 EVE
 gets
 very
 upset
 about
 all
 
the
 chaos
 that
 Wall-­‐E
 generated
 and
 tries
 to
 send
 him
 back
 to
 Earth
 on
 an
 escape
 pod.
 
Before
  she
  is
  able
  to
  send
  him
  back,
  they
  see
  a
  small
  robot
  called
  Gopher
  sneaking
  his
 
way
 into
 one
 of
 the
 escape
 pods
 and
 sending
 the
 plant
 back
 to
 Earth.
 Wall-­‐E
 quickly
 
gets
  onto
  the
  escape
  pod
  trying
  to
  recover
  the
  plant,
  but
  he
  is
  sent
  out
  into
  space.
  Just
 
when
  the
  pod
  is
  about
  to
  self-­‐destruct
  Wall-­‐E
  manages
  to
  take
  the
  plant
  with
  him
  and
 


 

6
 

escape
  from
  the
  pod
  with
  the
  help
  of
  a
  fire
  extinguisher.
  When
  EVE
  realizes
  that
  he
 
saved
 the
 plant,
 she
 kisses
 him
 and
 flies
 with
 him
 enthusiastically
 through
 space.
 
Afterwards,
 they
 both
 manage
 to
 get
 back
 to
 the
 Captain’s
 cabin
 to
 give
 him
 the
 
plant,
 but
 Auto,
 the
 ship’s
 auto
 pilot
 system
 confesses
 to
 being
 the
 one
 who
 took
 the
 
plant
  from
  EVE
  earlier
  and
  refusing
  to
  let
  them
  go
  back
  to
  recolonize
  Earth.
  Auto
 
throws
  a
  badly
  injured
  Wall-­‐E,
  EVE
  and
  the
  plant
  through
  the
  garbage
  conduct,
  and
 
they
 barely
 manage
 to
 escape
 before
 being
 sent
 out
 to
 space
 with
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 trash.
 
With
 the
 assistance
 of
 the
 robots
 that
 they
 freed
 before
 they
 manage
 to
 get
 back
 to
 the
 
Captain’s
  Cabin.
  On
  the
  cabin,
  the
  captain
  turns
  Auto
  off
  and
  Eve
  puts
  the
  plant
  in
  a
 
machine
 that
 will
 send
 the
 Axiom
 back
 to
 Earth
 as
 soon
 as
 the
 plant
 is
 placed
 within
 it.
 
Once
 they
 get
 to
 Earth,
 EVE
 takes
 Wall-­‐E
 back
 to
 the
 garage
 to
 repair
 him,
 but
 when
 he
 
wakes
 up
 he
 doesn’t
 recognize
 her
 and
 starts
 compacting
 garbage
 like
 he
 used
 to.
 EVE
 
holds
  his
  hand
  and
  kisses
  him,
  rebooting
  him
  correctly
  and
  making
  him
  recognize
  her
 
again.
 At
 the
 end
 the
 captain
 teaches
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 humans
 how
 to
 take
 care
 of
 the
 
plant
 and
 to
 farm
 to
 recolonize
 Earth,
 but
 as
 we
 see
 on
 the
 final
 shot,
 outside
 the
 city
 
plants
 have
 already
 started
 to
 grow.
 

 
III.
 Music
 Overview
 
As
  mentioned
  previously,
  WALL-­‐E
  is
  a
  movie
  that
  relies
  heavily
  on
  music
  to
 
move
 the
 narrative
 forward
 because
 it
 has
 very
 little
 dialogue.
 The
 full
 running
 time
 of
 
the
 movie
 is
 98
 minutes,
 and
 there
 is
 music
 playing
 during
 68.
 
 
I
  will
  divide
  the
  music
  in
  three
  categories:
  the
  score,
  which
  refers
  to
  Newman’s
 
original
  music.
  Source
  music,
  referring
  to
  music
  that
  is
  coming
  from
  within
  the
 


 

7
 

fictional
 setting
 and
 so,
 is
 heard
 by
 the
 characters
 (i.e.
 music
 coming
 from
 a
 radio
 or
 
TV
 inside
 the
 movie).
 And
 finally,
 pre-­‐existing
 music
 that
 is
 not
 coming
 from
 a
 source
 
within
 the
 movie,
 and
 that
 is
 used
 to
 enhance
 the
 drama.
 The
 68
 minutes
 of
 music
 that
 
I
 previously
 mentioned
 include
 all
 of
 these
 three
 categories.
 
On
 the
 other
 hand,
 the
 running
 time
 of
 the
 score
 is
 just
 under
 55
 minutes.
 The
 
instrumentation
  is
  a
 hybrid
  between
  electronic
  sounds
  and
  an
  orchestra.
  As
  we
  will
 
see,
  the
  harp
  is
  the
  most
  featured
  instrument.
  It
  also
  uses
  additional
  plucked
 
instruments
  that
  are
  not
  part
  of
  the
  orchestra,
  like
  processed
  guitars
  and
  tapped
 
basses
 that
 were
 most
 likely
 overdubbed
 after
 the
 orchestral
 recording
 session.
 

