How a 'racy' Animal House scene influenced Pixar's WALL-E [Exclusive]

"WALL-E" is a lively and imaginative film filled with social critiques, some of which might go over the heads of toddlers in the audience. WALL-E the Robot features the doldrums of a soul crushing 9 to 5 and inadvertently incites a robotic rebellion aboard the Axiom ship, all with minimal vocabulary.

In trying to get the Pixar team into the headspace to portray an endearing character who doesn't say much but nevertheless conveys his emotions, Stanton had in mind predictable works, like the minimal dialogue of Albert Lamorisse short film "Le Ballon Rouge". But a surprise comes in his interview with Josh Spiegel:

"It's easy for us to say now because 'WALL-E' is over, but 'WALL-E' didn't exist. I had to say, 'That's the mindset you'll be in when you watch the movie I want to make. I would either have something pure like "The Red Balloon" or "The Black Stallion", which just had music and action and the atmosphere. But I knew there would be times when the dialogue would be said, and your brain would try to interpret the emphasis on what their dialogue was.

From "Animal House" it was the racy scene with John Belushi on the ladder and driven by a desire to get to the next window, just showing you how bad the characters' intentions and goals can be 100% or even more clear to the public."

That's right, kids: The "Peeping Tom" scene from Ivan Reitman's "Animal House" served as the narrative North Star for one of the most wholesome children's films of the 21st century. John Belushi's "Bluto" Blutarsky doesn't provide much commentary as he strives to observe naked students, but his motivation was nonetheless hilarious and clear.