Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Oct 14, 2014 6:36:43 GMT -5
It's no secret that Disney has struggled with its animated films ever since Jeffrey Katzenberg left the company in 1994. For over a decade they saw themselves in the shadow of Pixar, DreamWorks, and even Blue Sky. But in 2006 there was hope. Pixar founder and head honcho, John Lasseter, was put in charge of Disney's animation department and he has been trying to resurrect it ever since. His first feature, Bolt, was really good, maybe even great, but it lacked that magic touch that makes Disney's classic animated films so everlasting. His next two efforts, Princess and the Frog and Tangled, used the signature Disney style but Lasseter is clearly not the man to pull that off. And so now, they took an approach that's very common with TV cartoons. They relied on the strength of the actors. John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch are not just the voices of the main characters. They are also the models for their design. So in a strange way, it feels like you're actually watching them on the screen. It gives these characters such a commanding presence that you can't help but be mesmerized by them. It also helps that the story is relatable and charming. The plot borrows a few concepts from Toy Story. They're video game characters that come to life when no one is around. But instead of living in our world, they have their own within the computer chips and electrical wire. So... it's kinda like Tron too, I guess. But whatever. The main character is Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly), the bad guy of an `80s video game. After 30 years of wrecking stuff, he feels like he gets no respect and wants to be more than just the bad guy. And so he ventures off and eventually lands in a girl's racing game where he meets The Glitch (Silverman). Like Ralph, she's an outcast, and they quickly form a bond and try to help each other achieve their goals. However, they encounter evil forces that want to stop them from doing so. Wreck-It Ralph is directed by Rich Moore whose credits include The Simpsons and Futurama. Other key members from those shows also worked on the movie. Thanks to them, the film can be enjoyed equally by adults and children. The movie is never too silly and it never goes over the children's head either. It's great family entertainment and one of the most enjoyable films of the year. It's safe to say that Lasseter has finally found the right approach for his tenure as head of Disney Animation. And we could be witnessing the beginning of a new Disney Renaissance. |
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IanTheCool
CS! Gold
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Post by IanTheCool on Oct 26, 2014 10:29:29 GMT -5
Wreck It Ralph was the most celebrated animated film of 2012, though likely most of that praise comes from the simple fact that its about video games. Otherwise its a pretty regular family movie, nothing that will compete with the recent animated greats like Up or the Toy Story films.
The arcade underworld works very similar to the world of Toy Story, where once the people are gone they live lives of their own. Characters can even visit other games, so long as they are back before the arcade opens again. In this world Ralph is unsatisfied with his role as the bad guy, and starts game jumping. This offers an interesting theme to be explored with not accepting your lot in life and being an outsider, though I’m not sure the resolution speaks to these themes too well.
I have to admit that I enjoyed the storyline quite a bit. It follows a clear pattern but also throws some neat dilemmas and twists in, notably the story behind Vanillape (or however the heck I’m supposed to spell that) and the villanous King Candy. That was some good stuff which provided for some drama. However, there were clunky parts like the space bugs taking over another game and a weird romance development.
The visuals of Wreck It Ralph were pretty spectacular. The colour palate alone is enough to get kids on a sugar high. But there’s also some great touches with the way the arcade characters move and how the candy world of Sugar Rush was detailed that always make for an interesting watch.
The downside to this movie is that the writing isn’t so hot. Not so much the story, which I’ve already mentioned that I enjoyed, but the dialogue is really the problem here. It just falls flat; noticeably flat. There are really no interesting lines here, which also affects the humour. Its very, very basic and juvenile. Lines like “why are you so freakishly annoying” and even a “did not/did too” argument shows that they didn’t have a lot in the way of inspiring dialogue. In fact, almost anything the little girl says showcases how childish the writing is.
The music also disappoints, which is a surprise coming from Disney. I know they were going for more of a retro video game music style, but lets face it, those melodies aren’t very emotionally rousing.
This was a fun movie, and gamers will get a kick out of some of the references I suppose (though there’s not as many as you would think). The video game world is interesting to explore, but I’m not sure all levels of code were working well enough to make this a hit.
8/10
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hazelrabbit
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Post by hazelrabbit on Oct 26, 2014 10:30:36 GMT -5
Awesome.
10/10
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2014 18:32:16 GMT -5
Good point about the dialogue.
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