If Brave was
Pixar's most Disney-like movie, then Wreck-It
Ralph might be Disney's most Pixar-esque film to date. The comparison is
easy to see since the concept could succinctly be described as Toy Story for video games.
Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of an old
school arcade game modeled after Donkey Kong. He's a burly brute who is forced
to live in the city dump while his nemesis, Fix-It Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer),
lives in luxury in a high-rise apartment with his fellow Nicelanders. Ralph
trashes the building, but Felix always manages to fix the damage before Ralph
is tossed acrimoniously into the mud. Poor Ralph is tired of playing the
antagonist, especially when he constantly sees the other Nicelanders lavish
accolades for Felix. To paraphrase Who
Framed Roger Rabbit, Ralph's not a bad guy, he's just programmed that way.
Ralph game jumps into a violent, high-tech first person
shooter called Hero's Duty to win a
medal and prove he can be a hero. From there, he winds up in Sugar Rush, a candy-themed racing game
where he meets little Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), who is shunned
by the other racers and their monarch King Candy (Alan Tudyk) for being a
glitch. Meanwhile, Felix and Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch), the lead in Hero's Duty, set off to find Ralph
before the arcade permanently unplugs their game.
Wreck-It Ralph
features a wealth of video game references, many of which will go over the
heads of younger viewers and casual gamers. At one point, Ralph attends a
support group named Bad Guys Anonymous with M. Bison, Zangief, Kano, Dr.
Eggman, King Bowser, and one of the Pac-Man ghosts. Other cameos include other Street Fighter characters (Chun-Li, Ken,
Ryu), Sonic the Hedgehog, Frogger, and the paddles from Pong. King Candy has a vault with a giant Nintendo controller as
the door with the combination set as the Konami Code. Novelty duo Bruckner & Garcia, best known for their 1982 single "Pac-Man Fever," were plucked out of obscurity to write a Wreck-It Ralph theme song. There's even graffiti
with internet memes like "Leroy Jenkins was here" and ”All your
fortress are belong to us." The most heartbreaking moment in Wreck-It Ralph is the appearance of Q*bert
and his supporting cast, who have been rendered homeless after their game was
unplugged.
In lesser hands, Wreck-It
Ralph could have rested on simply stringing together one pop culture
reference after another. However, there is genuine heart and humor to the story
thanks to director Rich Moore, who has helmed some of the best Simpsons episodes. He can count
"Cape Feare," "Marge vs. the Monorail," and "Lisa's
Substitute" on his resume. Moore worked on the script with another Simpsons alum Jim Reardon, Phil Johnston
(Cedar Rapids), and newcomer Jennifer
Lee. The results of their work impart tried and true themes of friendship and self-affirmation.
The majority of the film is set within Sugar
Rush, which may seem like the least interesting world that they could have
explored. Yet, the animation is gorgeous and the writers find clever ways to
work in renowned food products, such as a volcano of diet cola with Mentos
stalactites.
It is here that the movie also explores the budding camaraderie
between Ralph and Vanellope, both of whom are considered pariahs within their respective
societies. Thanks to the voice actors there's a real tenderness to the
characters. John C. Reilly is perfectly cast as the lovable lug while Sarah
Silverman brings her trademark caustic (though sanitized) humor. Jack McBrayer
is another spot-on casting choice as the "Aww, shucks" Fix-It Felix.
Alan Tudyk steals the show as the loopy King Candy with a gusto impression of
Ed Wynn.
It may be hyperbole on my part when I say Wreck-It Ralph comes exceedingly close
to reaching the heights of Disney's renaissance era when they were pumping out The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, and
Beauty and the Beast. Wreck-It Ralph is not just the best
animated film of the year, but one of the best Disney productions in years.
Rating: **** (*****)
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