If anything can be gathered from Disney’s Revival output pre-2012 it’s that things were certainly getting back on the right track for the studio following the gradual decline in quality of the Post-Renaissance Era. However, the Revival Era wasn’t without its own problems, most obviously being somewhat out of touch with the youth that they were so desperately trying to captivate. Bolt tried to angle the more action centric kids, whilst The Princess and the Frog and Tangled both went for the Disney Princess crowd, but none of them truly lit the box office on fire quite the way Disney would have hoped. But with the rising popularity of videogames, technology was the next avenue that Disney would attempt to try and engage with the modern child.
Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of the hit eighties arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr. which is about to reach its thirtieth anniversary in the arcade. But Ralph has grown tired of being seen as the bad guy amongst his fellow game characters and wants to earn a hero's medal. In order to do so Ralph must venture out of his game and earn one, putting his own game in jeopardy. Along the way Ralph befriends Venellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a glitch who has dreams of becoming a racing star. Meanwhile following Ralph’s earlier interference in her game, Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) teams up with Fix-It Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer) to track down Ralph and repair the damage he has done to the arcade before all of their games are put out of action.
Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of the hit eighties arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr. which is about to reach its thirtieth anniversary in the arcade. But Ralph has grown tired of being seen as the bad guy amongst his fellow game characters and wants to earn a hero's medal. In order to do so Ralph must venture out of his game and earn one, putting his own game in jeopardy. Along the way Ralph befriends Venellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a glitch who has dreams of becoming a racing star. Meanwhile following Ralph’s earlier interference in her game, Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) teams up with Fix-It Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer) to track down Ralph and repair the damage he has done to the arcade before all of their games are put out of action.
Wreck-It Ralph was the first Disney Animated Classic I saw at the cinema since Chicken Little, and in that time, I had gone through the entirety of secondary school. I had put Disney to the back of my mind and paid almost zero attention to what the studio was putting out because none of it appealed to me, but being an avid gamer Wreck-It Ralph was right up my street.
The film is bursting at the seams with references to classic videogames, as well as cameos from famous classic game characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and Bowser. In fact, it’s the best videogame movie ever made, which I realise doesn’t say much because the bar is so astronomically low, but this film understands videogames in a way that most videogames don’t even understand the medium. This was clearly put together by people who know their stuff, and care very deeply about the medium.
But it doesn’t let the videogame stuff detract from the overall experience, even if you've never picked up a game controller before Wreck-It Ralph will be an extremely funny, gripping, and emotionally captivating film for all ages. At its core, Wreck-It Ralph is the most Disney, Disney film that the studio has produced in over a decade.
Ralph’s crisis of identity in wanting to be a good person that people like, but literally being the bad guy of a videogame is such an interesting concept that is very unique, and Reilly’s voice performance is absolutely fantastic. Vanellope is one of the most adorable Disney characters of all time, and her personal battle of desiring acceptance despite being a glitch that nobody wants is surprisingly emotional. You’ll want to have a box of tissues on hand for some of Wreck-It Ralph’s more dramatic moments, because despite being a barrel of laughs, it really isn’t afraid to pull its punches when it wants to get your waterworks going.
The comedy standouts are Calhoun and King Candy (Alan Tudyk) who each have some absolutely golden lines that are immediately quotable and never fail to have me in stitches. Tudyk in particular is having a blast with the role and it’s always fantastic to get that feeling when listening to how the lines are delivered.
The film is bursting at the seams with references to classic videogames, as well as cameos from famous classic game characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and Bowser. In fact, it’s the best videogame movie ever made, which I realise doesn’t say much because the bar is so astronomically low, but this film understands videogames in a way that most videogames don’t even understand the medium. This was clearly put together by people who know their stuff, and care very deeply about the medium.
But it doesn’t let the videogame stuff detract from the overall experience, even if you've never picked up a game controller before Wreck-It Ralph will be an extremely funny, gripping, and emotionally captivating film for all ages. At its core, Wreck-It Ralph is the most Disney, Disney film that the studio has produced in over a decade.
Ralph’s crisis of identity in wanting to be a good person that people like, but literally being the bad guy of a videogame is such an interesting concept that is very unique, and Reilly’s voice performance is absolutely fantastic. Vanellope is one of the most adorable Disney characters of all time, and her personal battle of desiring acceptance despite being a glitch that nobody wants is surprisingly emotional. You’ll want to have a box of tissues on hand for some of Wreck-It Ralph’s more dramatic moments, because despite being a barrel of laughs, it really isn’t afraid to pull its punches when it wants to get your waterworks going.
The comedy standouts are Calhoun and King Candy (Alan Tudyk) who each have some absolutely golden lines that are immediately quotable and never fail to have me in stitches. Tudyk in particular is having a blast with the role and it’s always fantastic to get that feeling when listening to how the lines are delivered.
One thing I have faulted Disney on recently with titles like Bolt and Tangled is the quality of their 3D computer animation being far behind that of their competitors. Now Wreck-It Ralph doesn’t do an awful lot to improve upon the actual technology in use, but the art direction makes the lower quality character models work really well. It’s fine that these characters can look a bit plasticky because they’re videogame characters, and the design of them is so exaggerated and fits in with the environments so well that you don’t even notice that in comparison to the likes of Pixar that they aren’t as detailed or fluidly animated.
Wreck-It Ralph is undoubtably one of Disney’s greatest Animated Classic’s, and one I feel doesn’t get as much love as it so rightly deserves. A heart-warming story of friendship and self-acceptance, combined with some side-splitting comedy, great art direction, and some awesome videogame references. I would go so far as saying that this is Disney’s first truly excellent 3D computer animated film, and it’s about time considering how long they had been doing it at that point. This absolutely should not be missed!
Wreck-It Ralph is undoubtably one of Disney’s greatest Animated Classic’s, and one I feel doesn’t get as much love as it so rightly deserves. A heart-warming story of friendship and self-acceptance, combined with some side-splitting comedy, great art direction, and some awesome videogame references. I would go so far as saying that this is Disney’s first truly excellent 3D computer animated film, and it’s about time considering how long they had been doing it at that point. This absolutely should not be missed!