Wreck-It Ralph

Disney

Last year, two animated films reawakened an interest in stop-motion (Frankenweenie and ParaNorman). But Disney (which released Frankenweenie) decided that a black-and-white stop-motion flick might not equal big box office returns, so they made sure to release another flick – a computer-animated one.^{[citation needed]} It’s funny how in Hollywood, computer animation has become the norm, while clay and stop-motion have been relegated to weird, artsy films.

Disney

Screw those artsy animated movies!

Anyway, what was I talking about? Right, computers. So... a computer is actually nothing more than a medium. Some artists like to draw on canvas, some on paper, some on walls, while others simply prefer computers. And for your art to become most effective, the medium shouldn’t just be a stylistic choice, but should contribute to the overall theme. And it works very well for Wreck-It Ralph, because it’s about video games. I especially loved the animation of the Nicelanders, whose 8-bit movements provide a pleasing contrast to the fluid motions of the rest of the film.

Disney

Yes, that's splatter in 8-bit. Cute, right?

The thing that struck me after watching this film was how very similar this was to a Pixar flick. Pixar and Disney Animation are two separate entities, in case you didn’t know. Tangled was Disney, but it wasn’t Pixar, despite the visual similarities between them. What differentiates a Pixar flick from the other animation studios is the effort it exerts in quality storytelling. And after watching Wreck-It Ralph, you would definitely think that Pixar had a hand in this, because the story is just so damn good.

Disney

Wait... John Lasseter? Isn't he... ? Oh, I get it.

Wreck-It Ralph. USA. 2012.



Original rating: 7.5 / 10
John C. Reilly not using a lower voice for Ralph: - 0.05
Fix-It Felix, Jr. sounding exactly like Jack McBrayer even with your eyes closed: - 0.05
Jane Lynch making her otherwise hot character sound like Sue Sylvester: - 0.05
Sarah Silverman not making Vanellope sound like an actual kid: - 0.05
Ed O'Neill voicing the arcade owner: + 0.05
Alan Tudyk's excellent voice acting: + 0.1
Video game character cameos galore: + 0.3
Totally playable spin-off games at the official Disney site: + 0.3
Final rating: 8.05 / 10





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