For just a mere moment early on, Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph looks like it’s attempting to ape Pixar’s Toy Story. There are certainly superficial similarities: Both animated films initially focus on the relationship between children and their playthings. Both address what those playthings do in their downtime, when no human beings are looking.
But Wreck-It Ralph has loftier ambitions than imitating a previous success. It’s a wildly exciting ride that’s also a surprisingly ambitious, crafty film that piles subplot upon subplot, building a teetering tower of ideas that seems more suited to a full season of television than a single feature film. And it works. Boy howdy, does it work.
A video-game villain, voiced by John C. Reilly, tries to become a good guy by taking his talents to other video games in the arcade. Ralph has been smashing things for three decades, and he joins a “Bad-Anon” meeting to commiserate with his fellow video-game villains (including the ghost from Pac-Man, M. Bison, the hatchet zombie from House of the Dead and the Red Cyclone himself, Zangief!) over his life choices.
A short-tempered but ultimately kind-hearted lug who destroys things in order for his nemesis, Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), to repair them, Ralph decides that he might be able to gain newfound respect in the eyes of his video game’s inhabitants, the Nicelanders, if he can gain a medal elsewhere in the arcade. So he travels into a first-person shooter, and then into a stylized racing game, where he finds himself first at odds, and then allied with, a smarmy girl voiced by Sarah Silverman who wants to compete in one of the races. Meanwhile, Fix-It Felix also leaves his own game and makes the cross-arcade trek looking for Ralph.
The in-depth plot reaches dizzying momentum fairly early, introducing myriad world-building rules, character threads, and a slew of in-jokes for the parents whose children are too young to remember the many classic games referenced. The emotional core of the story is anchored by the relationship between Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz. The casting of Silverman proves a particular stroke of genius, as the character synchronizes perfectly with the comedienne’s brand of childish humor. She (and Reilly) really hit their marks in character building, instilling their CGI avatars with the deep-seated sorrow besieged by their respective isolation.
That said, it does get predictable enough at times. As mentioned earlier, the plot can get confusing for kids, but the overall story won’t ever confuse them. It’s definitely more a Disney movie rather than a Pixar movie. Not that that’s too much of a bother. If anything, you’ll always be enthralled by what you see on screen. Visually, Pixar’s influence is also evident in the level of detail lavished on the wide range of quirky characters and nearly every setting and background scene. Video game nerds will be combing the movie, looking for easter eggs for months. Fortunately, the more sugar-coated sentiments are mostly dialed back in favor of genuine character development and rousing, digitally realistic 3D action. It’s a beauty, especially in 3D.
Despite the movie’s mind-boggling visual range, the Wreck-It Ralph‘s major asset is its humanity. Director Rich Moore never loses sight of that as he revs up this fast-moving film. The script never sacrifices the central story for a joke either. That choice makes room for a lot of heart to work its way in around the comedy with Reilly and Silverman, both excellent, doing the heavy lifting on that front.
More culturally connected and a tad racier than we usually see in the Disney brand, Wreck-It Ralph does a terrific job of providing enough oomph and aaaahs for adults and plenty of giggles for kids inside its artfully wrapped animation package. Whether the presence of Pixar’s John Lasseter at the studio’s animation helm or the new kids on the filmmaking block are responsible, the film blows in like a breath of fresh air.