Martin's Musings

Disney’s latest animated film, Wreck-It Ralph, feels a lot like a mashup of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Toy Story by way of Tron.

Set inside the world of arcade games — 8-bit and otherwise — it tells the story of Ralph (voiced lovably by John C. Reilly), the villain of a Donkey Kong–like game called Fix-It Felix Jr. After 30 years, Ralph is in a funk. He’s grown tired of being thrown off a building over and over again, living in Felix’s shadow, and being the bad guy in a town called Niceville. “It’s tough to love your job when nobody likes you for doing it,” he tells his support group.

Wanting to prove there’s more to him than just destructive tendencies, Ralph “goes Turbo” and leaves the game, heading off to the after-hours Game Central Station where folks like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac Man, and Q*Bert mix and mingle, and into other games, like the violent futuristic war game, Hero’s Duty. Continue reading →