There has been all kinds of buzz around the internet about Disney's latest animated outing, Wreck-It Ralph. Praise has been coming in from all around about the film, and with good reason. The movie takes you on a wild ride, that has you laughing one minute, and almost in tears the next. With amazing animation and really solid voice cast, Wreck-It-Ralph is surely to be the top animated films of the year.
What really pulls you into the movie is the fact that at its core, it is a really sweet movie. The friendship between Fix-It-Felix Jr. bad guy Ralph, and Vanellope von Schweetz of the go-cart game Sugar Rush is developed beautifully. They are at the heart of many of the funny moments of the film, which was another highlight of the film. It was funny when it needed to be, but knew when it was time to be serious. The story offers truly compelling drama that really makes you believe our heroes may not make it out of their situation. It also makes you wonder, they way it did with Toy Story, is this really what happens when I leave my games? With the movie being based on a fictional video game, the film makers did an excellent job of including characters and nods to some of the most popular games of all time. Every where you look at Game Central Station, you are sure to find something new that is sure to trigger some gamer nostalgia.
The animation of the film is flawless. It came as a real shock to me when it was not a Pixar outing for Disney. The 8 bit scenes truly took you back to the time, while the computer generated images really gave it a leap forward to bring you back to the modern age of animation. What really caught my eye was the graphics when Vanellope was "Glitching". Anther part of the animation that was truley spectacular, was when King Candy went in to the code zone of the game. Bright colors and crisp images, really make this movie stand out visually.
The only real complaint, and it's a small one, I have about the film is the voice over work. While John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, and Jane Lynch all turned in truley great performances as Ralph, Vanellope, and Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun respectively. Jack McBrayer's portrayal as Fix-it Felix Jr. was weak. It felt as if it was Kenneth from 30 Rock voicing Felix instead of an actor trying to bring personality to the character. It didn't distract from the movie, I just would have really like to have seen a little more from the McBrayer.
Wreck-It Ralph is the best animated film of 2012. Using gamer nostalgia, humor, and a sweet story it captures the hearts of adults and children alike.