DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs
Imagine a world where the characters that are found within an arcade actually are living and breathing entities. They are programed to play the game when the game is being played but once the lights go out in the arcade, they control their own programming. This is the world that Ralph lives in. He is the villain in a game called Wreck-It Ralph. His job? Destroy a building while Fix-It Felix repairs it. As the years go by, Ralph tires of always being a bad guy and wants to be a good guy. To do this, he goes on a quest for a medal (after all, good guys have medals). This adventure takes him into different video games and different worlds where he makes new friends and discovers the real villain of the arcade.
Picture & Sound
The picture and sound for Wreck-It Ralph really were enjoyable to watch. Anyone who played video games as a kid in any video game era will most likely recognize a character….but that character looks better than ever before. Video games have really improved through the years and this took the best version of all of them. The colors were brilliant and the animation looks great. The sound was of equal quality. In some ways, the sounds that were used were of equal importance. Disney Animation Studios nailed the appropriate video game sounds that were used throughout the movie. This created the experience of feeling immersed in the world of video games.
Bonus Features:
There were several bonus features included with Wreck-It Ralph. Here is what was offered:
- Paperman: Theatrical Short – This Academy Award Winning short tells a beautiful love story without any dialogue and with a lot of paper airplanes. This was by far my favorite thing offered with this collection.
- Bit by Bit: Creating the Worlds of Wreck-It Ralph – This is a behind the scenes look at the making of Wreck-It Ralph. It has Director Rich Moore, producer Clark Spencer, writer Phil Johnston, art director Mike Gabriel, co-art director Ian Gooding, effects supervisor Cesar Velazquez, animation supervisor Renato Dos Anjos and a few other key members of the team talking about what went into creating the world that Ralph inhabits.
- Alternate & Deleted Scenes – There are four of these offered that include “Ralph in Hero’s Duty Prison,” “The Maize Maze,” “Vanellope’s Volcano” and “Extreme EZ Livin’ 2.” Director Rich Moore also has an introductory and optional commentary that can be played.
- Video Game Commercials – Four promotional clips for Wreck-It Ralph: “Fix-It Felix Jr.,” “Sugar Rush,” “Hero’s Duty” and “Fix It Felix Hammer.”
- Disney Intermission – A fun addition where Chris Hardwick pops up when pause is pressed during the movie. He then talks about game references and inside jokes from within the movie. This can be turned on or off.
Final Thoughts:
Wreck-It Ralph is a fun nostalgic trip for anyone who grew up (or never grew up) playing video games. It has elements from many classic games that are known and loved. It is an interesting mix of adorable characters and… not so adorable. It mixes the entire scope of video games into a world that somehow works together. That being said, not all video games are appropriate for all kids. So… if you have a child that is sensitive to some darker games (think evil bugs that are trying to take over the world that need to be shot… so yes, there is a bit of violence too), you might want to pre-screen this before sharing with your child.
Wreck-It Ralph was a fun movie but not the best movie ever made. Yes, it is fun to see all these different games come together and live in a world that comes alive when children leave… this wasn’t the most original idea in the world… I had a hard time not comparing it to the Toy Story franchise. There were also a few moments of potty humor that I wouldn’t want to explain to my niece and nephew. For those reasons, I will give a hat nod to Wreck-It Ralph and not a hat tip.
