Wreck it Ralph

[samurainoir]

Features some familiar video game characters, including Q-Bert, M Bison and Zangief, Bowser, PAC-man ghost,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btB8tb8fLYM

[Brazoo]

Maybe I was just never into video games enough to be excited about this movie. It seems like another attempt by Disney to cash in on "Toy Story", but the twist on the concept seems a little flawed to me.

Toys ONLY come to life in a child's imagination - so the concept of toys 'coming to life' is automatically magical, and the connection everyone has with toys is more emotionally accessible.

There doesn't seem to be that emotional core here. Video games aren't "alive" the same way toys are - they're already moving around regardless of what we do. Ironically, because video game characters are already moving they're less life-like and I think we care less about them.

I get how this might work from a marketing angle, but not a creative one. I guess there's some funny voice actors in there, and one of the writers wrote "Cedar Rapids" which I thought was very funny, and hit all the emotional notes it was going for. The director has worked on some very funny things too (The Simpsons, Futurama, The Critic), so it might be funny at least.

Again, maybe I'm just not as excited about this because I'm not a huge video game guy. The only console I ever owned was an Intellivision.

[samurainoir]

Again, maybe I'm just not as excited about this because I'm not a huge video game guy. The only console I ever owned was an Intellivision.

So... Tron Legacy?

I think it's a little more "Toon Town" with the Roger Rabbit conceit of all the Video Game lands being connected, with a Change Your Fate/Find Your Destiny adventure tossed in (a common enough universal theme. Brave covered that ground too in a different way... or Despicable Me?).

When I first saw the trailer for Finding Nemo, I was of the "What is this? I have no interest in fish." Turned out to be my favourite Pixar film.

Just from what I've seen among my friends who are parents, this is probably in the category of a film that they don't mind seeing with their kids, since it seems to cross generational lines and contains in-jokes for grown ups.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, I'll see it. It looks fun, and it will be neat to see old video game characters, and I'm only a casual gamer at best. I think my kids will like it.

I thought the same thing about Nemo, but then remembered I had thought the same thing about The Lion King 10 years before. I like them both.

Chris

[Brazoo]

So... Tron Legacy?

I think it's a little more "Toon Town" with the Roger Rabbit conceit of all the Video Game lands being connected, with a Change Your Fate/Find Your Destiny adventure tossed in (a common enough universal theme. Brave covered that ground too in a different way... or Despicable Me?).

When I first saw the trailer for Finding Nemo, I was of the "What is this? I have no interest in fish." Turned out to be my favourite Pixar film.

Yeah, I agree with you totally. I think all big animated movies are going to have some similarity in terms of universal themes, but in this one I don't think the concept merges with a theme people will connect with, there's no "Disney magic" here.

Wreck-it Ralph is sick of doing the same thing every day and not being in control of his destiny - I can see how that relates to video games, and I can see how people can relate to that theme, but I don't see how people are going to really care about the movie. "Bee Movie" had a similar concept/theme - and zero magic too.

You can take out the video game concept and the animation, and it's the same idea as a dozen disposable live-action comedies that come out every year. You can't take the toys out of "Toy Story" and get the same thing. Yeah, "Finding Nemo" is a story that's been done with different types of characters and settings, but there's something so instantly powerful in the metaphor of super-tiny (and slightly handicapped) Nemo in the gigantic ocean - it has "magic".

Just from what I've seen among my friends who are parents, this is probably in the category of a film that they don't mind seeing with their kids, since it seems to cross generational lines and contains in-jokes for grown ups.

Yeah, marketing-wise I think this movie makes total sense. I'm a little bummed out about movies that make sense marketing-wise. I'm just missing movies with that magical spark.

I saw "Super 8" last night, which desperately tried for classic Spielberg magic, and thought it missed by a mile, so maybe that's what brought this kvetchy mood on.

[boss]

My boys dug this trailer when they saw it a couple of weeks ago. They think Bowser's the star.

[Brazoo]

I admit - it's likely I'm out of touch. Kids might genuinely love this movie.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Go see "Brave". You'll find the Disney magic there in abundance. And that is definitely not a "marketing" movie, as the whole princess thing is a turn off to boys, although it and Tangled have managed to have cross gender appeal.

Chris

[Brazoo]

Go see "Brave". You'll find the Disney magic there in abundance. And that is definitely not a "marketing" movie, as the whole princess thing is a turn off to boys, although it and Tangled have managed to have cross gender appeal.

Chris

Thanks man - that's awesome! My wife really wants to go too, so I'll probably check it out soon. Pixar movies are usually great, and pull off what I'm talking about most of the time. I keep fearing that Disney's going to start slowly controlling more of Pixar's process though.

[ODBJBG]

You can play the game online, for those that want to. Wreck-It Ralph Online Game

Although the game is actually Fix-It Felix.