Wreck-it Ralph

As the 52^nd Disney ‘Animated Classics’ film, with a rich history going all the way back to 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Wreck-it Ralph has a long lineage to live up to.  Disney is no longer the only game in town when it comes to classic animated films; Pixar has released thirteen full-length, multiple award winning, feature films (some in conjunction with Disney), including the Toy Story franchise, Finding Nemo, and my personal favorite Wall-E.  In addition, Dreamworks Animation has the Shrek, Kung fu Panda, and Madagascar franchises. Wreck-it Ralph begins by telling the story of Ralph, a video game villain who aspires to be a hero.  The environment of the film is created within a “real world” video arcade where Ralph’s game is housed along with many other, some quite familiar, games.  The central surge protector powering each arcade cabinet functions as a hub where characters from each game can gather and socialize.  When night falls, and the people in the arcade go home, the game characters can relax, meet, and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.

Bad-Anon: One Game At A Time

While not as charming as Wall-E, or as rich in story and message as Finding Nemo, or Toy Story, Ralph still delivers a beautifully endearing film for the younger crowd, comfortably viewed by six yeas and up, (rated PG, but this is only due to some of the language in the film.  For instance, characters occasionally say they’ll “kill” one another, but everything is within the context of a video game). Where most animated films tuck humor in for adults, intended to go over children’s head (which Ralph does from time to time), particularly interesting for the 30-something-crowd were the actual intellectual properties Disney was able to secure for the film.  Some obvious cameos like:

• Bowser, Super Mario Bros
• M. Bison, Zangief, Blanka, Street Fighter series
• Pac-Man
• Q-Bert

Others will require a more careful eye to catch:

• Mickey Mouse-Banner, in the “real world” above the arcade
• Bolt, from the Disney Film-At Bad-Guys Anonymous, there is a “lost dog” poster, seeking Bolt, the titular character from Disney’s 48^th feature
• Tiny, from Meet the Robinsons-Wandering in Game Central (along with Frogger, and Maximus the horse, from Disney’s Tangled)

Truth be told, there are over 180 characters in Wreck-it Ralph.  Also, beyond the numerous sight gags eagle-eyed viewers may catch (“All your base are belong to us”, referencing the game Zero Wing, “Aerith Lives” scrawled on the walls, in reference to Aerith from Final Fantasy VII, The Konami “!”, from the Metal Gear series, and the infamous Konami Code all make an appearance).

“Flattery don’t charge these batteries!”

In additional to the rich environments, Ralph also bears the heartwarming story one would come to expect from Disney, but still simplistic enough so as to not go over the head of its prime audience.  However, contrary to the allusions of its title; this film is most definitely geared towards the little-girl crowd.  As the story unfolds, the vast majority of the second and third act of the film follows Ralph (John C Reilly) in the game land of “Sugar Rush”, a ‘Candyland’ styled racer, where we meet Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), a “glitch” in the game looking for acceptance from its denizens.

The voice cast of the film is also quite notable, not just for its celebrity voices like John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman (who’s saccharine pitch is usually quite repellant to me, but lends perfectly to Vanellope), Jane Lynch, Ed O’Neill, and Adam Corolla; but also for the voices of its cameos, many of which are the original voice talent` from their respective games, for example: Street Fighter’s M. Bison, Ryu and Ken are all voiced by their original actors. Wreck-it Ralph has completed its theatrical run, is nominated for many awards, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; as well as having already receiving several prestigious accolades, including the 2012 Critic’s Choice Award.