Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
While Disney dominated the western animation genre up to the 2000s, tides started to turn as more animation studios popped up and offered work that not only rivaled but exceeded what Disney was offering. The biggest challenger to Disney was easily Pixar which became the premier western animation studio in regards to creativity and quality which was probably a lead reason Disney decided to acquire the studio in 2006. On reflection, Pixar had a formula that was surprisingly predictable as the studio took some creature or object that was often a common factor in human life; toys, fish, cars, rats, etc..., and gave them grand stories of human emotion that could surprise audiences with their level of humanity and poignance. This was a formula that Pixar decided to experiment with after Disney's involvement, but Disney itself decided to take a page out of Pixar with Wreck-It Ralph. Taking the concept of video game characters and giving them their own drama and society, Wreck-It Ralph is easily one of the most creative and effective films to come from modern Disney with the Pixar influence being a clear reason for why the film works so well.
Rather than creating a new world from scratch, Pixar proved the possibility of inventing new worlds with the established ideas and iconographies of the world around the audience with the biggest change being that of the perspective the audience was taking. Wreck-It Ralph is genius because of how it takes the established understanding and even physical aspects of games and build its world around them. From the connected power strip which serves as a hub for all games to connect with to the idea of complex relationships forming due to the roles each character is forced to play for their game which is the equivalent of a job, Wreck-It Ralph is beyond inventive in making a world out of ideas that already exist. Whether one likes video games and will be able to identify every character and reference or one has never even touched a game, Wreck-It Ralph will remain an enjoyable and highly rewarding watch simply due to the effort to build a unique setting and world.
The actual ways that the film builds its drama using its setting is also masterful. The main drama revolves around Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) feeling insecure and frustrated regarding his role as a villain and specifically the judgment put onto him by the other characters in his game. This causes him to desperately seek a medal to prove his worth, a rather heartbreaking and effective use of the video game setting to tell a deeper emotional story that can connect to the audience. Elsewhere, other characters also struggle with their roles and identities which give a variety of conflicts and journeys that all get rewarding conclusions by the end of the film.
None of these stories, however, stand out quite as much as Vanellope von Schweetz's (Sarah Silverman). Trapped in the racing game Sugar Rush with a deep desire to race, Vanellope is ridiculed and refused her dreams due to her status as a glitch. This immediately creates a complex moral conversation considering Vanellope's presence could risk closure of the game and considering she is a glitch, she wouldn't be able to escape the game and instead would die with it. Her life is clearly one of suffering however and one cannot help but hope she gets a chance to achieve her happiness. This drama is only enhanced by Silverman who is excellent and has some of the best voiceover chemistry in history between herself and Reilly who is a standout in his own right.
While the drama of Wreck-It Ralph is some of Disney's best, the film's comedy is also hysterical. The film features some of the best comedic timing and overall consistency in humor of any animated film in recent memory. The craft given both in screenplay and direction is obvious as the film fits humor in without ever taking away from the film's deeper emotional core. This is yet another area where the skill and effort behind Wreck-It Ralph is clear with the intention to keep the studio's newfound momentum after The Princess and the Frog and Tangled alive.
While Disney might have defined its 2010s largely with a return to Princess narratives and more standard Disney content, a highlight of the era is undeniably Wreck-It Ralph which features some of the strongest creativity and quality of any Disney film. Looking at the film holistically, there is not a single real fault which can be found with the film truly being an underrated Disney masterpiece.
Rather than creating a new world from scratch, Pixar proved the possibility of inventing new worlds with the established ideas and iconographies of the world around the audience with the biggest change being that of the perspective the audience was taking. Wreck-It Ralph is genius because of how it takes the established understanding and even physical aspects of games and build its world around them. From the connected power strip which serves as a hub for all games to connect with to the idea of complex relationships forming due to the roles each character is forced to play for their game which is the equivalent of a job, Wreck-It Ralph is beyond inventive in making a world out of ideas that already exist. Whether one likes video games and will be able to identify every character and reference or one has never even touched a game, Wreck-It Ralph will remain an enjoyable and highly rewarding watch simply due to the effort to build a unique setting and world.
The actual ways that the film builds its drama using its setting is also masterful. The main drama revolves around Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) feeling insecure and frustrated regarding his role as a villain and specifically the judgment put onto him by the other characters in his game. This causes him to desperately seek a medal to prove his worth, a rather heartbreaking and effective use of the video game setting to tell a deeper emotional story that can connect to the audience. Elsewhere, other characters also struggle with their roles and identities which give a variety of conflicts and journeys that all get rewarding conclusions by the end of the film.
None of these stories, however, stand out quite as much as Vanellope von Schweetz's (Sarah Silverman). Trapped in the racing game Sugar Rush with a deep desire to race, Vanellope is ridiculed and refused her dreams due to her status as a glitch. This immediately creates a complex moral conversation considering Vanellope's presence could risk closure of the game and considering she is a glitch, she wouldn't be able to escape the game and instead would die with it. Her life is clearly one of suffering however and one cannot help but hope she gets a chance to achieve her happiness. This drama is only enhanced by Silverman who is excellent and has some of the best voiceover chemistry in history between herself and Reilly who is a standout in his own right.
While the drama of Wreck-It Ralph is some of Disney's best, the film's comedy is also hysterical. The film features some of the best comedic timing and overall consistency in humor of any animated film in recent memory. The craft given both in screenplay and direction is obvious as the film fits humor in without ever taking away from the film's deeper emotional core. This is yet another area where the skill and effort behind Wreck-It Ralph is clear with the intention to keep the studio's newfound momentum after The Princess and the Frog and Tangled alive.
While Disney might have defined its 2010s largely with a return to Princess narratives and more standard Disney content, a highlight of the era is undeniably Wreck-It Ralph which features some of the strongest creativity and quality of any Disney film. Looking at the film holistically, there is not a single real fault which can be found with the film truly being an underrated Disney masterpiece.