5 Things To Know About Wreck-It Ralph

5 Things To Know About Wreck-It Ralph

Planning on taking a trip to see Wreck-It Ralph after its release this Friday but have no idea what it's about? Fear not, bluffer. Here are 5 things you should know before visiting Ralph's arcade...

1 - The Plot

Ralph is a wrecker by both name and nature. As the antagonist in a retro arcade game called "Fix It, Felix!" in which the gamer's main goal is to fix the structures that Ralph destroys by controlling the heroic builder named Felix, Ralph has felt unloved, unappreciated and unwanted within his own game. When he finds another way to achieve a "hero" medal, he travels through the different games in the arcade, inadvertently releasing a cyber bug that could infect and destroy all of the other games within the system. With the lives (or respawns) of all his fellow game characters threatened, Ralph decides to become the hero he always wanted to be and take on the conspirators behind the bug.

2 - The Production

The concept of Wreck-It Ralph was actually initiated in the late 1980's under the working title "High Score". Originally thought of as a hand-drawn animation (in the same category as the likes of The Fox and the Hound and 101 Dalmations etc), the film was then renamed Joe Jump in the early 90's, before Disney decided to focus on other projects. Put on the back burner for over 10 years, the movie finally underwent rewrites in the late noughties under the name "Reboot Ralph" and it was not until early 2012 that Disney finally settled upon "Wreck-It Ralph." Initially planned for a March 22nd, 2013 release in America, the movie was brought forward to November 2, 2012 (February 8th, 2013 in the UK) as it was ahead of schedule. 

3 - The Cast

Leading the fantastic cast is Step Brothers star John C. Reilly. When taking on the role of Ralph, Reilly said "I don't really have to change my voice a lot for this movie. Even though he's considered a bad guy, Ralph is still an honest guy. So they just wanted me to be really honest. I did enjoy watching some of the other guys having to change their voices though."

One of these voice changers is American comedian Sarah Silverman who plays Vanellope von Schweetz, one of the racers in a Mario Kart meets Barbie World style racing game called Sugar Rush. Also joining the movie is 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer as Felix, as well as Glee's Jane Lynch playing Sergeant Calhoun, the main protagonist of the Halo-esque shoot-em-up Hero's Duty.

4 - The Cameos

In addition to its main characters, Wreck-It Ralph also features a wealth of cameos from video game stars past and present. From Sonic the Hedgehog to the Pac-Man inks, Lara Croft to Super Mario and Zombie from House of the Dead, the movie is sprinkled with references and appearances from the game characters we know and love. Look out for the blink-and-you'll-miss-it nods to hundreds of games, as Wreck-It Ralph should prove to be the ultimate gamers movie.

5 - The Critics

Since its American release, Wreck-It Ralph has had an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus stating: "Equally entertaining for both kids and parents old enough to catch the references, Wreck-It Ralph is a clever, colourful adventure built on familiar themes and joyful nostalgia."

Sounds good then, right? According to most, yes. The New York Times call it "a 93 minute blast of noise, fun, colour and ingenuity," while TotalFilm have cited it as "a Disney flick which feels like on-form Pixar. You'll want another go." Conversely, however, The Atlantic have called it "overplotted and underdeveloped, leaving it feeling like a franchise money maker with the promise of an inevitable sequel." Still, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Wreck-It Ralph is released this Friday (February 8th) and you can catch a review of it right here at Movies Under The Microscope.

Also on the way this week are reviews of Sylvester Stallone's new movie Bullet To The Head, as well as Lincoln and Flight. In the meantime, you can check out the review of Arnie's new flick The Last Stand by clicking right here, and you can take your pick of recent articles and reviews by using the sidebar on the right.