Better than Toy Story!

Rating: 10/10 (2 November 2012)

Disney with John Lasseter's guidance have finally equalled Pixar's masterpiece Toy Story!
Take the central conceit of the inner life of toys and transfer it to the arcades. Toy Story may be the originator of this idea, but Wreck It Ralph is able to dig deeper and push it further, with a classic children's tale of archetypes and life affirming messages.
The arcade characters have a back story and character arc that allows Disney to pile on the layers of meaning and depth. Like the Toy Story trilogy this is about much more than just a Hero's journey, with the same interest in a subtext of philosophy and the meaning of happiness.
Also just like the fictional toys in Toy Story, Disney have much fun in creating three perfect video games from different eras, that are just so good you can't believe they don't already exist. The game worlds Fixit Felix Jr and Sugar Rush are the equivalent to Woody's and Buzz's respective universes. Two very different worlds and philosophies driving much of the story. Ralph is even presented with a morale dilemma all the equal of Woody's choice in Toy Story 2. Which is resolved with typical inventiveness.
It perhaps lacks the universal appeal as people are still a little prejudice towards videogames. They were preaching to the converted with this viewer, I can only hope that this film is a step in the right direction in improving the acceptance of a valid entertainment medium. It is certainly not just all about shooting things!
Hopefully Wreck-It Ralph will entertain you too and maybe we'll get an equally well thought out sequel featuring the nasty game collector that wants to lock the game cabinet away in a museum so no one can play it. Just a thought.