By Ari Howorth
Staff Writer
Disney has hit a high score with its recent release, “Wreck-it Ralph.” Its unique plot and interesting characters make it an engaging and heartwarming film.
“Wreck-it Ralph’s” potent combination of intelligent writing and beautiful animation creates a visually pleasing, touching, and funny film. Its subtle references to video games and strong cast help to place this film among the year’s best.
“Wreck-it Ralph,” directed by Rich Moore, is the story of Ralph (John C. Reilly), the villain in the vintage arcade game “Fix-it Felix Jr.” After deciding that he doesn’t want to be a villain anymore, he leaves his game. He travels through a variety of video games all located in the same arcade, and ends up in the racing game “Sugar Rush.” There, he befriends Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a 12-year-old girl who is outcast by the other inhabitants in the game.
Meanwhile, Fix-it Felix (Jack McBrayer), the hero in Ralph’s game, searches for Ralph with General Calhoun (Jane Lynch). Calhoun is from the first-person shooter, “Hero’s Duty,” and is looking for a bug that has escaped from her game into “Sugar Rush,” which if not found will multiply and destroy the game.
The strongest aspect of the film is its animation, which is captivatingly detailed. The film creatively takes advantage of the colorful and intricate world of “Sugar Rush,” which provides the film’s most beautiful scenes, such as its climactic final race. It’s also supported by one of the year’s best use of 3-D.
The writing is thoroughly smart and engaging. The viewer is always entertained by the friendly banter between Ralph and Von Schweetz, as shown by their childish nicknames for each other. Calhoun’s humor, on the other hand, is derived from her serious demeanor, making her one of the most funny characters.
The film is packed full of various videogame references, which add to the humor and intelligence of “Wreck-it Ralph.” Some of these may be too subtle for the average viewer, but even without context these references still have comedic value. These jokes allow the film to include many funny gimmicks.
In one scene, the characters meet in the “Pac-Man” arcade game. Although all of the characters appear normally, the camera shows a view from outside the videogame world. In reality, they are comically shown as pixilated versions of themselves.
The voice acting in the movie is perfect. Reilly and Silverman lead the cast with emotional performances. Similarly, every line from McBrayer and Lynch is charismatically delivered. Alan Tudyk is also a standout with his goofy, lisped role as King Candy, the king of “Sugar Rush.”
The film is preceded by the black and white short film, “Paperman.” “Paperman” uses a style of animation that combines hand-drawn and computer-generated animation to set an emotional tone for the movie that follows.
“Wreck-it Ralph” is a touching film that is enjoyable for audiences of all ages. Its abundance of laughs and references keep it witty and entertaining.
“Wreck-it Ralph” is rated PG and is playing nationwide in 2-D and 3-D formats.
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