While the month of October is firmly behind us, which of course includes Halloween, Disney gives us one last treat, no tricks included. “Wreck-it Ralph,” Disney’s latest animated offering, which looks like a Pixar movie, but is not. This movie is about the titular character looking to break out from the role of being the “bad guy” and is yet another classic from Disney added to its already illustrious library of animated films.
The film directed by Rich Moore (Futurama, The Simpsons), stars Ralph voiced superbly by John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights). The 8-bit lumbering giant with wrecking ball-like hands is the bane of the Nicelanders’ life in the arcade game Fix-it Felix, Jr. with the Nicelanders being the denizens of the game until Felix arrives, voiced by Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), who promptly saves the day by, well guess, fixing Ralph’s mess.
It has been the same routine for 30 years; Ralph smashes, Felix fixes, Nicelanders throw Ralph off the building into the ground, game over, Felix gets a medal, rinse and repeat. It’s this routine that has grown stale for Ralph, who later confides with his support group that he is tired of being the bad guy, which includes awesome cameos of Bowser, Dr. Eggman/Robotnik and if you look closely, even Kano from “Mortal Kombat”.
But Zangief says it best: “Just because you’re bad guy, doesn’t mean you’re bad guy.” That is just what Ralph is; he’s technically the bad guy of his video game but inside he has a heart of gold. On the evening of Fix-it Felix’s 30th anniversary, the Nicelanders throw Felix an anniversary party and promptly fail to invite Ralph. After a heated argument between Ralph and the head of the Nicelanders during the party, Ralph sets out on a journey that takes him through Hero’s Duty.
Think “Call of Duty” except in the future where he meets hard-nosed Sergeant Calhoun, voiced by Jane Lynch (Glee, Shrek Forever After) with her signature no-nonsense tone and personality and Sugar Rush where “Mario Kart” meets
“Strawberry Shortcake”. There he meets the cute, yet hyperactive and glitchy Vanellope von Schweetz, voiced to perfection and charm by Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program), to find a medal much better than Felix’s and prove that he can be the good guy.
The film is a nostalgic trip back to the retro days of heavily pixelated arcade games that were predominant during the ‘80s when arcades were the “cool” place to hang out and one quarter can buy minutes if not hours of entertainment if you were that good.
The bright visuals look gorgeous, and when the setting takes place in Sugar Rush, you might just get a sugar high from all the many different colors on screen.
This movie is definitely worth watching in 3-D; it heightens those visuals even more. The score plays wonderfully throughout the movie, perfectly complementing it whether it’s the frantic and exhilarating battle scene in Hero’s Duty or the tender, sweet moments between Ralph and Vanellope.
“Wreck-it Ralph” is a movie that people of all ages can enjoy. Trust me, as an 18 year-old, I constantly found myself laughing as much as my ten year-old brother. It’s a sweet film with plenty of gags and cool cameos.
As is the norm with almost all Disney movies, it also has a strong moral message of accepting who you are and taking responsibility of your actions. “Wreck it Ralph” is a perfect movie for the upcoming holiday season. It is a movie that almost touches all of your senses, but it definitely touches the heart.
P.S. The movie is accompanied with a short called “Paperman”, a beautiful short about love finding its way with graphics that look like they were freshly drawn—a nice little-extra to the movie.
