Wreck-It Ralph (2012) started to move away from princess films with Tangled (2010). It was directed by Rich Moore who previously worked on The Simpsons and Futurama. The screenplay is by Phil Johnston, who wrote the comedy Cedar Rapids (2011), and Jennifer Lee who later wrote and co-directed Frozen (2013). The story is by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, and Jim Reardon. After the castle logo, there is a 6-bit rendition of Walt Disney Animation Studios logo with Steamboat Willie, hilarious! Then, we get the zoom in on the Fix-It Felix arcade game.
As the game plays we get the narration of John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph. Reilly has a long career in comedy, but also the musical Chicago (2002) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). His earlier voice work was in the animated film, 9 (2009). He has a comedic and dramatic role as Oliver Hardy in next year’s Stan & Ollie. Ralph laments that he is the bad guy, but it is perfect for his job as wrecker. Ralph is massive with a red T-shirt and half-buttoned, brown overalls. The game is a throw back to the 80’s arcade games with building destruction like Rampage (1986) and movement around a building like Elevator Action (1983) with a touch of Donkey Kong (1981). The best part is when was Felix-It Felix became and actual arcade game.
As the game plays we get the narration of John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph. Reilly has a long career in comedy, but also the musical Chicago (2002) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). His earlier voice work was in the animated film, 9 (2009). He has a comedic and dramatic role as Oliver Hardy in next year’s Stan & Ollie. Ralph laments that he is the bad guy, but it is perfect for his job as wrecker. Ralph is massive with a red T-shirt and half-buttoned, brown overalls. The game is a throw back to the 80’s arcade games with building destruction like Rampage (1986) and movement around a building like Elevator Action (1983) with a touch of Donkey Kong (1981). The best part is when was Felix-It Felix became and actual arcade game.
Ralph has contempt for his nemesis Fix-It Felix voiced by Jack McBrayer. He is known for 30 Rock, he previously provided a voice in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011). Felix has the perpetual smile that is classic McBrayer. The downside is that we don’t get what is missing from the character until later. Ralph says his success is due to Felix’ magic hammer. The people of the Niceland building, whom look like round pegs similar to the Weebles toy, reward Felix with a medal. Ralph is thrown off the building and into mud. Ralph says he has been working for 30 years and we get a pull back to show the arcade and changes of games.
The closing of the arcade brings out the characters similar to Toy Story (1995). We go into the Fix-It Felix, Jr. screen, to the video game world. This made me think of the ground breaking film, Tron (1982). Ralph is sad about finishing the day going to his home, the dump, a hill made of bricks with a tree stump. His narration is applauded by the villains of Bad-Anon. This is a fun line-up of video game characters like Clyde (Kevin Deters), the orange Pac-Man ghost, and Zingief (Rich Moore), the Russian wrestler from Street Fighter, who likes being a bad guy. Clyde asks Ralph why he finally joined the group. He says it’s his game’s 30th anniversary. The general from Street Fighter, M. Bison (Gerald C. Rivers), asks him if he is going “Turbo.” A therapy group for villains is a clever idea.
The closing of the arcade brings out the characters similar to Toy Story (1995). We go into the Fix-It Felix, Jr. screen, to the video game world. This made me think of the ground breaking film, Tron (1982). Ralph is sad about finishing the day going to his home, the dump, a hill made of bricks with a tree stump. His narration is applauded by the villains of Bad-Anon. This is a fun line-up of video game characters like Clyde (Kevin Deters), the orange Pac-Man ghost, and Zingief (Rich Moore), the Russian wrestler from Street Fighter, who likes being a bad guy. Clyde asks Ralph why he finally joined the group. He says it’s his game’s 30th anniversary. The general from Street Fighter, M. Bison (Gerald C. Rivers), asks him if he is going “Turbo.” A therapy group for villains is a clever idea.
The meeting ends with the villains leaving Clyde’s Pac-Man game, but Ralph takes along some cherries on the Pac-Man-A-Rail to Game Central Station. Surge Protector (Phil Johnston), the station’s security guard, checks on Ralph, but he manages to slip the cherries past him. Ralph gives a cherry to Q*Bert who had his game unplugged. He really shows kindness here since all of the other characters seem to pass by Q*Bert. Ralph returns to his game and he is not happy being left out. Ralph appears at the door and Felix is told to send him away by the Nicelanders. Felix too nice to not ask Ralph in for cake. He does so wrecking the apartment and killing Felix with debris, but he is back to life which can only be done inside his game.
Ralph sees the cake and moves the decoration of himself to the top of the building with everyone else. Gene (Raymond S. Persi) argues with Ralph over the medal and if he gets a medal, Ralph could live in the penthouse. Ralph gets angry and wrecks the cake splattering it everywhere. Ralph tells his resolution to Tapper (Maurice LaMarche) of the game Root Beer Tapper. He goes to check Lost and Found and is bumped by a man in armor. The soldier, Markowski (Joe Lo Truglio) is tired of fighting Cy-Bugs and thinks it’s too much to win the Medal of Heroes. He sees a cockroach on Ralph’s shoulder and knocks himself out. Ralph dresses in his armor and heads off to the Hero’s Duty game. This is a military shooter game like Halo or Mass Effect. In Game Central Station, Ralph trips over Q*Bert and heads into the game.