 
IV.
 Source
 and
 Pre-­‐Existing
 Music
 
In
 Wall-­‐E
 there
 are
 two
 songs
 that
 appear
 recurrently
 both
 as
 source
 music
 and
 
as
  part
  of
  the
  soundtrack,
  these
  are
  Put
  on
  your
  Sunday
  clothes,
  and
  It
  only
  takes
 
a
 moment,
 both
 of
 which
 where
 composed
 by
 Jerry
 Herman
 for
 the
 famous
 Broadway
 
musical
 Hello,
 Dolly.
 
The
  movie
  starts
  with
  Put
  on
  your
  Sunday
  clothes
  used
  as
  the
  music
  for
  the
 
opening
 scene.
 It
 accompanies
 the
 initial
 shot
 of
 the
 Earth
 from
 space
 and
 continues
 
through
  as
  the
  camera
  goes
  inside
  the
  Earth
  and
  onto
  the
  view
  from
  above
  of
 
a
 desolate
 city.
 Interestingly,
 the
 music
 silences
 for
 a
 few
 seconds
 and
 reappears
 a
 bit
 
later,
 but
 this
 time
 we
 hear
 it
 as
 source
 music
 as
 we
 see
 Wall-­‐E
 for
 the
 first
 time.
 The
 
way
 the
 song
 is
 mixed
 tells
 us
 that
 it
 is
 now
 coming
 from
 his
 radio.
 
It
 is
 in
 great
 measure
 through
 the
 source
 music
 used
 in
 the
 movie,
 that
 we
 get
 
to
 know
 Wall-­‐E
 and
 the
 way
 he
 feels.
 For
 example,
 the
 previously
 mentioned
 song
 It
 


 

8
 

only
 takes
 a
 moment
 appears
 for
 the
 first
 time
 on
 Wall-­‐E’s
 TV
 while
 he
 is
 organizing
 
his
  recently
  collected
  items.
  Wall-­‐E
  listens
  to
  the
  song
  and
  watches
  as
  the
  scene
  of
 
Hello,
  Dolly
 unfolds.
 This
 is
 where
 he
 sees
 how
 the
 characters
 hold
 hands
 and
 we
 see
 
him
  imitating
  that
  action.
  When
  this
  song
  appears
  later
  on
  in
  the
  movie
  it
  reflects
 
Wall-­‐E’s
 feeling
 of
 love
 and
 attraction
 towards
 EVE,
 and
 it
 is
 a
 reminder
 of
 why
 Wall-­‐E
 
tries
 to
 hold
 hands
 with
 her
 on
 several
 occasions.
 Later
 on,
 the
 song
 is
 used
 to
 reflect
 
EVE’s
 feelings
 of
 love
 towards
 Wall-­‐E.
 
Other
 tracks
 that
 appear
 in
 the
 movie
 as
 source
 music
 include
 Don’t
 worry
 be
 
happy
  by
  Bobby
  McFerrin,
  which
  plays
  back
  from
  an
  ornamental
  fish
  that
  is
  part
  of
 
Wall-­‐E’s
  collection
  inside
  the
  garage,
  the
  Buy
  N
  Large
  jingle,
  (Buy
  N
  Large
  is
  the
 
fictitious
 corporation
 that
 evacuated
 the
 population
 from
 Earth
 in
 star
 liners),
 which
 
is
 played
 through
 different
 sources
 along
 the
 movie,
 and
 The
 Blue
 Danube
 by
 Johann
 
Strauss
 II,
 which
 is
 heard
 coming
 through
 speakers
 inside
 the
 Captain’s
 Cabin.
 
The
 pre-­‐existing
 tracks
 that
 are
 used
 as
 part
 of
 the
 soundtrack
 to
 support
 the
 
narrative
 are
 La
 Vie
 en
 Rose,
 performed
 by
 Louis
 Armstrong
 and
 used
 in
 the
 montage
 
where
  Wall-­‐E
  follows
  EVE
  on
  Earth,
  Also
  Sprach
  Zarathustra
  composed
  by
  Richard
 
Strauss
 and
 used
 in
 the
 sequence
 where
 the
 Captain
 stands
 up
 for
 the
 first
 time
 and
 
turns
  Auto
  off,
  and
  finally
  the
  song
  Down
  to
  Earth,
  composed
  by
  Peter
  Gabriel
  and
 
Thomas
 Newman,
 which
 serves
 as
 the
 music
 for
 the
 End
 Credits.
 
