BURN-E

BURN-E (stylized with an interpunct as BURN·E) is a computer animated short film 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. 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. The short movie is included as bonus material to the DVD and Blu-ray releases of WALL-E  and has since also been aired on TV. BURN-E features music composed and conducted by J.A.C. Redford, who was also orchestrator on the film WALL-E.

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 the ship. BURN-E is seen banging his fists against the door, and ultimately realizing that he has been locked out.

Plot
While clinging to the ship carrying EVE back to the Axiom as shown in the original film, WALL-E runs his hand through the rings of Saturn. One rock particle gains enough speed to become a meteorite, which collides with a running light on the Axiom and destroys it. Seeing this, AUTO activates the supply unit SUPPLY-R and dispatches the welding robot BURN-E to repair the damage. BURN-E shuts off the power supply to the broken light and gets a new one from SUPPLY-R, but while he is preparing to weld it in place, EVE's ship docks with the Axiom; distracted by the arrival and WALL-E's wave, BURN-E lets the new light float off into space.

SUPPLY-R reluctantly gives BURN-E another light, and BURN-E begins to install it as WALL-E is launched away from the ship in an escape pod set to self-destruct. The explosion of the pod startles BURN-E into slicing through the base of the light with his blowtorch, destroying it. Annoyed by this second failure, SUPPLY-R drops his last spare light on the floor in front of BURN-E, who successfully installs it. As he finishes, WALL-E and EVE fly back into the Axiom after their dance in space and the hatch closes behind them, locking BURN-E out. Some time later, an airlock opens to jettison garbage and nearly ejects WALL-E and EVE as well; BURN-E hurries to the airlock, but it closes again before he can reach it. Still later, while playing with his blowtorch, BURN-E realizes that he can use it to cut through the hatch and re-enter the Axiom.

Once inside, he prepares to restore power to the repaired light, but the fight between Captain McCrea and AUTO causes the ship to list and send BURN-E sliding out through the hole he cut. As he grabs hold of the light to avoid being thrown into space, McCrea shuts down AUTO and manually rights the ship for its hyperspace return to Earth, triggered by the plant WALL-E found. The speed of the journey pins BURN-E against the hull until the Axiom lands on Earth, after which he finds it deserted. Spotting SUPPLY-R through the window of an escape pod, he accidentally launches it and himself to slam into the ground. Throwing off the hatch, he turns on the light and begins to celebrate, only for the hatch to crush it. Frustrated, BURN-E collapses among the newly returned humans and robots.

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

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)