Ralph sees the cake and moves the decoration of himself to the top of the building with everyone else. Gene (Raymond S. Persi) argues with Ralph over the medal and if he gets a medal, Ralph could live in the penthouse. Ralph gets angry and wrecks the cake splattering it everywhere. Ralph tells his resolution to Tapper (Maurice LaMarche) of the game Root Beer Tapper. He goes to check Lost and Found and is bumped by a man in armor. The soldier, Markowski (Joe Lo Truglio) is tired of fighting Cy-Bugs and thinks it’s too much to win the Medal of Heroes. He sees a cockroach on Ralph’s shoulder and knocks himself out. Ralph dresses in his armor and heads off to the Hero’s Duty game. This is a military shooter game like Halo or Mass Effect. In Game Central Station, Ralph trips over Q*Bert and heads into the game.
At Litwak’s Arcade, Litwak (Ed O’Neill) opens the door for eager gamers, Hero’s Duty is a full screen with four rifles for gamers. The soldiers are given a debriefing by Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch). She has short, blond hair and a tough attitude with some remarks right out of Sue Sylvester in Glee. A robot with a game screen appears with a rifle identified as a “First Person Shooter.” The skies fill with the Cy-Bugs, a nightmare out of Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. Ralph takes cover with the First Person Shooter who gets attacked by a Cy-Bug. A shaft of light, a beacon, draws away the Cy-Bugs. The call is made to return to Start Positions, but Sergeant Calhoun gets angry at Ralph for interfering with the First Person Shooter.
The Moppet Girl (Stefanie Scott) who was playing Hero’s Duty goes to play Sugar Rush, but two bullies knock away her quarter. She tries to play Fix-It Felix, Jr., but there is no Ralph! Everyone is shocked he is gone. The game goes into chaos so Moppet Girl complains to Mr. Litwak who hangs an Out of Order sign on the screen. Q*Bert has arrived at the game to tell them that Ralph has gone Turbo! He is busy climbing the tower of the Cy-Bugs in the rain. Sergeant Calhoun hears some hopping and fires on Fix-It Felix! He is scared she is going to shoot him, then is stunned to see her face. Ralph breaks into the tower filled with Cy-Bug eggs, yup, right out of Alien (1979). General Hologram (Dennis Haysbert) awards Ralph the Medal of Heroes.
The Moppet Girl (Stefanie Scott) who was playing Hero’s Duty goes to play Sugar Rush, but two bullies knock away her quarter. She tries to play Fix-It Felix, Jr., but there is no Ralph! Everyone is shocked he is gone. The game goes into chaos so Moppet Girl complains to Mr. Litwak who hangs an Out of Order sign on the screen. Q*Bert has arrived at the game to tell them that Ralph has gone Turbo! He is busy climbing the tower of the Cy-Bugs in the rain. Sergeant Calhoun hears some hopping and fires on Fix-It Felix! He is scared she is going to shoot him, then is stunned to see her face. Ralph breaks into the tower filled with Cy-Bug eggs, yup, right out of Alien (1979). General Hologram (Dennis Haysbert) awards Ralph the Medal of Heroes.
Ralph has visions of his life with the medal, but steps on an egg, which sends out a tiny Cy-Bug onto his face. Shades of the Face-Hugger! He falls into an escape pod, flies past Sergeant Calhoun and Fix-It Felix, into Game Central Station. Then flying into the candy-coated rainbow world of Sugar Rush. The cotton candy clouds fill the engines of the escape pod sending it crashing down. They are jettisoned by the escape pod with the Cy-Bug sinking into a pool of taffy and Ralph up a candy cane tree. There is some introduction to Ralph’s video game world, hints of Sugar Rush, but the actual story of two friends doesn’t start until the second half of the movie. Ralph finds his medal on the candy cane tree at the taffy pool.
He is questioned by the mocking Vanellope von Schweetz voiced by Sarah Silverman. Silverman is the host of her Hulu show I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman and provides voices for Bob’s Burgers. Vanellope bounces her way to the medal, she glitches (this is a part of her character), and Ralph falls into the taffy! At Game Central Station, Surge Protector leads Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun to Sugar Rush. Her fellow soldier explains Calhoun’s “tragic backstory” and Fix-It Felix joins her. The relationship between them is sweet. At the Sugar Rush race, Sour Bill (Rich Moore doing his best Steven Wright) introduces King Candy, the zany ruler who is voiced by Alan Tudyk. This is Tudyk in his best Ed Wynn voice as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (1951). It is almost a second movie with Wreck-It Ralph trying to get his medal and Vanellope desperate to enter the race. Ralph has to uncover the secret of Sugar Rush and the new threat that can destroy all of the games! Maybe a bad guy can become a hero.
He is questioned by the mocking Vanellope von Schweetz voiced by Sarah Silverman. Silverman is the host of her Hulu show I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman and provides voices for Bob’s Burgers. Vanellope bounces her way to the medal, she glitches (this is a part of her character), and Ralph falls into the taffy! At Game Central Station, Surge Protector leads Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun to Sugar Rush. Her fellow soldier explains Calhoun’s “tragic backstory” and Fix-It Felix joins her. The relationship between them is sweet. At the Sugar Rush race, Sour Bill (Rich Moore doing his best Steven Wright) introduces King Candy, the zany ruler who is voiced by Alan Tudyk. This is Tudyk in his best Ed Wynn voice as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland (1951). It is almost a second movie with Wreck-It Ralph trying to get his medal and Vanellope desperate to enter the race. Ralph has to uncover the secret of Sugar Rush and the new threat that can destroy all of the games! Maybe a bad guy can become a hero.
Three Glitches out of Five!
#WreckItRalph, #JohnCReilly, #SarahSilverman, #JackMcBrayer, #JaneLynch
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