Wreck-It Ralph: A Villain's Destructive Path to Heroism

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2012)

It isn't easy being the bad guy, especially when you are the villain in a video game forced to repeat your destructive tendencies on a daily basis. The title character of Wreck-It Ralph faces this particular dilemma. Ralph is tired of being the "bad guy" in the game: Fix-It Felix Jr. Ralph's role puts him at odds with his adversary, Felix Jr., who garners all the praise and adoration from the townspeople after he fixes Ralph's destruction. Ralph's jealousy of Felix comes to a head on the thirtieth anniversary party for Fix-It Felix Jr. Upon being shunned from the party, Ralph decides that the only obstacle keeping him from achieving the rank of hero is a golden medal. Determined to win the respect of his fellow game characters, Ralph sets out to accomplish something that is forbidden in the arcade world: stealing an item from another game.
Wreck-It Ralph beautifully combines animation that audiences have come to love with a nostalgic look at the wonders of the arcade world. In a time when arcades are rapidly waning in popularity, Ralph revitalizes characters from classic games, and introduces unique new characters into the Disney pantheon. Pac-Man, Q*bert, Sonic the Hedgehog, Bowser, and numerous other characters from arcade classics have cameos in this movie. Whether you are a hardcore video game aficionado, or someone who has spent little-to-zero time in an arcade, Wreck-It Ralph is a film that you are sure to enjoy.
Disney sans Pixar has had some difficulty creating films that entice both children and parents. After a long string of pandering sequels, and weak features, Disney Animation Studios appears to have their formula down. 2010's Tangled was a welcomed surprise, and Wreck-It Ralph is equally enjoyable. Director Rich Moore does an excellent job blending a morality play into the video game world. Screenwriters Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids) and Jennifer Lee compose a script that is packed with references to video games, candy, and classic cinema. One of the funniest segments in the film involves Ralph attending "Bad-anon", a support group for video game villains (think AA, but with a Pac-Man ghost and Zangief from Street Fighter). When Ralph enters the game "Sugar Rush", Johnston and Lee inundate the dialogue with references to candy and sweets, which grows stale as time progresses, but carries a sugary taste in the beginning. The talents of the director and writers are on full capacity during the majority of this feature.
John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman, and Alan Tudyk all lend their voice talents to this production. John C. Reilly (Ralph) continues to be one of my favorite actors, voicing Ralph so fluidly that one can't help but think this role was written precisely for him. Jack McBrayer is lovable as always, playing an overeager Felix, whose charm lies in his quirky euphemisms and doe-eyed stares. Felix, swooning for Jane Lynch's Calhoun, delivers one of the greatest lines in the movie: "Oh, that's not from blunt force trauma ma'am. That's just the honey glow in my cheeks." Sarah Silverman (Vanellope) plays a character ostracized in her game due to being a "glitch". She is the annoying sidekick who demeans Ralph constantly, but still manages to earn his adoration. The role was developed with Silverman in mind, and her raspy voice compliments her character's brashness perfectly. Alan Tudyk plays one of the most divisive roles in the film. His character, King Candy, is a bubbling buffoon, who has dark motives, and an inexplicable drive to see Ralph and Vanellope fail. Moore himself supplies the voices of a number of characters in the film—his turn as Sour Bill is delightfully droll.
Wreck-It Ralph is currently the highest-grossing film of the weekend, and is sure to remain among the top features of this season because of its dynamic appeal and heartening story. Although the second portion of the film seems hustled, and several scenes in "Sugar Rush" are clichéd and lazily scripted, the film as a whole exceeds. The ending is very satisfying, and features a plot manipulation that is brilliant. Ralph is sure to become one of the prized characters in the Disney catalog. Wreck-It Ralph is anything but a disaster.