An arcade version of "Toy Story" (1995)

Rating: 7/10 (16 December 2012)

Disney are amazing. Over the past 80 or so years they have brought us endless classics and memorable characters and stories. But when they break away from their traditional fairy tales or from their traditional cel-animation (eg. "Meet the Robinsons" (2007) and "Bold" (2008)) they aren't as beloved as a Pixar CGI animation is. In my opinion "Wreck-It Ralph" follows the patters of the two films mentioned above, so I was hoping that Disney could make a really enjoyable CGI animation solo. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Meet The Robinsons" and "Bolt" but they didn't live up to the likes of "Aladdin" (1992, "The Little Mermaid" (1989), "Tarzan" (1999) etc. However, with "Wreck-It Ralph" they have produced one of their best solo CGI animation to date.
This film reminded me of an arcade version of "Toy Story" (1995) which is a compliment. It was sheer genius how they translated an arcade gaming world into a film world, and how the arcade gaming characters would occupy themselves after playing hours. Also how the depicted the good and bad characters was really interesting and enjoyable to watch. Disney allows us to feel sympathy for the villain which is interesting, because as it is mentioned in the film, the "bad guy" is just a label, it doesn't make them bad people. It's hard to explain without giving any spoilers, but I can say the message of the film is really ironic and clever how they used a traditional message and altered it in a unique way.
The story is decent enough. Bad guy wanting to break out of the mould and be the hero and win a medal for once. But his encounter with Vanellope von Schweetz is really special. Her character is so adorable and is very easy to relate to. It kept you watching because it is a unique film so you didn't know entirely where the film was heading, and it came with many thrills and surprises.
Despite it's interesting and enjoyable characters, I wish they did feature more of Sonic and characters from his universe. I didn't know the majority of the gaming characters so I was really excited when seeing Sonic on the posters, so was a little saddened at the 1% you see of him within the film, but it didn't hinder the enjoyment of the film. Also, despite the story being really unique and enjoyable, I wish they included more arcade gaming worlds. This is just a minuscule criticism.
Overall, an enjoyable family film with a fresh story and fun characters.