|
Wreck-It Ralph is a 2012 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Rich Moore (in his feature directorial debut) and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, and a story by Moore, Johnston, and Jim Reardon. John Lasseter served as the film’s executive producer. Featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, the film tells the story of the eponymous arcade game villain who rebels against his "bad guy" role and dreams of becoming a hero.
The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on October 29, 2012, and went into general release on November 2. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $496 million worldwide against a $165 million budget and winning the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, as well as receiving nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. A sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, was released on November 21, 2018.
Plot[]
For decades, Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move, he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz. Then, when an evil enemy threatens their world, Ralph realizes he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands.
Cast[]
- John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph
- Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz
- Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix Jr.
- Jane Lynch as Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun
- Alan Tudyk as King Candy
- Mindy Kaling as Taffyta Muttonfudge
- Joe Lo Truglio as Markowski
- Ed O'Neill as Mr. Stan Litwak
- Dennis Haysbert as General Hologram
- Adam Carolla as Wynnchel
- Horatio Sanz as Duncan
- Rich Moore as Sour Bill and Zangief
- Edie McClurg as Mary
- Raymond S. Persi as Mayor Gene
- Jess Harnell as Don
- Rachael Harris as Deanna
- Skylar Astin as Roy
- Katie Lowes as Candlehead
- Jamie Elman as Rancis Fluggerbutter
- Josie Trinidad as Jubileena Bing-Bing
- Cymbre Walk as Crumbelina DiCaramello
- Phil Johnston as Surge Protector, Game Central Station security
- Stefanie Scott as Moppet Girl
- John DiMaggio as Beard Papa
- Raymond Persi as a Zombie
- Brian Kesinger as a Cyborg (based on Kano from Mortal Kombat)
- Martin Jarvis as Saitine,
- Tucker Gilmore as the Sugar Rush Announcer
- Brandon Scott as Kohut
- Tim Mertens as Dr. Brad Scott (Nick Grimshaw in the UK version but not in the UK home release)
- Maurice LaMarche as Tapper
- Roger Craig Smith as Sonic the Hedgehog
- Kyle Hebert as Ryu
- Reuben Langdon as Ken Masters
- Gerald C. Rivers as M. Bison
- Kevin Deters as Clyde
- Jamie Sparer Roberts as Yuni Verse
A character modeled after dubstep musician Skrillex makes an appearance in the fictional Fix-It Felix Jr. as the DJ at the anniversary party of the game.
References[]
In addition to the spoken roles, Wreck-It Ralph contains a number of other video game references, including characters and visual gags. The video game villains at the support meeting, in addition to those mentioned above, include Bowser from the Mario franchise, Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog, and Neff from Altered Beast. Additionally, the arcade cabinet of the fictional Fix It Felix, Jr. arcade game is stylized to strongly resemble the cabinet of Nintendo's original 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game, with Ralph and Felix taking similar poses as Donkey Kong and Mario, respectively. The Hero's Duty game is a reference to the hugely successful first-person shooter games Halo and Call of Duty. Characters from Q*bert are shown as "homeless" characters and later taken in by Ralph and Felix into their game (Q*bert also speaks to Felix at one point using the signature synthesized gibberish and word-balloon symbols from his game, called Q*bert-ese). Scenes in Game Central Station and Tapper's bar include Chun-Li, Cammy and Blanka from Street Fighter, Pac-Man, Blinky, Pinky, and Inky from Pac-Man, the Paperboy from Paperboy, the two paddles and the ball from Pong, Dig Dug, a Pooka, and a Fygar from Dig Dug, The Qix from Qix, Frogger from Frogger, and Peter Pepper from BurgerTime. Lara Croft and Mario are also mentioned.
Additional references are based on sight gags. The residents of Niceland and the bartender from Tapper are animated using a jerky motion that spoofs the limited animation cycles of the sprites of many eight- and sixteen-bit arcade games. King Candy uses the Konami Code on an NES controller to access the programming of Sugar Rush. Throughout Game Central Station is graffiti that includes "Aerith lives" (referencing the character of Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII), "All your base are belong to us" (an Engrish phrase popularized from the game Zero Wing), "Sheng Long Was Here" (referencing an April Fool's joke around a made-up character Sheng Long from Street Fighter), and "Jenkins" (a nod to the popular Leeroy Jenkins meme from World of Warcraft). There is also a reference to the Metal Gear series when Ralph is searching for a medal in Tapper's Lost and found, finding first a Super Mushroom from the Mario franchise, and then Metal Gear Solid - Master Collection Version's "Exclamation point" (with the corresponding sound effect from the game). Mr. Litwak wears a black and white striped referee's shirt, a nod to the iconic outfit of Twin Galaxies founder Walter Day. One of the songs in the credits is an original work from Buckner and Garcia, previously famous for writing video game-themed songs in the 1980s. The Walt Disney Animation Studios opening logo is animated in an 8-bit pixelated fashion, whereas the Walt Disney Pictures closing production logo appears in a glitched state, a reference to the kill screen from many early arcade games such as Pac-Man. The high score on the main screen of Fix-It Felix, Jr., 120501, refers to the birthdate of Walt Disney, December 5, 1901.
Box office[]
Wreck-It Ralph grossed $189.4 million in North America and $281.8 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $496.5 million.
In North America, the film debuted with $13.5 million, an above-average opening-day gross for an animated film released in November. During its opening weekend, the film topped the box office with $49 million, making it the largest opening for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film at the time. The film fell 33% to $33 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer Skyfall.
Reception[]
The review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 87% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 194 reviews with an average score of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Equally entertaining for both kids and parents old enough to catch the references, Wreck-It Ralph is a clever, colorful adventure built on familiar themes and joyful nostalgia." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Gallery[]
Video game[]
External links[]
- Wreck-It Ralph at The Disney Wiki, the Fandom wiki on Disney.
- Wreck-It Ralph at the Internet Movie Database
- Wreck-It Ralph at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nintendo-related movie adaptations | |
|---|---|
| Mario | Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! (1986; JP; video) • Super Mario Bros. (1993) • The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) • Untitled Super Mario Bros. film (2026) |
| Pokémon | Pokémon film series |
| Other series | Animal Crossing: The Movie (Animal Crossing; 2006; JP) • Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins (Star Fox, 2016) • Untitled The Legend of Zelda film (The Legend of Zelda; TBA) |
| Compiled | Donkey Kong Country: The Legend of the Crystal Coconut (1999; video) • Kirby: Fright to the Finish (2005; video/TV) |
| Miscellaneous | The Wizard (1989) • Super Hornio Brothers (1993) • Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) • Wreck-It Ralph (2012) • Pixels (2015) • 8-Bit Christmas (2021) |