It's official: Disney Animation Studios has eclipsed Pixar. While Brave (2012) was good enough, it was surprisingly underwhelming, and that's disappointing considering that might be the the only non-sequal Pixar has in store for us in the next while. While some might attribute this to Pixar alum John Lasseter's jump to the parent company (that being Disney), there's really no reason why Pixar shouldn't sustain its momentum generated by its triumphs of not so long ago. Regardless, the rebooted DAS is four for four with its latest release, the very excellent and very exuberant Wreck-It Ralph (2012)!
Without really needing to get into the story, Wreck-It Ralph takes the familiar "who am I and what can I become?" story and appropriately inserts it into the world of games and gaming. I mean, what better environment to ask the "who am I and what can I become?" question? And this is obviously the focal point for the title character. Ralph (voiced by the uncanny John C. Riley) is the "bad guy" in his residence arcade game Fix-It Felix, but he's not a villain, he was just programmed that way, and that depresses him. It's interesting to see the nature vs. nurture debate played out in the gaming world, but it fits nicely into the maxim of what we are given vs. what we do with what we're given. Disney has never been a stranger to this kind of arc, but the fact that Ralph was designed to be his world's antagonist is all the more overwhelming; it really puts a new spin on the whole antihero trope! Riley voices his avatar with such conviction that you can believe Ralph truly wants to be something more than his "genetic" design. Even more amusing is Ralph's in-game nemesis Felix (voiced by the equally uncanny Jack McBrayer), who in some ways displays the same heart as Ralph, but is and always is the hero of the game. Unable to deal with always being the bad guy, Ralph eventually leaves his game and ventures into other Arcade games for the chance to be a hero; however, his design can only follow him, so he can only leave a path of destruction, a path that could lead to the end of his world, and other arcade worlds.
What could have just been a simple platonic cave film (like Brave) is instead a joyous voyage into the multiplicity of character within systems of society. Directer Rich Moore (a veteran of both The Simpsons and Futurama) uses his expertise in animated satire to craft a world where each arcade games acts as a different country governed by its game play. Walt himself might roll in his grave to see Marxism portrayed in such a colorful way, but he would probably applaud Ralph for fighting the system! Regardless, the satire is biting at times, but it's difficult to fixate on that when your favorite game characters and game references are around every corner. Indeed, Wreck-It Ralph takes on as much as it can, and multiplies it by a bucket of chicken to find the gamer in every audience member. What's truly amazing, however, is that all of the references and Easter eggs only serve to propel the enjoyment of the narrative, they don't submerge the plot in any way, and that's no easy task. Had the film only been a vehicle for the gaming references, it would still be enjoyable and exciting, but the fact that it keeps its narrative focus despite all of the chaos is a real credit to Disney's ambition.
In the end, Wreck-It Ralph takes a familiar story and filters it through a plethora of pop-cultural gaming references without losing the narrative; in fact, the film transcends every trope and every referential nugget to become the sum of its parts and thoroughly entertain. Ironically, this is arguably the the best gaming movie ever made, and the central games in the story don't even exist. However, if they did, I would certainly play them. In 1982, Disney made gaming waves with the groundbreaking Tron; three decades later, Disney does it again, but this time it's a celebration of what led us to this point, and no one will celebrate more than the audience.
McS
What could have just been a simple platonic cave film (like Brave) is instead a joyous voyage into the multiplicity of character within systems of society. Directer Rich Moore (a veteran of both The Simpsons and Futurama) uses his expertise in animated satire to craft a world where each arcade games acts as a different country governed by its game play. Walt himself might roll in his grave to see Marxism portrayed in such a colorful way, but he would probably applaud Ralph for fighting the system! Regardless, the satire is biting at times, but it's difficult to fixate on that when your favorite game characters and game references are around every corner. Indeed, Wreck-It Ralph takes on as much as it can, and multiplies it by a bucket of chicken to find the gamer in every audience member. What's truly amazing, however, is that all of the references and Easter eggs only serve to propel the enjoyment of the narrative, they don't submerge the plot in any way, and that's no easy task. Had the film only been a vehicle for the gaming references, it would still be enjoyable and exciting, but the fact that it keeps its narrative focus despite all of the chaos is a real credit to Disney's ambition.
In the end, Wreck-It Ralph takes a familiar story and filters it through a plethora of pop-cultural gaming references without losing the narrative; in fact, the film transcends every trope and every referential nugget to become the sum of its parts and thoroughly entertain. Ironically, this is arguably the the best gaming movie ever made, and the central games in the story don't even exist. However, if they did, I would certainly play them. In 1982, Disney made gaming waves with the groundbreaking Tron; three decades later, Disney does it again, but this time it's a celebration of what led us to this point, and no one will celebrate more than the audience.
McS
