I wanted to leave the theater just 30 minutes into Disney’s “Wreck-it Ralph” and head straight to the nearest arcade.
Inspired, I wanted to joyfully zip to-and-fro from game to game, meeting all sorts of video game celebrities and accomplishing tasks beyond my realm.
“Wreck-it Ralph” received glowing reviews from many a movie-goer and grossed $49 million in box office revenue since its release Friday night, according to rottentomatoes.com.
While some critics sang its praises, declaring it one of the best animated films of all time due to its precious story line, heroic tales, upbeat theme and dynamic animation, it didn’t live up to all the hype.
It’s a heart-warming tale of a friendly giant who, despite his large stature and designated role in the video game social circle, proves to be a valuable player in more than one arcade game throughout the video game social circle. Omit the video game aspect, and you’ve got basically every other animated movie out there—namely, “Shrek.” Heroic? Yes. Unique? I don’t think so.
The upbeat theme throughout was enjoyable; however, it was a little overdone. Should we laugh at every mediocre joke Disney sees fit to toss into the movie? While some were appreciated, a few went right over my head. And they were put in there for me: the adult viewer.
I’m no animation expert, but the animation looked exactly the same as any other CG movie. I didn’t see any glowing difference between this movie then any other newly-released Disney movie. It was bright and colorful but just a bit more pixelated due to the nature of the movie. It was fun but not overly impressive.
Is it too much to ask for a little originality? Between the re-releases of almost every single one of my childhood movie, and the same plot with a small twist, I’m ready for Disney, Pixar and other animated film companies to switch it up just a bit.
However, Disney did do some things right. It created possibly the cutest character ever in Vanellope von Schweetz. She was the annoying and adorable little sister I never had but always wanted. They switched things up on me at the end, and that was something new. Usually, I can see a Disney ending coming from a mile away. And they hid a few adult jokes within the story, not unusual for Disney, but still appreciated.
While “Wreck-it Ralph” tugged at my cyber heart-strings, made me laugh and made me think, Disney could have been a bit more creative in attempting to create the most original, most heart-felt animated film that viewers were expecting.
