While there are many
that would argue differently, 2012 has been a relatively good year for
animation. With Brave, Pirates! Band of Misfits and Frankenweenie (among
others), there's been plenty of appealing films for all ages. And while
Wreck-It Ralph looked somewhat less promising than the others in my
eyes, it ended up being an absolute joy and one of the best of 2012.
Set
in the video game world, Wreck-It Ralph is a typical arcade villain
who's tired of being bad. In an attempt to start a new life, Ralph "game
jumps" to a game called Hero's Duty, and through a chaotic series of
events, ends up in a kart racing game called Sugar Rush. In this Candy
Land of video games, Ralph meets a little girl named Vanellope whom is
determined to be accepted among the residents of Sugar Rush by winning a
kart race against them.
Wreck-It Ralph is a video game movie,
and while video game oriented films have a reputation for being
relatively awful, Wreck-It Ralph exceeds any pre-expectations that one
may have as a result. Perhaps part of Wreck-It Ralph's success comes
from the fact that it adapts the video game world, as opposed to
adapting an individual video game.
Gamers will get the most out
of Wreck-It Ralph. A minute rarely goes by without some reference to
some video game, video game character or video game cliché. It
effectively satires everything that's good and bad about video games in a
way that won't insult gamers, but rather leaving them chuckling as they
nod in acknowledgement.
Bowser, Sonic the Hedgehog, Q*Bert, Pac
Man, Dig Dug and dozens of other make cameo appearances (some even have
speaking roles). Mario didn't make it, though he is briefly mentioned
once.
But fear not, Wreck-It Ralph won't only appeal to gamers.
Even those who aren't familiar with the wonderful world of video games
will find much humor. Wreck-It Ralph has plenty of humor in the less
video game oriented field, though many of the best bits come from the
various video game references and satire humor.
As is typical
for a Disney film, Wreck-It Ralph is filled with memorable characters.
The title character, Ralph, while still a bit on the generic side, is an
easy to like protagonist. Vanellope is a sarcastic little girl, who is
actually much less annoying than one might initially expect (she
actually sort of grows on you). Other characters are more entertaining.
Fix-It Felix Jr. is the goodie-two-shoes of this movie, while Sergeant
Jean Calhoun is a no-nonsense space commander. The most memorable
character, however, is King Candy, who's the ridiculously over the top
and punn-y leader of Sugar Rush (though he may feel a bit too familiar
to the Mad Hatter for some).
Perhaps what's most surprising
about Wreck-It Ralph is how moving it is. It's initial attempts at
poignancy may seem a bit clumsy and predictable at first, but it quickly
develops into something much more satisfying, if far from the elegance
of Pixar.
The animation is incredible. From the purposely stiff
animation in Wreck-It Ralph's game, to the hyper realistic looking
Hero's Duty, to the colorful Sugar Rush, Wreck-It Ralph is the most
visually superb computer animated film of the year. A vast array of
blink-and-then- you'll-miss-it sight gags that is practically begging
for repeat viewings.
Cast members include John C. Reily, Sarah
Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch among others. Each voice actor
blends beautifully with their character, though outside of Alan Tudyk
(the voice of King Candy), there aren't any standouts.
The score
by Henry Jackman captures the video game world perfectly. Mixing
electronic instruments and orchestra intelligently, Jackman provides an
energetic score for Wreck-It Ralph. The heavy use of electric guitar in
the Hero's Duty world is purposely overdone to humorous effect, and the
theme for the Sugar Rush races is joyfully nostalgic and sounds just
like a tune you might listen to in a Mario Kart game. Still, during some
of the more serious (and thankfully rare) moments, the score becomes
rather generic, and less memorable than the other tracks.
In a
film that does so much right, it feels almost overly hypocritical to
point out some of things that Wreck-It Ralph does wrong, but they should
be mentioned.
Wreck-It Ralph often suffers from being too
familiar. Taking bits and pieces from Alice in Wonderland, Monsters
Inc., Toy Story, Despicable Me, and various others, Wreck-It Ralph
occasionally feels a bit recycled. Still, there's so much of Wreck-It
Ralph that's clever and original, this can be overlooked.
What
CAN'T be overlooked, however, is the potty humor. Wreck-It Ralph is not
stuffed with crude humor, but the almost constant smile on my face
changed into a frown during these instances. The potty humor is not
necessary, and only makes the film feel more childish than it should. It
surely won't score points with parents who will find this to be the
only questionable content in an otherwise family-friendly film.
While
familiar elements, occasional potty humor and sometimes overly sappy
emotion fills the screen, Wreck-It Ralph is an absolutely outrageous
film. Consistently clever, visually enchanting, and extremely memorable
while even delivering a twist or two, Wreck-It Ralph is a must-see for
gamers and adults that grew up with these games. Wreck-It Ralph is
unlikely to be considered one of Disney's best films, but it's certainly
one of their funniest.
Note: Wreck-It Ralph is preceded by a short called Paperman that is cute and charming, if not quite groundbreaking.
