Has anyone ever considered what it would be like if video games had lives, similar to the toys in Toy Story?
Disney proves it is still telling briliant stories such as "Wreck-it Ralph." Artwork from Google Images
Disney proves that it can change with the times, as well as continue to produce quality animated films with their new release, Wreck-It Ralph.
In a world where video game characters at an arcade live outside lives, besides being played by children, one villain is fed up with his occupation. It’s not really the work that bugs him, just the treatment he receives outside of this job. Forced to live the life of a recluse (in a junk yard of rubble that he creates), Wreck-It-Ralph (John C. Reilly, Carnage), a monstrous behemoth of a man, is shunned by the rest of the characters in his game world. All of them treat his hero counterpart, Fix-It-Felix (Jack Mcbrayer, The Campaign), with the utmost respect and even admiration; while Ralph is treated like the mud he gets thrust into after Felix “saves the day”.
After talking things over with a group of other game villains, Ralph returns to his world of Fix-It-Felix Jr., and realizes a party dedicated to the game’s 30th anniversary is commencing. Seeing as how he is the second most important character in the game, he tries to gain access to the celebration. Ralph is admitted, after an awkward moment with Felix at the door, and is treated to the buildings occupants who hate, and fear him. Once controversy is spiked over a cake (a large elaborate pastry, where every game character is crafted and happy, except for Ralph), the building’s landlord informs Ralph that he will never be a hero like Felix, and should just continue to live his un-satisfactory life. This angers Ralph to a serious degree and leads to him going to another game, in search of a medal (like the ones Felix receives on a daily basis). His mission is to show everyone in his game that he can be a hero to, and doesn’t have to pander to the “bad guy” mentality he was programed for.
Wreck-It-Ralph was not what I expected. I was anticipating an extravagant showcase of video games licenses and references. Wreck-It-Ralph may have had many of both, but that was not the shallow level of entertainment this movie had to offer. Instead, the movie changed over time into an emotional, character-based story about two outcasts, finding their place in their society and in their hearts. It solely focused on three gaming worlds (one more than the other two) all with unique characters, color pallets, and visual art styles. This movie not only showed me that Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures still has an imaginative spark, but that people can expect even more quality content from them in the future.
All of the characters in Wreck-It-Ralph were fantastic and hilarious. Reilly and Mcbrayer both did fantastic in their respective roles as Ralph and Felix, but they were not the only major characters on which the movie centered. Calhoun, (Jane Lynch, Glee) the tough-as-nails general (whom Ralph has a conflict with) from the gaming world of Hero’s Duty (a farce of the modern day first person shooter), provided a bit rougher comedy with a subplot between her and Felix (that eventually evolved into the main plot). Vanellope (Sarah Silverman, The Muppets) from the world Sugar Rush (a Mario Kart like game, with a candy theme) was the other outcast with whom Ralph shares a relationship. She comes off as a very annoying character from the start, but about half way though the movie I felt bad about initially hating her. I think the biggest star of the show here was King Candy (Alan Tudyk, Suburgatory). He had an extremely deep development cycle for an animated villain, and provided some wacky humor to boot.
Luckily, Wreck-It-Ralph is an entertaining comedy for both children and adults. Many jokes were devised with kids in mind, but I would say almost all of the pop culture references were geared towards older audiences. With Rich Moore (a director of many Futurama and The Simpsons episodes) directing and playing a character of minor importance (Sour Bill), viewers can expect a certain amount of adult humor. By the way, I implore anyone planning on seeing this movie to bring candy along. Being the critic that I am, I usually choose not to have any sort of refreshment when I visit the movie theater. I feel it detracts from the experience a movie can offer (not to mention the additional costs), but with the plethora of candy and sweet related humor present in the world of Sugar Rush, having some candy will likely increase the enjoyment one can have while watching Wreck-It-Ralph.
Video game fans (especially old school gamers) will probably love Wreck-It-Ralph for its take on video game clichés, and terms. Otherwise, I think almost anyone can enjoy this film. It seamlessly blends an abundance of comedic references with a heartfelt story, examining how we should all be ourselves, and not strive to be something were not. It may not be a Pixar event, but it was almost on that level of animated movie brilliance. It even managed to hit on a somewhat emotional note, which I was not expecting at all coming from a movie about the lives of video game characters. Wreck-It-Ralph was a fantastic Disney film and probably the best-animated film of the year.
Rating: ★★★★★
