Wreck-It Ralph

"I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be then me."

Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly) is the villain in the arcade game "Fix-It Felix, Jr."  For 30 years he has destroyed everything in his game, but is tired of playing the villain.  The people in the game treat him like a villain, and force him to live in the dump.  On the anniversary of the game, the people vow that if he gets a medal, they will accept him.

That night he encounters a player in the new "Hero's Duty" video game and game jumps for a chance to win a medal.  When things go wrong, he ends up in the candy themed racing game "Sugar Rush" with an unwelcome side-kick: glitch Vanellope (Silverman).  Meanwhile, with Ralph gone, the future of "Fix-It Felix, Jr." is in jeopardy.  Felix (McBrayer) sets out to find Ralph and return to normal.  He is joined by Sergeant Calhoun (Lynch), the leader of the "Hero's Duty" game, who needs to find the predator that escaped with Ralph.  Can Ralph be the hero, or will his actions destroy the arcade?


Thank you Disney for again making an excellent film that appeals to all ages.  Wreck-It Ralph is a fun and entertaining story with heart.  The underlying story of Ralph's quest to become something more than he seems, is universal.  The story is strong, with a stellar voice cast.  John C. Reilly can do anything, as he has proved with his wide repertoire, and this film is no exception.  His Ralph has a huge heart, but can also seem intimidating.  Jack McBrayer is always the naive but happy character, which suits Felix, and makes him more interesting than he initially appears.  Alan Tudyk is almost indistinguishable as King Candy, mimicking the speech of character actor Ed Wynn.  I usually find Sarah Silverman abrasive, but that worked for the character of Vanellope.

I loved the villain therapy group sessions.  The scenes feature many well-known video game villains, including the Ghosts from Pac Man and Bowser from Mario, etc.  The heroes from these films also appeared at other times.  And the 3 main games are based on actual video games: Fix-It Felix is Donkey Kong, Hero's Duty is any first player killing games, and Sugar Rush is Candy Lane / racing games.  I'm sure there are more things I missed, that regular arcade gamers would pick-up.

Overall, a great film... not what I was expecting, and not nearly as predictable as I assumed.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) 101 minutes
Rated: PG for some rude humor and mild action / violence
Director: Rich Moore
Starring: John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph
Sarah Silverman as Vanellope
Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix
Jane Lynch as Calhoun
Alan Tudyk as King Candy
Mindy Kaling as Taffyta Muttonfudge