Disney Animation Studios creates another animated hit for all to enjoy!
I always love seeing a movie at Coronado’s Vintage Village Theatre and I have never had an experience where the staff is anything but friendly. Seeing “Wreck-It Ralph”, the newest 3D computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, was no different.
“Wreck it Ralph!” in true Disney fashion, has layers of content that keep viewers, no matter the age, engaged in the story. This is a fairly complicated adventure, but six year old Sebastian told me that he really enjoyed the movie. His older teen aged brother and his mother enjoyed it as well. Mom even said that she cried at the end, which she doesn’t do much.
The movie is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It’s a comedy and a mystery and gives the audience reason to cheer in the end. Ralph is a character in a video game and is, unfortunately for him, the bad guy. The other characters in his game, Fix-it Felix, Jr. fail to appreciate the part Ralph plays in keeping them all “alive”. After thirty years of being the bad guy, Ralph wants a change. He finally attends a “Bad-anon” meeting, a gathering of other “bad guys” where he is able to share his feelings. The advice he gets, though, is that he can’t change who he is.
Ralph decides that he’s tired of not being appreciated and that he can change his situation, so he leaves his video game. When he leaves, he fails to consider the consequences of his actions. Maybe, he thinks, if he can earn a medal, the characters in his game will treat him with kindness and respect. Leaving the Fix-it Felix, Jr. game, however, affects many more characters than Ralph himself.
Ralph eventually finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that I certainly didn’t see coming. What will he do to make things right again?
This movie was so entertaining and engaged my entire family with children ages 9, 12 and 14. They all enjoyed the movie and, I think, for different reasons. The plot is a bit deep and while younger viewers may not follow the depth and complexity of the story, they will love the vibrant colors and the interesting characters. For anyone who has ever felt underappreciated and longed for a simple thank you or pat on the back, you will relate to Ralph’s feelings of isolation and his feelings of loyalty when he discovers the truth.
One young viewer exclaimed to me, “Wreck-It Ralph wasn’t really a bad guy after all!” What he learns in the end rings true to the Bad-anon pledge, “I am bad and that’s good. I will never be good and that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.” He accepts his program but does earn himself some respect and admiration.
Rated PG, running time 108 minutes. There is a game that Ralph goes to called “Hero’s Duty” where there are cy-bugs and they try to destroy everything. It is a game where the player attempts to shoot the cy-bugs. The six year old I spoke with said they didn’t scare him, but just beware if you have a small child who is frightened by dark and bugs. The rest of the movie was bright and colorful.
Kellee Hearther
Online Editor
eCoronado.com
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