In that film Trumbull departed from the dangerously insane robot model of “HAL” that was so effective in his earlier “2001, A Space Odyssey” and instead employed what I think were the first cute, noble and relatable robots in the characters of Hewey, Dewie and Louie. We somehow knew these little guys understood death and loss, and loneliness, and we loved them. I’ve always felt they were the prototypes for R2-D2; and, now, for Wall-E.

At the end of the movie, one of these little “drones” is left all alone to tend the forest dome, and his anthropomorphic sadness and resigned loneliness are strongly conveyed as he looks up and watches the destruction of the ship from which he and his forest dome have been separated; then, quietly, he turns away to carry out his solitary duties – one feels – forever. I wept for that little drone, and I’ll probably weep for Wall-E.