Interestingly,
  Don’t
  Worry
  be
  Happy,
  The
  Blue
  Danube
  and
  Also
  Sprach
 
Zarathustra
  were
  not
  included
  in
  the
  soundtrack
  released
  by
  Walt
  Disney
  Records,
 
most
 likely
 due
 to
 copyright
 issues.
 On
 the
 same
 note,
 some
 of
 the
 cues
 that
 appear
 on
 
the
 movie
 as
 part
 of
 the
 score,
 are
 also
 not
 included
 the
 soundtrack
 release.
 
 


 

9
 

V.
 Musical
 Themes
 
As
  we
  will
  see
  throughout
  the
  movie
  several
  themes
  and
  motifs
  are
  used
 
recurrently
 to
 give
 cohesion
 to
 the
 score
 and
 to
 provide
 additional
 information
 to
 the
 
spectator.
 
 
Musical
  motifs,
  also
  known
  as
  leitmotifs,
  were
  popularized
  by
  Wagner,
  and
  to
 
this
 day
 are
 a
 fundamental
 part
 of
 film
 music,
 because
 like
 Theodor
 Adorno
 and
 Hanns
 
Eisler
  mention
  in
  his
  book
  Composing
  for
  Films,
  “they
  function
  as
  trademarks,
  so
  to
 
speak,
 by
 which
 persons,
 emotions,
 and
 symbols
 can
 instantly
 be
 identified”
 (Adorno
 
and
 Eisler
 4).
 
The
  first
  cue
  of
  the
  original
  score
  enters
  a
 little
  bit
  before
  a
 long
  shot
  of
  the
 
inhabited
  city.
  The
  first
  thing
  we
  hear
  is
  a
 sustained
  pad,
  and
  soon
  after
  a
 harp
  and
 
strings
 come
 in
 as
 we
 see
 the
 title
 of
 the
 movie
 appear
 on
 screen.
 
This
  first
  cue,
  which
  is
  based
  around
  harp
  arpeggios
  in
  F
  minor,
  reflects
  the
 
bleakness
 and
 desolation
 of
 the
 current
 state
 of
 the
 Earth
 within
 the
 movie;
 set
 on
 the
 
year
  2805,
  where
  the
  Earth
  is
  empty
  and
  covered
  in
  garbage.
  I
  will
  refer
  to
  this
  as
  the
 
Desolation
 motif.
 
This
 is
 an
 excerpt
 of
 this
 motif:
 

 


 


 

10
 
This
  first
  cue
  fades
  out
  and
  transitions
  onto
  the
  Buy
  N
  Large
  jingle,
  which
 

appears
 as
 source
 music
 coming
 from
 the
 street
 speakers.
 
 
This
 same
 previous
 cue
 comes
 in
 again
 as
 we
 see
 a
 long
 shot
 of
 the
 city,
 full
 of
 
Buy
 N
 Large
 billboards
 advertising
 everything
 from
 sportswear
 to
 food
 items.
 As
 we
 
come
 to
 realize,
 this
 corporation
 is
 the
 responsible
 of
 the
 amount
 of
 trash
 that
 made
 
the
  Earth
  inhabitable
  and
  this
  is
  accentuated
  by
  the
  music.
  Newman
  makes
 
orchestration
 choices
 to
 follow
 the
 action.
 From
 an
 intimate
 combination
 of
 harp
 and
 
another
 stringed
 instrument
 when
 we
 see
 Wall-­‐E
 up
 close,
 to
 a
 bigger
 sound
 that
 uses
 
the
  harp
  and
  the
  mid
  range
  of
  the
  string
  section
  as
  Wall-­‐E
  moves.
  Then,
  there
  is
  an
 
interesting
  use
  of
  contrast
  as
  Wall-­‐E
  encounters
  an
  identical
  looking
  robot
  lying
 
broken
  in
  a
  pile
  of
  trash.
  Here,
  Newman
  changes
  the
  orchestration
  completely
 
utilizing
  only
  the
  brass
  section,
  mimicking
  Wall-­‐E’s
  confusion.
  When
  the
  scene
 
changes
 and
 we
 see
 a
 long
 shot
 of
 the
 city,
 the
 music
 adapts
 and
 the
 orchestration
 gets
 
bigger,
  employing
  the
  full
  range
  of
  the
  string
  section,
  plus
  the
  Desolation
  motif
  that
 
was
 introduced
 earlier
 by
 the
 harp.
 
This
  cue,
  (titled
  2815
  A.D.
  on
  the
  album
  release)
  keeps
  on
  adapting
  as
  the
 
action
 depicted
 on
 screen
 changes.
 As
 soon
 as
 we
 see
 the
 ads
 of
 the
 Axiom
 star
 liners
 
and
  a
  voice
  over
  is
  introduced,
  the
  music
  slowly
  becomes
  less
  busy
  to
  avoid
 
interfering
  with
  what
  he
  is
  saying.
  The
  Desolation
  motif
  stops
  and
  is
  replaced
  by
 
sustained
  strings
  and
  woodwinds.
  When
  the
  voice
  over
  stops,
  the
  harp
  fills
  in
 
reintroducing
 the
 motif.
 
