"I'm Gonna Wreck It!"

Disney's latest effort, Wreck-It Ralph (out a while ago, sorry) is a pretty fun movie all-around. I feel like Disney is on the rebound from a slew of pretty weak offerings, but it isn't quite back yet. There is lots of potential that isn't quite reached with this one, even though there are lots of good parts as well.

Wreck-It Ralph is the story of, well, Ralph, an oversized bad guy in an arcade game. But he's tired of being the "bad guy" and wants the respect and friendship of the other characters in his game, so he decides to win a medal, something only good guys can do. You see the story already.

Now before I tear this children's movie to pieces I do want to acknowledge some of its strengths. One thing Disney learned from Pixar is how to make dynamite sideline characters and give them distinct animated cues (like the little people in Fix-It Felix Jr's game). But there is still something significant lacking in the main characters. This is common in all the studios, but is something that Disney learned how to fix decades ago. They are all pretty flat and most of their problems simply arise from miscommunication. I know, it's a kid's movie and doesn't need to be that complex. But think of any pre-Cars 2 Pixar movie or The Lion King and you'll see the difference. Not that the movie is bad. Like I said, I think Disney is on it's way back to greater glory. I mean, look at the short Paperman, which screened before the feature. They obviously have some brilliant people working for them who I hope get a shot at a full-length feature soon. But this wasn't that feature.

One thing I did like was the quality of voice acting here. Most animated features rely on a long list of famous actors to draw in viewers, regardless of voice talent. Of course Wreck-It Ralph features its share of headliners but the supporting cast is filled out by some talented actors instead of quaint cameos. Also the overall design of the film is pretty good. I was worried the Sugar Rush sequences would leave me in a color coma but that didn't happen.

So I guess other than some character qualms there is a lot to like about Wreck-It Ralph, especially in the otherwise-weak year for animation. But I'll continue to look ahead to see what Disney turns out next.

Next up I'm pretty sure will be Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Hooray for history!