A "modern" Disney classic

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2014)

That's what director Rich Moore said he wanted to create when he was assigned to direct Wreck it Ralph: "a film that is like the classic Disney movies, but takes a hit off of something more modern and contemporary." Watching this film, I can see without a doubt that he did just that!
The story takes place in an arcade (don't think I've ever seen one of those in a Disney film before) where the characters of each game have their own individual lives after the arcade closes. Enter Ralph: a hulk- sized hobo who as the villain of his game, has to smash apartments every day so that his hero counterpart, Felix can repair them and is shunned and by the game's denizens as a result.
Wanting something better in life, Ralph proceeds to find another video game (the characters can travel to other consoles via the cords and power strips connecting them) where he can win a medal, just like always Felix does, so he can be hailed as a hero for once. He eventually finds one, but through a series of misadventures, ends up in a candy-themed racing game where he meets Vanellope: an impish street urchin who, as it turns out, needs the medal as much as Ralph does because, due to her tendency to glitch now and again, is an outcast herself.
So, as you can tell, this film has all the elements you'd expect a classic Disney film to have; yet takes place in a modern day world.
The worlds that they created for this movie blew me away; you could tell that the animators pulled out all the stops with this one! In Ralph's game a classic, retro, 8-bit one everything, including the characters' bodies are square and the backgrounds are almost non-existent. In Vanellope's game, called Sugar Rush, little candy-themed touches that really stand out, such as the grandstands being candy boxes and Vanellope's bed being a sponge cake are everywhere.
The characters are pretty good too, if a little stock. We've seen the story of "misfit meets another misfit" in lots of other films (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, anyone?) However, Ralph and Vanellope are just so innocent and so willing to go the distance for their dreams, you can't help but like them. Felix is very likable too, as he will always do what is required of him without complaint. Heck, he goes as far as to let himself get punched in the face because it will eventually lead to him finding Ralph; you've got to admire someone like that!
If I did have a complaint with this movie, it would be that the way the characters and/or objects thrive in their video game environments raises a few questions. The movie establishes that if a game is unplugged the characters within it die, yet what if there is a power outage at the arcade, do they not regenerate if the power comes back?
However, that aside, I think that Wreck it Ralph will be enjoyed for many a generation to come, just like the rest of the classic Disney movies because it's right up there with them!