 
As
  we
  will
  see,
  this
  motif
  is
  used
  a
  couple
  of
  times
  throughout
  the
  movie
  to
 
create
  a
  psychological
  mood
  of
  despair
  and
  hopelessness.
  First,
  when
  we
  see
  the
 


 

11
 

current
 state
 of
 the
 Earth
 and
 later
 on
 in
 the
 movie,
 when
 Wall-­‐E
 fails
 to
 put
 EVE
 out
 
of
 hibernation
 mode.
 This
 motif
 appears
 in
 the
 key
 of
 F
 minor
 both
 times.
 
As
  we
  see
  Wall-­‐E’s
  garage
  for
  the
  first
  time
  the
  music
  becomes
  more
  playful
 
and
  child-­‐like
  with
  the
  introduction
  of
  a
  celesta
  playing
  a
  beautiful
  melody
 
accompanied
 by
 strings
 filling
 out
 the
 harmony.
 
This
 is
 the
 second
 motif,
 which
 I
 will
 refer
 to
 as
 the
 Garage
 Motif:
 

 


 

 
As
  I
  mentioned,
  this
  one
  has
  a
  playful
  quality,
  but
  at
  the
  same
  time
  manages
  to
 
provide
 a
 sense
 of
 wonder
 as
 we
 see
 Wall-­‐E’s
 house
 and
 collection
 for
 the
 first
 time.
 
Later
  on
  in
  the
  movie,
  Newman
  introduces
  this
  motif
  again,
  but
  this
  time
  his
 
orchestration
 choices
 accentuate
 this
 sense
 of
 wonder
 and
 amazement
 even
 more
 to
 
reflect
  the
  greatness
  of
  space
  and
  the
  way
  Wall-­‐E
  experiences
  watching
  everything
 
from
 up
 there.
 This
 time,
 a
 solo
 flute
 plays
 the
 melody
 while
 a
 celesta
 and
 high
 strings
 
provide
  the
  harmony.
  Then
  the
  orchestration
  gets
  bigger
  and
  the
  melody
  goes
  to
 
unison
  violins,
  while
  the
  rest
  of
  the
  string
  section
  provides
  the
  harmony,
  as
  well
  as
 
countermelodies.
  When
  we
  see
  Wall-­‐E
  travelling
  close
  to
  the
  sun
  the
  motif
  reaches
  its
 


 

12
 

highest
 point
 and
 the
 brass
 section
 joins
 in
 playing
 harmony.
 The
 transitions
 between
 
the
 different
 intensities
 of
 the
 cue
 are
 emphasized
 with
 harp
 glissandi.
 
This
 motif,
 like
 the
 Desolation
 motif,
 also
 appears
 in
 the
 same
 key
 both
 times,
 
Db
 major.
 However,
 the
 second
 time
 it
 is
 presented
 it
 is
 developed
 further
 and
 in
 the
 
climax
 modulates
 one
 semitone
 down
 to
 C
 major.
 
The
 next
 theme
 that
 I
 will
 mention
 is
 Wall-­‐E’s
 theme.
 It
 appears
 when
 we
 see
 
the
 main
 character
 leaving
 his
 garage
 in
 the
 morning,
 ready
 to
 perform
 his
 daily
 tasks.
 
It
 is
 a
 playful
 theme
 performed
 on
 the
 higher
 register
 of
 the
 bassoon
 and
 accompanied
 
by
 pizzicato
 strings,
 whistles
 and
 different
 sorts
 of
 hand
 percussion.
 It
 is
 in
 the
 key
 of
 
Bb
 major.
 
The
 main
 melody
 is
 the
 following:
 

 


 

 
The
 theme
 continues
 in
 this
 playful
 staccato
 fashion
 throughout
 the
 sequence,
 
until
  the
  moment
  where
  we
  see
  a
  long
  shot
  of
  Wall-­‐E
  building
  structures
  out
  of
  the
 
debris.
 It
 is
 until
 this
 point
 that
 legato
 strings
 are
 introduced
 for
 the
 first
 time
 to
 this
 
theme.
 
Interestingly
  enough,
  this
  music,
  used
  to
  introduce
  the
  main
  character
  (the
 
track
  is
  called
  Wall-­‐E
  on
  the
  album),
  only
  appears
  once
  more
  throughout
  the
  whole
 
movie.
  The
  music
  is
  up-­‐tempo,
  energetic,
  and
  playful
  (like
  the
  character)
  and
  is
 


 

13
 

entirely
 performed
 by
 acoustic
 instruments,
 which,
 in
 my
 opinion,
 is
 a
 reflection
 of
 his
 
rudimentary
 and
 unsophisticated
 features
 as
 a
 robot.
 
