Disney has made some really good animated movies, but they had never done a lot of movies that are as bright and original as Wreck-it Ralph, the new animated film from Disney. The movie centers on Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly), the villain in the "Fix-it Felix" arcade game, who decides to become a hero. Because he doesn't like being a bad guy, he goes into some of the video games in order to learn what it's like to become a good guy. He also befriends a character known as Vanellope von Schweetz (voiced by Sarah Silverman) from a candy-coated racing game called "Sugar Rush". When Ralph accidentally unleashes a threat in the arcade, he tries his best to save the day and become a true hero.
I had extremely high expectations for this movie. I had the feeling that this will turn out to be an excellent animated film. I thought the premise to this sounded really cool and clever – a love letter to video games. I really love the voice cast.
So, did Wreck-it Ralph met my expectations? Absolutely! This was such a fun animated movie for all ages, and better than Disney/PIXAR's Brave (which was also very good).
John C. Reilly delivered a strong performance as the title character, who wants to make a change in his life, achieve it, and become what he wants to be. That's what a great movie character is about. Sarah Silverman provides most of the movie's funny moments as one of the "Sugar Rush" characters who Ralph befriends, and is a "glitch" (a character who faults the game). She tries to get Ralph for help to become a racer once again. Jack McBrayer (from the hit-show, 30 Rock) has an amusing supporting role as Fix-it Felix, the main hero in the "Fix-it Felix" arcade game, who sets out to find Ralph and get him back to where he belongs. Jane Lynch does a great job playing the main character in a first-person shooter game known as "Hero's Duty", who tries to find Ralph, alongside Felix.
I didn't see the movie in 3D; which I must say it does look pretty darn good in 3D, but I decided to stick with the 2D because of the sharp, pristine screen.
The animation is simply wonderful; the bright colors, the set-ups, the environments, the characters all look fantastic. At times, the movie is very gorgeous to look at on the big screen.
The characters in this were likable and funny. It was awesome to see some video game characters making cameos (like Bowser, Pac-Man, Sonic, etc.). The story to the movie is well-thought out and genuinely clever. It's always nice to see something new to the table. I really liked the themes to the movie: What does it mean to be a true hero? How can the main character's goal become a success? And so forth.
Generally, movies from Disney and/or PIXAR give a lot heart into their stories, which makes the tone of the movie become very sweet. Wreck-it Ralph has enough heart to make it that way. From start to finish, this movie is a lot of fun, and when families bring their kids to see this movie, they're going to fall in love with it.
10/10
