In order to create the trash-strewn environment WALL-E inhabits, artists trolled dumps around Oakland, CA, studying the textures and colors of garbage to determine what the main character's world would look like. "As fantastical as the worlds we create are, we try really hard to bring a sense of reality to them," said Adrianne Ranft of Pixar University. Though researching the look and feel of the environs is essential for the films, some assignments are better than others. "It was nice for the Ratatouille folks when they took their research trip to Paris," she said.