FILM REVIEW: WRECK-IT RALPH

A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

My, Walt Disney has come a long way since Steamboat Mickey. In his 80 plus year legacy, his successors have managed to take over Pixar Animation Studios, conquer Marvel Entertainment and, most recently, become one with the force of Lucasfilm Ltd. So it’s not hard to see that Disney did not have a tough time licensing some of Nintendo and Sega’s past who’s-who for an ensemble of cameos and supporting cast, and what a great concept to utilize these iconic characters.

Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain in a game called Fix-It Felix, Jr. (the hero voiced by Jack McBrayer, from TV’s 30 Rock), an interpretation of Donkey Kong, where the large villain stands on top of a structure and tosses objects at the ascending handy man hero. It’s as close to Donkey Kong as Disney could get without bringing in that particular Mario antagonist (besides, there is already a Bowser in this one).

Without going too deep into the plot, because you’ve all seen the trailers, you should be aware that during Fix-It Felix Jr’s 30th anniversary, Ralph has grown tired of being the bad guy. After deciding he doesn’t want to be the villain anymore, he embarks on a game-hopping adventure, meeting colorful characters along the way.Supporting characters include Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch, TV’s Glee) and Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman).

Calhoun is from the Halo-esque Hero’s Duty, a hard bitch that steals the show and has more flair than your run-of-the-mill Disney princess. Can you picture her head on a PEZ dispenser, right next to Cinderella and Snow White in a supermarket, or guns and armor hanging between Pocahontas and Ariel costumes next Halloween? The leading ladies of Disney need a little more diversity, and I’m not talking about race.

And there’s little Vanellope, from the game Sugar Rush (just picture Mario Kart in Candy Land), who Ralph befriends, but it starts off as an all too familiar Disney cliché of two likely heroes, one infatuated with the other and opposite feelings coming from the receiving end.

After mistakenly unleashing a monster upon the game world, it’s up to these heroes, some likely (Calhoun, Felix), some less likely (Ralph, Vanellope) to save the day. The only catch is, once these characters are outside their own game world, if they die, their is no extra man. No restart button. Adults will appreciate Wreck-It Ralph as much as the children. Although the “adult humor” that has become so popular in many Disney films lately is almost non-existent, there are plenty of great references to scratch the 80s era kids’ nostalgia itch.

There are plenty more characters that weren’t featured in the attractions, but I won’t spoil it for you (what I will spoil is the product placement cameos, including Subway).The casting choices were spot-on, as Disney didn’t have to resort to the A-list for their top billed stars. Instead, they aptly casted from the A-minus list (not even close to B-listers). Reilly is believable as the titular gentle giant, Lynch’s Calhoun speaks with authority and Silverman’s voice is as sweet and innocent as the Sugar Rush gaming experience is itself.

Wreck-It Ralph has the potential to become the next big Disney franchise. Ol’ Ralphie will do for video games what Woody did for toys. Here’s to hoping for a sequel and a foreseeable franchise with hopefully more appearances of the ghosts of gamers’ past.

It was number one at the box office opening weekend, close to $50 million, and is still going strong. If you ask Ralph about his competition this coming weekend, he may answer with his 30-year-old catchphrase, “I’M GONNA WRECK IT!”

(9.0 out of 10)