Wreck-It Ralph


Voices of: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert
Directed by: Rich Moore
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A video game villain (John C. Reilly) tires of his life and decides to jump video games to try and become a hero.

Review:

Tim: I thoroughly enjoyed Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. It surprised me that outside of Pixar, Disney made this thoroughly enjoyable, character-driven film. It was original, unique, and very entertaining. While I don't think the film quite reached classic animated film status, it is really, really good.

I love the idea of setting this film inside video games. While I admit that this is a little too close to Toy Story, it's different enough that it works. I love the idea of our favorite video game characters living their lives outside of when we're playing with them. It's a fascinating world to explore, and I loved the clever ways the script incorporated little easter eggs and other elements into the script. This is a movie that will certainly be appreciated by those who grew up in the 1980s, playing video games.

The story is actually pretty strong. I love the idea of our protagonist being a video game villain. Wreck-It Ralph is the bad guy, yet he's the one we identify with. I love how this was done- we cared about him and wanted him to succeed, but we were continually reminded throughout the film that it was actually the villain we were supporting. I love the Bad Guy support group at the beginning- although it was a short scene, it was incredible seeing Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and the whole host of other villains all sitting together. That was a really cool scene.

The rest of the story is good, too, although it took a while for me to understand the basic outline of the story. I do wish it had been a bit more clearly defined earlier. The majority of the film takes place in a candy land racing game, although villains from a sci-fi shooter play an important role, too. It was fun seeing a hodgepodge of different video game characters all brought together.

While the story was interesting, the film is really all about the characters. The biggest journey is obviously taken by Ralph, and it's fun to see his story of redemption. The movie does a great job of setting up Vanellope as a likable, relatable character as well. It was brilliant pairing up the huge, powerful Ralph with the tiny, cute Vanellope. And yet, as the film progresses, we see how similar these two characters are. Their friendship was one of the biggest highlights of the entire film. I felt characters like Fix-It Felix and Calhoun were fine to round out the cast, but this movie is all about the relationship of Ralph and Vanellope.

The voice cast is pretty excellent. I can't imagine anyone but John C. Reilly voicing Ralph. He's just perfect for the role and he brings him to life. I likewise loved Sarah Silverman as Vanellope. She has such a unique voice, and she did a fantastic job. Her comedic timing was perfect. Jack McBrayer was good as Felix, since his whole demeanor matches that character extremely well. I suppose I also liked Jane Lynch as Calhoun. She definitely brought strength to the character's voice. The rest of the supporting cast was quite good as well. Overall, the cast was very impressive.

The animation is pretty stunning in this film as well. While it might not quite be at Pixar levels, Disney's animation group put together a beautifully rendered film. I loved the bright, vibrant colors and stark contrast throughout the movie. It was just a beautiful film to watch, and it was very cool seeing all the crazy video game worlds brought to life. The look and feel of this film is certainly fantastic.

I was really happy to see that Wreck-It Ralph was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. However, I have to disagree with the Academy- I found this film to be superior to Brave. While I liked Pixar's film, I felt like Wreck-It Ralph was the better, more impressive movie. This film absolutely deserved to win, and I was slightly disappointed that it did not.

While it missed out on that recognition, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable, solidly made film. I do not believe it quite reaches the upper echelon of animated films. but it's so much fun to watch, and I really liked it. It is an impressive movie all around, and I had a great time with it. I would highly, highly recommend Wreck-It Ralph to just about anyone.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Toy Story, Brave