Wall-E a Johnny 5 rip off?

mitchk

mitchk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I was watching the video of the Wall-E robot, and doesn't he seem like a rip off of Johnny 5 from the Short Circuit movies? Anyone else notice the resemblence?
 
donniedisney

donniedisney

Member
His face and "legs" are the same, they just boxed the body.

J5.jpg
 
JennyTablina

JennyTablina

Member
I think in character design Wall-E seems like a close relation to Johnny-5. Though they are still somewhat different. Wall-E's much smaller than Johnny and has a box-shaped body. J-5 was a bit more human sized with a more humanish appearance.

That said I dont think theres anything wrong with such a Homage design wise. Plot wise Wall-Es set a million miles in the future and is a story about how 2 robots fall in love and stuff. Short Circuit was more about loving living things and acceptance. Though some of J-5's nature in that regard does seem to be instilled in Wall-E

At the end of the day I consider the lil fella the son of J-5. Besides Wall-E's caused people to get J-5 out for a new film sometime soon. So I aint complaining
 
NASAMan

NASAMan

Member
Rip-off is a very pejorative term, implying some kind of intent to copy or lack of inventiveness. There are many similarities, but that is because they are both robots. Similar function dictates similar form. For the most sense, all cars look the same: four wheels, headlights in front, front hood, back trunk, doors. What makes them different is the styling. Wall-E is a trash compactor on treads, and has a very industrial design. Johnny 5 was a great looking robot, as he really had the look of functionality and could be believed as a battlefield replacement for a soldier. His movements (notably the eyeflaps) gave a sense of emotions and made the story of a robot-turned-living being. That is a similar story to Wall-E: he was not built sentient but became that way over the many years he worked. Is this a rip-off? Was Bicentennial Man a rip-off? Are they all rip-offs of Pinocchio? No, just similar stories told in unique ways. I'm sure Johnny 5 would feel proud that Wall-E is compared to him.
 
D

darthjohnny

Active Member
I don't think so.

I mean if you really want to get technical, Johnny 5 could be seen a rip off of the robot from Lost in Space.

The Incredibles shared a lot of similarities with the Fantastic Four, but that never really became a problem, and I don't think the Wall-E/Johnny 5 thing will be either.
 
Testtrack321

Testtrack321

Well-Known Member
No. Tank treds and human like arms with claws means nothing. I don't see the similarity between the eyes, but that's just me. Plus Johnny 5 is just creepy and weird, at least Wall-E is cute...
 
jhastings74

jhastings74

Well-Known Member
NASAMan said:
Rip-off is a very pejorative term, implying some kind of intent to copy or lack of inventiveness. There are many similarities, but that is because they are both robots. Similar function dictates similar form. For the most sense, all cars look the same: four wheels, headlights in front, front hood, back trunk, doors. What makes them different is the styling. Wall-E is a trash compactor on treads, and has a very industrial design. Johnny 5 was a great looking robot, as he really had the look of functionality and could be believed as a battlefield replacement for a soldier. His movements (notably the eyeflaps) gave a sense of emotions and made the story of a robot-turned-living being. That is a similar story to Wall-E: he was not built sentient but became that way over the many years he worked. Is this a rip-off? Was Bicentennial Man a rip-off? Are they all rip-offs of Pinocchio? No, just similar stories told in unique ways. I'm sure Johnny 5 would feel proud that Wall-E is compared to him.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
There's a lighting company called Chauvet that makes a light called a J-Five.

What do you think, is it a homage to Johnny Five?
jfive.jpg
 

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