Wreck-It Ralph

Disney has been really riding great these last few years, haven’t they? To prove this, let’s take a look at “Wreck-It Ralph,” released in 2012. The film begins with a creative brainstorm: The movie takes place mostly inside the worlds of a handful of arcade-style video games, giving an excuse for the backgrounds, ground rules and characters to constantly reinvent themselves. The title is inspired by the protagonist, one of those clumsy, misunderstood giants who only wants to be loved.

For Wreck-It Ralph, this will never happen in the game he’s in, the Fix-It Felix Jr. video game, which is like the Donkey Kong arcade game. Shown in animation only a generation ahead from Pac-Man, Ralph is a strong villain who only has one function, using his fists and feet to smash holes in a high-rise apartment building. Then there’s Fix-It Felix Jr., a handyman with unlimited skills, to fix everything. Being the renowned hero of the Nicelanders, the residents of the building, Felix is regularly invited to their high-class parties, while Ralph is spending every night in the town junk yard.

Ralph’s depression is invaluably expressed by the voice over of the beloved John C. Reilly, who can sound bothered by his very nature. Felix, voiced by Jack McBrayer from “30 Rock,” is happy, excited and helpful, even if trapped in the identity of the Good Man, like Mario.

After years of being the villain, Ralph wants to escape, and that’s the excuse for the movie to break free from the resemblance of its game. Ralph goes through power cables and a surge protector to a place called Grand Game Central, where characters can visit. Warning: Even though the rules let them to die carelessly and frequently inside their designated video games, if they die outside, that’s it.

Ralph hears a game called “Hero’s Duty” (a mix between Call of Duty and Halo), where soldiers are led by a sergeant, voiced by Sue Sylvester from “Glee,” Jane Lynch, to shoot down the Cybugs that are the plague of all games. He wins a big gold medal and hopes it will make him look good to the Nicelanders. Ralph’s next game he goes into is a small racing game named Sugar Rush Land (looking very much like “Mario Kart”), that looks like it’s painted entirely in the colors of the cheap bright candies sold on Valentine’s Day (think about the pink and yellow hearts that say “I Love You”).

The main person here is Vanellope von Schweetz, voiced by a comedian I really hate, Sarah Silverman, who is a glitch and isn’t too skilled at handling game’s race cars, but she wants to be a racer. She’s stopped by the stuck-up, snobby King Candy, voiced by Alan Tudyk. Then there’s a final battle which has groups of Cybugs.

More than in a good majority of animated films, the art design and color palette of “Wreck-It Ralph” has unlimited sets, costumes and rules, giving the movie determined originality and different behavior in every different gaming world. Wreck-It Ralph, who looks not a million miles different from Shrek, makes a lovable guide through this arcade universe.

Roger Ebert said in his review, “I have a complaint, and it's my usual one: The whole movie comes down to an interminable high-velocity race and chase scene, perhaps timed to match the moment when the kids in the audience have consumed so much pop and candy they're having their own sugar rush. That can get old real fast for the adults, and heaven help those parents whose children insist on viewing the DVD over and over and over and over again. I suppose that goes with the territory.”

My only complaint with this movie is why Sarah Silverman? Couldn’t you have gone with someone better than her? She’s the only distraction for me in this movie because I’m not a fan of her at all. I find her too immature and not even anywhere close to being funny. Actually, I think she’s really annoying, and I’ve seen her a few times in interviews, and she really has gotten under my skin. I just can’t stand her. 

Aside from that, this is actually great for a Disney movie. For anyone who knows, there has never been any good video game adaptation at all. None of the video game adaptations that have been released have been any good and have sucked badly, but this movie is actually really good and great for the whole family to watch. If you haven’t seen it, then you should. You will love it, I promise you.

Well, I think people can guess what I will review tomorrow for “Disney Month.” What will it be? I will not even give a clue to what it is. Just wait until tomorrow so I can keep all of you in suspense.