When
  EVE
  accidentally
  hurts
  Wall-­‐E
  and
  damages
  his
  right
  eye,
  the
  theme
 
appears
  again,
  but
  in
  a
  very
  transformed
  and
  almost
  unrecognizable
  way.
  It
  is
  now
 
presented
 in
 6/4,
 instead
 of
 4/4,
 the
 melody
 is
 played
 by
 harp
 instead
 of
 bassoon,
 and
 
the
  playful
  pizzicato
  strings
  have
  been
  replaced
  with
  more
  “serious”
  legato
  strings.
 
Still,
 the
 original
 key
 signature
 (Bb
 major)
 has
 been
 maintained
 for
 cohesion.
 
Again,
  this
  perfectly
  reflects
  what
  is
  happening
  on-­‐screen.
  The
  essence
  of
  the
 
character
 has
 been
 altered,
 things
 have
 turned
 more
 serious
 and
 therefore
 the
 theme
 
has
 been
 altered
 accordingly.
 
As
  mentioned
  before,
  Wall-­‐E’s
  theme
  mainly
  serves
  as
  a
  brief
  introduction
  to
 
the
 character,
 but
 in
 terms
 of
 character
 development,
 the
 music
 that
 best
 defines
 him
 
is
 the
 two
 songs
 from
 Hello,
 Dolly,
 which
 are
 the
 ones
 that
 accompany
 him
 throughout
 
his
 adventure
 both
 on
 Earth
 and
 on
 space.
 
 
Besides
 It
 only
 takes
 a
 moment,
 which
 as
 discussed
 earlier
 is
 the
 love
 song
 that
 
inspires
  both
  Wall-­‐E
  and
  EVE
  to
  hold
  hands
  and
  kiss,
  there
  is
  another
  theme
  that
  is
 
part
  of
  the
  score
  composed
  by
  Newman,
  and
  it
  is
  called
  All
  that
  love’s
  about.
  This
 
theme
  however,
  is
  not
  coming
  from
  a
  source
  within
  the
  movie
  and
  therefore
  is
 
directed
 to
 the
 viewers
 and
 to
 influence
 them
 on
 a
 psychological
 level,
 enhancing
 the
 
feelings
 of
 romance
 depicted
 on-­‐screen.
 
Here
 is
 a
 transcription
 of
 this
 theme:
 


 

14
 


 


 

15
 


 

 
This
 love
 theme
 appears
 when
 Wall-­‐E
 sees
 EVE
 for
 the
 first
 time,
 and
 makes
 it
 clear
 
that
 he
 feels
 very
 attracted
 towards
 her.
 It
 is
 in
 the
 key
 of
 B
 major.
 
The
 theme,
 as
 others
 I
 have
 mentioned,
 makes
 use
 of
 the
 harp
 as
 the
 primary
 
element
 that
 we
 hear,
 it
 also
 uses
 a
 flute
 with
 delay,
 and
 afterwards
 high
 strings
 are
 
introduced.
 
The
  next
  time
  this
  theme
  appears,
  is
  when
  EVE
  is
  watching
  the
  recordings
  of
 
how
  Wall-­‐E
  took
  care
  of
  her
  when
  she
  was
  in
  hibernation
  mode,
  and
  is
  when
  we
 
realize
  that
  EVE
  also
  has
  feelings
  of
  love
  towards
  him.
  The
  theme
  is
  presented
  in
  a
 
very
 similar
 fashion
 and
 in
 the
 same
 tonality,
 but
 this
 time
 it
 is
 shorter
 to
 fit
 the
 image.
 
The
 instrumentation
 is
 also
 a
 bit
 different;
 the
 flute
 has
 been
 removed
 and
 some
 sort
 
of
 pulsating
 synth
 bass
 has
 been
 added.
 
The
  third
  time
  the
  love
  theme
  appears
  is
  after
  Wall-­‐E
  and
  EVE
  are
  almost
 
disposed
  into
  space
  with
  all
  the
  trash.
  She
  realizes
  that
  Wall-­‐E,
  badly
  damaged,
 
managed
  to
  keep
  the
  plant
  safe
  and
  give
  it
  back
  to
  her.
  The
  love
  theme
  comes
  in
  once
 


 

16
 

again,
  in
  its
  original
  version,
  but
  stops
  before
  the
  main
  melody
  played
  by
  strings
 
appears.
 
