Wreck-It Ralph – review
As the newest release from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Wreck-It Ralph ventures into new territory. Video games have long been relegated to outside the mainstream. The film is direced by Rich Moore and stars John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch. Wreck-It Ralph is proof that video games have become more mainstream.
Set in an old school arcade, Ralph is a video game character in one of the arcade games. Unfortunately, Ralph has a problem. He play’s the part of the bad-guy in an arcade game. He wrecks stuff which is then fixed by the game’s protagonist Fix-It Felix. Ralph’s problem is that he has grown tired of being the bad guy. Everyone has a job to do and while he does his job as good as anyone else, as the bad guy, he gets none of the praise. So he decidedes to abandon his game in a search for self-discovery . . . and that’s really all that matters.
Ralph’s journey is full of fun video game references. It’s amusing to wonder how difficult it might be for Disney to secure the ability to include some of these characters. Aside from the cameos of known characters, Wreck-It Ralph is full of classic video game tropes and genres.
It’s hard to image John C. Reilly voicing the main character in an animated Disney movie, let along it turning out well, but his portrayal of Ralph is strong and multi-faceted. Likewise, Sarah Silverman at first seems like an odd choice, but seems to fit the part of Penelope well.
Ralph meets new people, explores new worlds, and makes new friends. In the end, he realizes that self-worth comes from the inside. That journey alone makes Wreck-It Ralph more valuable than the vast majority of films to come out of Disney. Some Disney movies aren’t thought of much or watched much after release. While it is certainly not as majestic as say The Lion King, Wreck it Ralph is good enough to have staying power. I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we hear from Ralph.