While many of its animated films can be enjoyed by moviegoers of all shapes and sizes, The Walt Disney Co. hasn’t offered something other than a children’s fairy tale in some time now.
But Disney’s newest animated film, “Wreck-It Ralph,” is a love letter to video game fans of all ages. In fact, parents might even enjoy the movie more than their little ones.
In the film, John C. Reilly stars as Ralph, the villain in a fictional arcade game titled “Fix-it Felix, Jr.” Realizing that he doesn’t want to live his life as the “bad guy” anymore, Ralph decides to do the unthinkable: he leaves his game and embarks on a quest to become a hero by achieving a medal. Thus begins a sequence of “game hopping,” all starting with “Hero’s Duty,” a shooting game in which players battle an army of Cy-Bugs. Ralph soon encounters Sergeant Calhoun (voiced by “Glee” star Jane Lynch) and fights to earn a medal in the game, which features music by electronic artist Skrillex.
Ralph eventually ends up in “Sugar Rush,” a game where he meets the young delinquent Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman). Ralph and Vanellope quickly team up when the game is threatened by an evildoer. The duo faces tons of action and surprises along the way, including intense, high-speed races.
The film marks the feature film directorial debut for Rich Moore. Best known for his work on “The Simpsons,” Moore has even achieved two Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Animated Program.”
Unlike how most animated films are produced, during the production of “Wreck-It Ralph,” Reilly and Silverman were able to record in the studio together, resulting in a terrific on-screen chemistry that makes the relationship of this duo feel genuine. The two play off of one another, and the back-and-forth bickering nature of their relationship will leave viewers quite pleased with plenty of laughs.
Per usual Disney standards, “Wreck-It Ralph” opens with a short film titled “Paperman,” directed by John Kahrs. The animated short first debuted at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June of 2012 and features a new technology called Meander, which blends traditional animation with computer animation. In other words, the film’s animation style blends 2-D drawings with computer-generated images.
This new style of animation along with the black and white stylistic choice results in a visually stunning experience, and the short itself can only be described as magical.
“Wreck-It Ralph” features an all-star cast of cameos from well-known video game characters such as Bowser from “Super Mario Bros,” Doctor Eggman from “Sonic the Hedgehog” and Zangief from “Street Fighter,” many of whom are seen in a hilarious “Bad Guys Anonymous” scene.
Clark Spencer, the film’s producer, stated that the rights to the said characters were somewhat easy to obtain, as most of the companies were happy to be a part of the film.
“Wreck-It Ralph” works as a film because it accommodates all age groups and has something to offer for everyone in the family. Although kids will find the story entertaining and the visuals intriguing, there are also many (appropriate) jokes that adults will find funny, such as references to old-school video games.
While the film veers slightly from the standard Disney formula by abandoning romance as a central point of the plot, the relationship between Vanellope and Ralph is still touching, as Ralph becomes a father figure to the young girl.
The film features an interesting blend of animated styles, which varies as Ralph progresses through each video game. The characters in “Sugar Rush” are influenced by Japanese-style animation, while the visuals in “Hero’s Duty” are very realistic and detailed.
Though the film is visually stunning and contains a unique blend of references to old school and new age video games, some younger viewers may find that the film drags on in the second half and implements one too many plot twists.
“Wreck-It Ralph” will grab the attention of video game fanatics and Disney fans alike. The film is a heartfelt and unique story with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
_Email Curcio at _ ncurcio@media.ucla.edu.