Taking its animation inspiration from Pixar, this 3D production hails from an idea for a movie about arcade games that had been knocking around Disney since the 1980’s. Originally entitled High Score, the concept was reworked over the years to eventually become Wreck-It Ralph.
Ralph’s game Fix-it Felix Jr. is loosely based on the hugely popular Donkey Kong, both games involving a handy-man who climbs up a building to reach the villain. Several well known computer game characters make appearances, from Sonic the Hedgehog to the legendary Pacman, while others, like Hero’s Duty, are interpretations of other well known games.
The story revolves around Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly,the villain of Fix-it Felix Jr, an older but still hugely popular arcade game which essentially involves Ralph wrecking everything and Felix fixing it. Every time Felix fixes the building structures that Ralph destroys, he receives a medal and Ralph is cruelly thrown off the roof by its inhabitants. His lonely existence is amplified by the fact that every night after the arcade closes and the game’s characters retire to their homes, Ralph must watch them go about their lives while he sleeps on his own in the dump. He envies Felix’s penthouse apartment, the hundreds of medals he receives for his constant success in the game but mostly, the fact that Felix has friends.
In an attempt to be included in the group, Ralph turns up to a party Felix has hosted to celebrate the game’s birthday, but soon finds out he is not wanted, unless he earns a medal like Felix’s. Under the illusion that he will be included, Ralph sets off through the other games in the arcade in the hopes of winning a medal, and thus the friendship of Felix and the others. However, his game cannot survive without him and when he disappears, Felix must set off after him to bring him home.
Wreck-It Ralph packs a lot of punch; although quite lengthy (the film clocks in at 108 minutes, which for a family film could be considered a little too long) Disney can certainly class this as one of the most imaginative and engaging of its productions. The world which they have created is on a par with Monsters Inc and Toy Story, somewhere you hope would exist when you turn off the lights and go to sleep. The characters from the various games pass through Game Central Station, they attend counselling meetings, they have relationships and parties, they even make cake.
Although John C. Reilly is perfect as the hero of the piece, the voice contributions from both Sarah Silverman and Jack McBrayer of 30 Rock fame are some of the best voice-overs to emerge from the Disney studios. Silverman lends her voice to the wonderful Vanellope from another arcade game Sugar Rush, while McBrayer is flawless as goody-two shoes Felix.
Besides the fact that Wreck-It Ralph has something for everyone, the beautiful Oscar-nominated Paperman plays out at the beginning, an extra bonus for animation lovers and a huge achievement for Irish animation.
