Wreck-It Ralph

 Recently stuck in a small cinematic rut, Disney have found themselves unable to live up to their beloved name producing an inconsistent flow of sparkling garbage. Failing to connect with mainstream audiences Disney saw the it's animation competition get the better of them in recent years, especially with the influx of last years stop motion animation.  This is perhaps why Wreck-It Ralph is essentially  a recycled version of the universally successful Toy Story however this time around it's video game characters rather than physical toys.

 With the danger of being a Toy Story 'doppelganger' Wreck-It Ralph successfully differentiates itself from it's 90's counterpart, fundamentally providing a new-age version of the classic. The story follows Ralph, a hated video game 'bad guy' who seeks equality to his heroic rival, 'Fix it Felix Jr'. In search for this equality in the form of a gleaming medal he abandons his game, travelling to various others causing unintended havoc along the way. The true success of this film comes in it's wildly intelligent imagination. Similarly to other sized-down film perspectives, items of human use are implemented into Ralph's world and are used expertly in the set designs and general props. Many of the films jokes emerge from simply observing the sets and subsequent hidden jokes, resulting in your eyes darting round the screen in childish splendor admiring the lavishly decorated world. Leaving consistently unfunny pop culture references to R-rated 'raunchy' comedies, Wreck-It Ralph instead uses it's screwed on head to form some truly hilarious comedic moments whilst also giving intellectual nods to modern products from singing 'Oreo's' to 'Nesquik' quicksand. Every moment of dialogue is written excellently in order to provide not only for a hilarious narrative but also a heart warming one.

 As the story progresses and characters are introduced the film leads us to the world of 'Sugar Rush' and   one of it's adorable inhabitants and audience magnets, Vanellope, voiced by the undeniably irritating Sarah Silverman. Here the majority of the plot plays out, racing round Sugar Rush with only the hilarity of modern day food products to keep us visually awed, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, only something that proved to be slightly disappointing  for with the wide universe of video-games at your fingertips why only delve into the worlds of a few. With a small quantity of the jokes appearing from real video game references  further references to video game culture could've been made to increase narrative strands and humour, instead the film feels restricted to a tight corner too scared to venture out of it's comfort zone. As a result of this the narrative feels a little bland and at times as thin as Ralph's 2-D in game representation, which considering this is a children's film however isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 From beginning to end Wreck-It Ralph is a joy to watch, admire and appreciate .The effort inserted in order to create this visual spectacle is evident with clear attention to detail making it all the more enjoyable. A gaming knowledge isn't entirely necessary for one to watch this film although it would enhance the experience with frequent sight gags to look out for. On the whole Wreck-It Ralph does show to be dusty in a few corners, however it mostly gleams from the competitive crowd pushing all the right buttons providing a 'new game' for Disney to profit from.

8.5/10- Disney at their best, witty, charming and very intelligent.

Calum Russell