Just
 like
 Wall-­‐E’s
 theme,
 mentioned
 earlier,
 manages
 to
 punctuate
 his
 character
 
traits
  and
  features,
  there
  is
  a
  theme
  that
  does
  the
  exact
  same
  thing
  for
  EVE.
  It
  is,
 
unsurprisingly,
 called
 EVE
 in
 the
 album
 and
 is
 first
 heard
 when
 we
 see
 her
 flying
 and
 
displaying
 her
 high-­‐tech
 capacities.
 
This
 is
 an
 excerpt
 of
 the
 main
 melody
 of
 this
 theme:
 

 


 

 
Once
 again,
 the
 melody
 is
 presented
 by
 harp,
 with
 the
 harmony
 being
 provided
 
by
  the
  same
  instrument.
  Unlike
  Wall-­‐E’s
  theme,
  this
  one
  relies
  a
  lot
  on
  electronic
 
elements,
  like
  a
  pulsating
  synth
  bass
  playing
  a
  pedal
  note
  on
  Db,
  and
  another
  synth
 
bass
  playing
  arpeggiated
  patterns
  underlining
  the
  harmony.
  As
  we
  can
  see
  on
  the
 
transcription
  above,
  this
  motif
  heavily
  emphasizes
  the
  raised
  4th
  degree
  (G
  natural),
 
thus
  giving
  the
  music
  an
  ethereal
  and
  dreamlike
  quality.
  EVE
  is
  a
  highly
  sophisticated
 
and
 technologically
 advanced
 robot
 and
 this
 theme
 effectively
 conveys
 that.
 
Later
 on,
 when
 EVE
 kisses
 Wall-­‐E
 for
 the
 first
 time,
 this
 theme
 is
 used
 again
 in
 
the
  same
  key
  and
  with
  the
  same
  instrumentation.
  As
  we
  see
  Wall-­‐E
  and
  EVE
  flying
 
through
  space,
  the
  dreaminess
  and
  elegance
  of
  the
  music
  complements
  their
  moves.
 


 

17
 

Meanwhile,
  we
  hear
  the
  voice
  of
  the
  computer
  defining
  the
  term
  “dancing”
  for
  the
 
Captain
 as
 we
 see
 the
 two
 robots
 doing
 exactly
 what
 the
 computer
 described.
 
Later
  on,
  when
  Wall-­‐E
  is
  showing
  EVE
  his
  collection,
  another
  motif
  is
 
introduced.
  This
  one
  is
  called
  Bubble
  Wrap
  and
  also
  features
  the
  harp
  as
  the
 
predominant
 instrument.
 
 
Here
 is
 an
 excerpt
 of
 this
 motif:
 

 


 
This
  is
  an
  ambiguous
  theme
  that
  goes
  from
  Bb
  major
  to
  Bb
  minor,
  and
  just
  like
 
EVE’s
 theme,
 uses
 the
 raised
 4th
 degree
 of
 the
 Lydian
 mode,
 which
 in
 this
 case
 is
 the
 E
 
natural.
 
 
This
  theme
  is
  the
  one
  that
  repeats
  more
  times
  throughout
  the
  entire
  movie,
 
even
  if
  it
  is
  for
  very
  short
  periods
  at
  a
  time
  and
  to
  me,
  it
  reflects
  something
  like
 
mischievousness
  and
  innocence;
  we
  hear
  it
  either
  in
  scenes
  where
  we
  see
  two
 
characters
 being
 playful
 and
 having
 fun,
 or
 in
 scenes
 when
 one
 of
 the
 two
 characters
 is
 
acting
 in
 an
 innocent
 manner
 without
 realizing
 that
 things
 are
 more
 serious
 than
 they
 
appear.
  As
  I
  mentioned
  before,
  the
  first
  time
  we
  hear
  this
  theme
  is
  when
  EVE
  is
 
playing
 with
 Wall-­‐E’s
 items
 at
 his
 garage.
 She
 is
 just
 trying
 to
 have
 fun
 with
 Wall-­‐E,
 but
 
her
 uncontrolled
 strength
 and
 skills
 end
 up
 inadvertently
 damaging
 him
 or
 his
 stuff.
 


 

18
 

Later
  on,
  the
  same
  motif
  is
  presented
  when
  EVE
  realizes
  that
  Wall-­‐E
  has
  followed
  her
 
to
 space.
 This
 time
 it
 is
 him,
 who
 innocently
 acts
 as
 if
 nothing
 wrong
 was
 happening,
 
when
 in
 reality
 EVE
 knows
 that
 he
 is
 not
 allowed
 to
 be
 there.
 
The
  third
  time
  we
  hear
  this
  theme
  is
  when
  EVE
  takes
  Wall-­‐E
  to
  the
  escape
  pod
 
to
  send
  him
  back
  to
  Earth.
  Again,
  he
  acts
  innocently
  thinking
  that
  EVE
  is
  going
  with
 
him,
 without
 realizing
 that
 he
 is
 being
 sent
 back
 to
 Earth
 alone.
 
