BURN-E

BURN-E (stylized with an interpunct as BURN·E) is a computer animated short created by Pixar in 2008. It is a parallel spin-off from the feature-length movie WALL-E. A repair robot named BURN-E is a minor character from the movie, and the film is intercut with scenes from WALL-E, which takes place concurrently.^[1][2] WALL-E's director Andrew Stanton acted as co-writer and executive producer on BURN-E.

BURN-E was produced at the same time as WALL-E and was directed by the feature film's lead animator, Angus MacLane.^[3] The short movie is included as bonus material to the DVD and Blu-ray releases of WALL-E^[4][5][6] and has since also been aired on TV.^[7] BURN-E features music composed and conducted by J.A.C. Redford, who was also orchestrator on the film WALL-E.^[8][9]

The BURN-E (stands for "Basic Utility Repair Nano Engineer") character is first seen briefly as a welder robot in WALL-E when WALL-E and EVE fly around the Axiom starliner, and enter through a door, locking him outside of the ship. BURN-E is seen banging his fists against the door, and ultimately realizing that he has been locked out.^[10][11][12]

Plot

The short opens with WALL-E running his hand through the rings of Saturn^[1] while hanging on the hull of EVE's ship, as shown in the original film. One of the rock particles that swirls away begins to increase in velocity as it moves up against the atmosphere of a Saturnian moon, becoming a meteorite that destroys a small lamp spire outside the Axiom. AUTO sees this and activates SUPPLY-R, a storage robot that dispenses spare lamps. He then dispatches BURN-E, a repair robot, to replace the broken lamp. BURN-E de-engergizes the power supply to the damaged lamp and gets a new one from SUPPLY-R, but before he can install the new lamp, EVE's ship enters the Axiom's docking bay. Still hanging on the side of the ship, WALL-E waves to greet him, but as BURN-E is distracted the loose lamp floats off into space.

BURN-E retrieves another spare from SUPPLY-R, who is reluctant to let it go, and begins welding it down around the same time WALL-E is launched in an escape pod set to self-destruct in the original film. The pod explodes and BURN-E turns in surprise, accidentally slicing off the lamp with his blowtorch, frustrating him. Annoyed of another failure, SUPPLY-R gives BURN-E the last spare lamp (which is dropped by the latter's feet), which he finally manages to install successfully. By this point, WALL-E and EVE fly into the Axiom through the only available entrance near BURN-E, which closes and locks him out. Later, WALL-E and EVE are nearly jettisoned through a garbage airlock, which BURN-E tries to use to reenter the ship but is closed as soon as he reaches it. BURN-E gives up all hope and begins playing with his blowtorch when it dawns on him that he can use it to cut a hole through the door, and he does so.

BURN-E returns to SUPPLY-R to turn on the newly installed lamp. At this point, the Axiom's captain and autopilot AUTO get into a fight and the ship is tilted, throwing BURN-E outside again. The Captain disables AUTO and realigns the ship, but as BURN-E prepares to go back inside, the ship blasts into hyperspace and pins BURN-E to the side of the hull. The Axiom lands on Earth and BURN-E reenters to find the ship deserted. BURN-E spots SUPPLY-R through the window of an escape pod and waves to him. He suddenly launches it and instantly crashes to the ground below near SUPPLY-R. BURN-E flings off the pod's hatch and finally turns on the lamp, only to see it crushed shortly afterwards by the falling hatch. Frustrated, BURN-E collapses in despair.

In a post-credits scene, SUPPLY-R consoles him by patting BURN-E on the head and saying, "There, there," in a dull, monotone voice.

Cast

• Angus MacLane as BURN-E
• Tessa Swigart as SUPPLY-R
• Ben Burtt as WALL-E (uncredited)
• Elissa Knight as EVE (uncredited)
• Jeff Garlin as Captain B. McCrea (uncredited)
• MacInTalk as AUTO (uncredited)

References

External links

• Official website
• BURN-E on IMDb
• BURN-E at The Big Cartoon DataBase