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Disney’s done it again with “Wreck-It Ralph.” This is a movie anyone can love, and it’s definitely another one to which it would be great to bring your kids along. The central protagonist, Ralph, is actually a villain, not a hero. He’s the guy in an arcade game who wrecks a building, for the hero (and titular character in his game), Fix-It Felix, to repair.
Ralph has spent 30 years as the villain, and that wouldn’t be so bad if at night, when the lights in the arcade go off and the denizens of the games go off the clock, Ralph wasn’t still treated like a villain. When the citizens of “Wreck-It Ralph” throw a thirtieth anniversary party, Ralph isn’t invited, and he’s reviled when he tries to show up for a slice of cake (something he’s never had, despite the fact that Felix is gifted baked goods by the residents of the game’s building, on a regular basis).
So Ralph ditches his game in search of another one that will allow him to be a hero. On the way he meets Vanellope, who lives in “Sugar Rush,” a Candyland-set racing game. Vanellope is a glitch character, a fellow outcast. She’s the only one that really understands Ralph’s feelings; the other villains, at Ralph’s weekly support group, all want to encourage Ralph to embrace his villainous life. Ralph doesn’t want that, he wants to be a hero, or if, barring that, he at least wants to be accepted and appreciated by others. That’s all Vanellope wants as well.
The heart of “Wreck-It Ralph” is about accepting others for who they are. It’s about not having to change ourselves to make others love us, but about how we should all embrace our differences. People might be on different walks of life, and we should respect that, while not ostracizing them for it. We should try to consider what life is like from someone else’s point of view. But at the same time, we shouldn’t envy someone else’s position, and try to find the pride, honor, and duty in our own.
Of course that the film would be heartwarming was never in doubt; this is Disney in the Pixar era, after all. Special mention really needs to go to all of the artists involved in the movie: this is one of the most richly detailed worlds I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I could fill an entire blog heaping praises on the breathtaking attention to detail in the world design.
In fact, the entire film is lush with detail. “Wreck-It Ralph,” as early promotions for the film suggested, is loaded with references for classic gaming fans. The “Sugar Rush” world in particular is full of word-play both auditory and visual, and like I said earlier, the sheer detail of the world design in every area of the movie is stunning.
“Wreck-It Ralph” is just fun all over. It’s funny, cute, sweet, artistic, and even silly in a few places. Disney has said it wants to dial back on the fairy tale films and focus more on, well, it didn’t say what, just that it wants to dial back on the fairy tales. I admit I’m saddened by that, as I was raised on Disney fairy tales, but if “Wreck-It Ralph” indicates the direction in which the company is headed, then bring it on.
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