 
Finally,
 we
 hear
 it
 again
 when
 we
 see
 John
 and
 Mary
 playing
 flirtatiously
 in
 the
 
pool.
 Like
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 motifs
 I
 have
 mentioned
 previously,
 this
 one
 also
 appears
 in
 
the
 same
 key
 and
 with
 almost
 the
 same
 instrumentation
 every
 time.
 
Another
 motif
 that
 is
 repeated
 in
 the
 movie
 is
 one
 called
 Foreign
  Contaminant
 
and
  it
  is
  used
  for
  two
  tense
  scenes,
  where
  Wall-­‐E
  is
  following
  EVE
  throughout
  the
 
Axiom.
 
This
 is
 a
 highly
 chromatic
 motif
 played
 by
 either
 two
 electric
 tapped
 basses
 or
 
by
  a
  Chapman
  Stick.
  The
  same
  2-­‐bar
  ostinato
  repeats
  over
  and
  over
  again,
  as
  more
 
elements
 are
 introduced
 to
 add
 variety.
 
 
This
 is
 the
 motif:
 


 
The
  name
  of
  the
  track
  (Foreign
  contaminant)
  alludes
  to
  what
  we
  see
  on
  the
 
movie;
 one
 of
 the
 cleaning
 robots
 scans
 EVE
 and
 then
 Wall-­‐E
 and
 realizes
 that
 they
 are
 
both
  contaminated
  by
  something
  external,
  something
  that
  does
  not
  belong
  in
  the
 


 

19
 

Axiom.
  The
  same
  happens
  with
  Newman’s
  choice
  of
  instrumentation
  for
  this
  motif;
  so
 
far
 most
 of
 the
 music
 has
 been
 based
 around
 harp
 and
 orchestral
 instruments,
 with
 a
 
few
 electronic
 elements.
 On
 this
 theme,
 the
 most
 prominent
 and
 featured
 instrument
 
is
 one
 that
 we
 hadn’t
 heard
 so
 far,
 thus
 mimicking
 the
 idea
 of
 a
 foreign
 element.
 
The
 last
 theme
 I
 am
 going
 to
 discuss
 is
 called
 Repair
 Ward,
 and
 it
 is
 used
 in
 a
 
similar
  context
  as
  the
  previous
  one,
  to
  accompany
  Wall-­‐E
  on
  his
  search
  for
  EVE
 
through
 the
 Axiom.
 However,
 this
 one
 has
 a
 more
 “sneaky”
 and
 less
 serious
 mood
 as
 
Foreign
  Contaminant,
  it
  even
  has
  a
  comic
  feel
  to
  it
  and
  could
  be
  described
  as
  light
 
espionage
 music.
 
As
  most
  sneaky
  music,
  this
  theme,
  which
  happens
  to
  be
  the
  only
  one
  that
  has
  a
 
swing
  feel
  in
  the
  whole
  soundtrack,
  prominently
  uses
  pizzicato
  strings
  and
  staccato
 
woodwinds
 to
 convey
 that
 feeling
 of
 someone
 tiptoeing.
 
This
 is
 an
 excerpt
 of
 the
 theme:
 


 


 

20
 
As
 we
 can
 see
 in
 these
 four
 bars,
 for
 this
 theme
 Newman
 also
 makes
 use
 of
 a
 2-­‐

bar
  ostinato
  that
  repeats
  and
  adds
  new
  elements
  as
  the
  music
  evolves.
  As
  we
  have
 
seen
  in
  many
  examples,
  this
  technique
  of
  repeating
  a
  pattern
  and
  building
  on
  top
  of
  it
 
is
 something
 very
 common
 in
 Newman’s
 music.
 
 
As
 the
 composer
 himself
 mentioned
 in
 the
 interview
 Notes
  on
  a
  score,
 “a
 lot
 of
 
my
  music
  tends
  to
  be
  patterned
  and
  repeating,
  so
  oftentimes
  I’ll
  get
  together
  with
  a
 
percussionist
  or
  a
  guitarist
  who
  can
  take
  these
  patterns
  and
  add
  to
  them,
  and
 
therefore
 make
 them
 more
 sonically
 interesting”.
 Regarding
 the
 benefits
 of
 using
 this
 
technique,
 Newman
 said,
 “If
 you
 have
 repeating
 phrases,
 oftentimes
 it
 allows
 the
 ear
 
then
 to
 hear
 colors
 in
 a
 way
 that
 widens
 your
 perception
 of
 sound
 and
 music
 and
 how
 
it
 comes
 at
 you”.
 This
 is
 especially
 true
 in
 a
 movie
 like
 Wall-­‐E,
 where
 the
 dialogue
 is
 
very
 sparse.
 The
 composer
 needs
 to
 create
 pieces
 of
 music
 that
 make
 it
 easier
 for
 the
 
viewer
  to
  get
  entrapped
  in
  the
  narrative
  through
  repetition,
  which
  is
  exactly
  what
 
Newman
 does
 so
 effectively
 in
 Wall-­‐E.
 

