If you’re looking for a high energy, colorful and feel-good movie, “Wreck-It Ralph” is the one to see.
“Wreck-It Ralph” has grossed $49.1 million in its first weekend out, making it the highest-grossing debut for a Walt Disney Animation Studios Production, passing up “Tangled,” which grossed $48.8 million in its debut.
Directed by Rich Moore, the movie stars the voices of John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz and Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix, Jr.
The film begins by introducing the audience to the arcade world, which comes to life after Litwak’s Arcade closes each night. Wreck-It Ralph is the villain in the game Fix-It Felix, and he joins a support group for arcade villains. During the meeting, Ralph admits that he’s tired of being the bad guy. He wants to win medals, live in the penthouse and have lots of friends, just like the hero of the game, Fix-It Felix.
When Ralph is promised all of these things if he can win a medal, he goes on a quest through the arcade world to get one. This journey takes him into the first-person shooter game Hero’s Duty and into Sugar Rush, a colorful, happy place full of gumdrops and candy canes.
It is in this game that Ralph meets Vanellope, an annoying nine-year-old who ends up being more like Ralph than he ever would have thought. Using teamwork, friendship and traits that everyone else considers “glitchy,” Ralph, Vanellope and friends end up saving the arcade world, learning a lot about each other, and themselves, in the process.
The film is more complex than many other animations released in the past. The various twists and turns keep the plot unpredictable, but give the viewer a sense of satisfaction when the separate storylines eventually connect at the end, and make for the happy ending that everyone wants.
The creative use of arcade characters gives the film a fresh, new feel and connects with the college generation by using familiar arcade faces such as Browser, from Super Mario Bros; Frogger from Frogger; Pac-Man, Blinky, Pinky and Inky from Pac-Man; and other old-school arcade characters we grew up with.
“Wreck-It Ralph” is definitely worth the watch. The colors, sounds and storyline will keep the viewer entertained for the entire film.
Five out of five stars.