Wreck-It Ralph

Disney has proven that they can still be great storytellers, that they can still provide a good product.  They've made missteps, but Wreck-It Ralph is another film that reinforces the belief that Disney hasn't lost their touch.  While they face greater competition, their recent track record is impressive.*

I guess the first thing to address would likely be the animation.  Computer generated animation continues to improve, with different studios pushing the boundaries in different ways.  As far as I'm concerned, Pixar does hair better than any other.  While Disney may not have a particularly amazing contribution as far as furthering the technology, they have had some great stories.  Both Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph were engaging stories about people finding themselves.  Wreck-It Ralph follows Ralph's journey; he decides he doesn't like being the bad guy.  The film follows his adventure.

As I was saying, the animation is solid.  There are no boundaries being pushed, but you don't have to improve the medium to put on a good show.  The animation successfully conveys a great number of textures convincingly.  Additionally, it is used to portray video games from their initial appearance to today's impressive graphics.  Being able to pull that off may sound simple, but it's visually impressive.

The animation is exploited in the best way when married to 3D.  I've long said that 3D is a gimmick, but I can still appreciate when it is done well.  I expect Disney to be successful in that regard because they've been utilizing 3D in the parks for years.  When others payed no attention to it, Disney was throwing water on their glasses wearing park guests.

While Wreck-It Ralph doesn't contain a lot of scenes with stuff flying out at you, it is easy to believe that you're looking into a deeper world.  There is a scene where Fix-It Felix is talking to Calhoun.  In the background, there is graffiti on the wall.  We noticed something funny written on a wall earlier, so we were paying more attention to the background than the foreground characters.  I actually leaned forward to look behind Felix.  Yes, I felt stupid.  At the same time, that's how immersive and well done the 3D is in Wreck-It Ralph.

We've established how well done the movie is visually, but without a good story, it simply becomes Sucker Punch.**  Luckily, they've taken a common idea and made it into a compelling story.  The characters are fleshed out enough to make you care.  It's neat to take a look at the video game world from the perspective of the bad guy.  Wreck-It Ralph is well put together, providing room for Ralph to struggle with his lot in life.  Watching him fight who everyone tells him he is, as well as who he has been for thirty years, is rewarding and touching.

Each of the voice actors infuses their character with life and energy.***  The casting is spot on.  I couldn't imagine any of those characters sounding any different, yet I wasn't stuck on who was voicing them.****  It takes good acting, a great story, and solid animation to create a character.  Wreck-It Ralph succeeds.

I suppose I was destined to like this movie, as I get excited when there are pop culture references that I recognize.  Mark was worried they were pandering to us; I don't think they were, as they gave us a quality product.  Pandering tends to be relatively empty of anything positive.  The references to other video games were appropriate and added to the story; they made sense.  It was fun to see video game cliches pointed out and successfully used.*****

Wreck-It Ralph is a great movie.  You don't have to know a ton about video games to enjoy it.  It gets rather dark at times and tugs on some heart strings, but it's a fun ride.  It's kind of like the Roger Rabbit of video game movies.  Mark counts it among one of his favorites.  I really enjoyed it but expected a bit more of an epic feel.  Even so, I enjoyed it and look forward to watching it on Blu-Ray, when I can pause it to look at the backgrounds.

*I know Pixar shouldn't really be considered their competition any longer, but there are still multiple entities creating animated features for the viewing public.

**In case you were wondering, the movie is terrible.  Bonus review for you!

***On a side note, I didn't even recognize Alan Tudyk as King Candy.  My mind has been blown.  It's very unusual for me to miss something like that.  I actually had to go find a video of him doing the voice because I just couldn't make my brain believe.

****I did have a few moments where it was odd to realize that Dr. Steve Brule was behind Ralph.

*****The darkest back-story!