Nothing has gone through as much of a metamorphosis as video games. Once upon a time video games were exclusive to arcades. Here, people inserted quarters for jubilant 8-bit fun, finding themselves immersed into the escapades of the Mario Bros. and Dig Dug for hours on ends. While they haven’t gone quite extinct, their popularity has diminished in recent years thanks to the presence of home and portable gaming devices.
Look for arcades to get a major boost now thanks to the fantastic animated feature ‘Wreck-It Ralph” which takes us into the world of these arcades and the characters who inhabit it for wonderful results.
Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the bad guy in the ever popular video game Fix-It Felix. While the good guy Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) gets all the glory, Ralph feels underappreciated in his own game and decides to set out to earn respect. On his journey, he meets the tough as nails Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch), eccentric King Candy (Alan Tudyk) and kindred spirit Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) and soon learns how to truly become a hero.
The world of “Wreck-It Ralph” is ingenious, full of nostalgic delight and one of the best created animated worlds ever. Full of wonderful video game characters like Q-Bert, Sonic and Zangief, there’s plenty to warrant multiple viewings of the movie. To boot, there’s also plenty of perfect wordplay (when one character asks if it hurt when King Candy was hit with icing, he notes how “it only glazed me!”) and a sense of inventiveness that’s been missing from several recent animated features (*Cough* “Hotel Transylvania” *Cough*) These cameos help liven up the first 30 minutes, but the best part of the movie is, even without these cameos, you’re still invested in this brilliant world.
The voice acting is tremendous, certainly the best of the year by far. Not once did I ever think of the celebrities behind these characters, rather they became separate entities of their own. Kudos to the writers for making these characters so lifelike and realistic for such a feat to be accomplished. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman are apparently having a blast as Ralph and Vannellope while Jack McBrayer is perfect as Fix-It Felix Jr. The best of the bunch is easily Alan Tudyk as King Candy, who is so wonderfully animated and voiced it’s almost unbelievable.
Director Rich Moore has done several wonderful episodes of both “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” and he shines here in his first movie directing credit. Bringing well-earned emotion and belly laughs, Moore finds the perfect balance making himself a talent worth watching.
The best part about “Wreck-It Ralph” is the emotion presented, especially in Ralph who is such a relatable character it’s mildly frightening. His plight to be accepted is a universal idea, especially for me, and it feels well done and fresh here. There’s a PIXAR-level of heart imbued into this picture and there’s also a giddy level of fun and inventiveness. I defy anyone to watch this fantastic piece of filmmaking and not have their heart soar and a massive smile on their face. “Wreck-It Ralph” isn’t just a perfect animated movie, it’s a wonderful movie period.
