For those of you who are just as excited to see Disney's new CG animated film Wreck-It Ralph as I was, you're in for an incredibly awesome treat. It will easily meet your expectations, and possibly exeed them. For those of you who aren't really all that interested in the movie, you need to go see it anyway! It's one of those films that could very well blow you away. In my opinion, it's easily one of the best non-Pixar animated films Disney has made since Lilo and Stitch.
All of the characters had their own awesome charm, John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph was amazing, there were a lot of layers to his character that the audience will love. Jane Lynch's Sergeant Calhoun, one of the main characters from Hero's Duty, had a much bigger role in the story than I expected, she was perfect, and offers a lot of comedic value to the film. There's a great back story to her character that gives us an explanation of why she is the way she is. Then there's Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix Jr., who was probably the least interesting character in the movie, but still played a big part in telling the story. I mean you can't have a videogame "bad guy" without its hero.
I absolutely loved the characters that we were introduced to in the movie, but it was Sarah Silverman's character, Vanellope von Schweetz, that just completely steals the movie. She's such an adorable character, and I wanted to see more of her. She's a lovable character that I think Disney should consider making a spin-off movie for.
The story and script for the film were also absolutely solid! It seriously played out just as good as a Pixar movie, and I think we have Disney's Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter, to thank for that. You can tell, he implemented the same story techniques to create this movie that he used when he was over at Pixar. Of course, it was the talented work and vision of director Rich Moore and screenwriters Jennifer Lee and Phil Johnston that brought this amazingly fun film to life.
You've all seen the trailer for the film, so you basically know the story, but for those looking for a little run down, it follows a video game bad guy who is looking to be a hero so that he can fit in with the other characters in his game who don't really care for him because, well… he's bad. He ends up leaving his game and sets out on an epic journey to fulfill his dream of being a hero. Along the way he sets certain events in motion that could destroy the video games in the arcade in which he resides. He ends up making a few friends along the way that help him accept who he is and find the strength within himself to save his friends.
There's a lot of heart and emotion packed into the story, and you really care for the characters and what is going on. The movie is also extremely funny, and I loved all of the video game character cameos that were packed into the movie. It's pointless to talk about the animation at this point because Disney and Pixar have pretty much perfected the craft of CG animation.
So that's a big kid's point of view. This movie was first and foremost made for kids, and it's their thoughts and feelings that really count. I was lucky enough to bring my daughters to see the movie with me, and I can tell you that they absolutely loved it! They talked about it in the car ride home and they keep talking about it. They are already excited about seeing it again, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind taking them! It was just as much fun watching my kids' reaction to the movie as it was watching the movie. This is definitely a film that both parents and children will enjoy.
This was just such a well crafted film, and I have to say that it's one of my favorite movies of the year. Wreck-It Ralph is a movie you have to see! You'll be very happy you did! Whether you're excited about it or not, in the end, it's going to surprise you with its greatness! Just go see the movie!