 
VI.
 Music
 Functions
 
Before
 analyzing
 what
 the
 purpose
 of
 the
 music
 in
 Wall-­‐E
 is,
 I
 will
 summarize
 
the
 three
 general
 categories
 of
 dramatic
 functions
 that
 music
 can
 have
 within
 a
 movie,
 
as
 explained
 by
 composer
 Dan
 Wilkins
 in
 his
 online
 course
 Film
 Scoring
 101.
 The
 three
 
categories
 are:
 physical,
 psychological
 and
 technical
 functions.
 
The
 physical
 functions
 are
 those
 in
 which
 the
 music
 evokes
 a
 physical
 setting
 
or
 location,
 creates
 a
 physical
 atmosphere
 (time
 of
 day,
 climate),
 evokes
 a
 time
 period,
 
culture
 or
 nationality,
 or
 underlines
 the
 action
 on-­‐screen.
 


 

21
 
The
  psychological
  functions
  of
  the
  music
  include
  creating
  a
  mood
  (suspense,
 

drama,
  etc.),
  rounding
  off
  the
  film,
  suggesting
  unspoken
  thoughts
  of
  a
  character,
 
revealing
  unseen
  implications
  of
  a
  situation,
  revealing
  psychological
  makeup
  of
  a
 
character,
 underlining
 the
 expected
 reaction
 of
 an
 audience,
 deceiving
 an
 audience
 as
 
to
  what
  actually
  happened,
  making
  a
  philosophical
  point
  (also
  known
  as
  “playing
 
against
 the
 drama”)
 or
 setting
 up
 an
 audience
 for
 a
 subsequent
 surprise.
 
Finally,
 the
 technical
 functions
 are
 used
 to
 build
 continuity
 from
 scene
 to
 scene
 
or
 to
 build
 overall
 continuity.
 
The
  musical
  motifs
  that
  appear
  recurrently
  in
  Wall-­‐E,
  mainly
  fall
  into
  the
 
psychological
 function
 category.
 It
 is
 by
 the
 repetition
 of
 these
 themes
 that
 we
 become
 
more
 acquainted
 with
 the
 characters
 and
 their
 feelings.
 
As
 I
 mentioned
 earlier,
 there
 are
 short
 some
 cues
 that
 appear
 in
 the
 movie
 that
 
are
  not
  part
  of
  the
  album
  release.
  These
  primarily
  fall
  into
  the
  physical
  functions
 
category
  since
  it
  is
  music
  that
  Thomas
  Newman
  uses
  to
  underline
  the
  action
  on-­‐
screen.
 

 
VII.
 Conclusion
 
As
  we
  have
  seen
  throughout
  this
  paper,
  it
  is
  in
  great
  measure
  because
  of
 
Thomas
  Newman’s
  use
  of
  music
  and
  motifs
  that
  the
  narrative
  in
  Wall-­‐E
  develops
  so
 
flawlessly
 and
 effortlessly
 despite
 the
 sparse
 use
 of
 dialogue.
 This
 movie
 serves
 as
 an
 
example
 of
 the
 importance
 of
 music
 in
 film
 and
 the
 way
 that
 music
 helps
 to
 connect
 
the
 audience
 with
 the
 characters.
 Like
 film
 director
 Sidney
 Lumet
 claimed
 on
 his
 book
 


 

22
 

Making
  Movies,
  “almost
  every
  picture
  is
  improved
  by
  a
  good
  musical
  score”
  (Lumet
 
149),
 and
 Wall-­‐E
 certainly
 exemplifies
 this
 statement.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

23
 
Works
 Cited
 

Eisler,
 Hanns,
 and
 Theodor
 W.
 Adorno.
 Composing
 for
 the
 Films.
 London:
 Athlone,
 
1994.
 Print.
 

 
Lumet,
 Sidney.
 Making
 Movies.
 New
 York:
 A.A.
 Knopf,
 1995.
 Print.
 

 
"Thomas
 Newman
 -­‐
 Notes
 on
 a
 Score
 Interview
 (Wall-­‐e)."
 YouTube.
 YouTube,
 31
 Aug.
 
2011.
 Web.
 8
 May
 2015.
 

 
"WALL·E."
 IMDb.
 IMDb.com,
 n.d.
 Web.
 5
 May
 2015.
 

 
Wilkins,
 Dan.
 "Film
 Scoring
 101."
 Berklee
 Online.
 Berklee
 College
 of
 Music,
 n.d.
 Web.
 19
 
May
 2015.