søndag 12. april 2015

"Wreck-It-Ralph" - Disney's Big, Smart and Funny Videogame Venture.

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

Make sure to leave a comment if you like this site! And if there's something you think could be improved, please let me know. But in a constructive way, please. And just a note; I'm not a Native English writer, so my incorrect grammar may be notable.

And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize







It's art imitating life :)
Here we have Wreck-It-Ralph, one of the most unique, original and inventive
Disney animated films ever made! Originally slated for a 2013 release, it was released the fall of 2012 (because of a smooth production).
This film took everyone by surprise! It made rave reviews and gained $ 471,222,889 Worldwide! And it increased Disney's good reputation after Tangled. Fans and general audiences felt that Wreck-It-Ralph should've been the winner of Best Animated Movie Award instead of Brave (mainly because Wreck-It-Ralph was more invigorating and better as a whole, whereas Brave was hampered by many problems and being quite traditional and incongruous), which made for an infuriating debate at the time.  







The Comments About How Un-Disney It Is

Note the corporate synergy here :)
I honestly think the praise for Ralph is deserved, since it is a really good movie. With excellent animation, likable characters, fine music and clever writing. But one recurring statement about it is how Pixaresque and un-Disney it is!
Well, that statement is after all fair. Probably cause it dives into a specific world as Pixar usually does. But also cause it has been perceived as the video game equivalent of Toy Story (although screenwriter Phil Johnston claims he never looked at Toy Story for inspiration). And videogames are usually not associated with Disney, so it's a step out of their zone. 
The crew who made the movie have said this as well. And that was a switch with Brave, since the Disneyesque movie ended up at Pixar (though the creators in interviews claims that Wreck-It-Ralph is shaped by the Cal Arts sensibility, not Pixar, though we should believe that, haha).



Thou could change your fate, but Thou can't change Hollywood's view on feminism! ;)


A Great Videogame Movie

But this videogame setting is a premise they've depicted well. It's not Disney's first foray into the digitalized world, as Tron were (although the creators wanted a Tron cameo, they couldn't find a way to use it). 
And due to the bad reputation of video game films, it's a victory that Wreck-It-Ralph turned out as good. Besides being called Disney's take on Toy Story, it's been compared to Who Framed Roger Rabbit as well. Mostly because depicting a setting of video game characters, as Roger Rabbit did with it's animated characters.



Yes, we are interspecies, dysfuncional couple! Get used to it! ;)













But it is truly right to call Wreck-It-Ralph the most un-Disney-esque ever made? And is it truly un-Disney-esque in every aspect?




  
 
 
 
The Pixar and DreamWorks-Comparison


Despite the Pixar-comparison, I personally consider Wreck-It-Ralph to be rather DreamWorks-ish in tone. Mostly because of it's savvy storytelling, pop culture references and irreverent tone. After a string of entertaining, but homogenous and forgettable films after Shrek 2, DreamWorks found their stride with clever storytelling in Megamind, Kung Fu Panda and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
Before their peak, DreamWorks took some interesting and unconventional risks with their movies, which (mostly) payed off. It's not claiming that Disney don't give their audience savvy storytelling, but not in the same mold as Pixar or DreamWorks does.
Yes, one of us look superior than the other. Duuuh :)



Don't get fooled by our faces, we are usually weirdo's!
 
 










History

Although the idea originally surfaced in the 80's as High Score, it became Chris Buck and storyguy Sam Levine's Joe Jump in the 90's. However, it was Phil Johnston who penned the final screenplay. It was titled Reboot Ralph, before it finally got it's final name in 2011 (cause to not get confused with the animated show with the same name). Another game film being developed at Disney called Game On before being scrapped.
The original outline was about a character who was hopping to save his game from getting unplugged. Originally Felix was going to be the protagonist, but Phil Johnston suggested the change of Ralph. Ralph wasn't even going to be a human and was a troll, monster and a ogre. He was shaped by John Reilly's relatives and Reilly was the most creative of the actors, suggesting several ideas, even Felix speaking Q*bert's language. It took over 15 years before the project got green-lit in 2008.


 
 
 
 
 
 Non-Disney Elements

Some Disney-fans worried about the outcome when they learned about the PG-rating, Rich Moore and Sarah Silverman (the latter being a conscious choice, since the creators didn't want a child to play Vanellope). But don't forget that un-Disneyesque comedians have voiced Disney characters priorly! And that applies to Robin Williams as well, before his family friendly-reputation. 



 










Pop Culture References and Product Placements


One argument for Wreck-It-Ralph's un-Disneyesque tone is it's pop culture references. Well, that's a fair statement, since pop culture isn't something that is immediately associable with Disney.
Unsurprisingly, they were a conscious choice by Moore. But let's not forget that Disney's stepped in the pop culture territory before, with Aladdin and Hercules. Both made by a directing duo who loves pop culture! And let's not forget Chicken Little, who's filled with pop culture. 
And while it's a topic for debate, I personally think Disney does pop culture pretty well. While the Revival era gets frequently compared to the Renaissance era, Wreck-It-Ralph is claimed for being this era's Aladdin. Which is a fair thing, since both have the same components (pop culture and comedy).
This dance is called the hammer dance. 
At least it's a new one :)
It's remarkable to hear pop songs as Kool and the Gangs' Celebration and Rihannas' Shut Up and Drive in a Disney film (the latter which made some people cringe). But it's a good fit for such a concept and I personally don't mind it, though such songs are not often associated with Disney (though The Lion King had the fittingly The Lion Sleeps Tonight and It's a Small World). But Wreck-It-Ralph also includes product placements, as Nesquick, Mentos, Oreo, Laffy Taffy and ect. Although Oliver & Company followed the same path, product placement is certainly a rarity at Disney.









Outcasts

Despite the different tone, Wreck-It-Ralph has a component that is truly Disney; A protagonist
who's an outcast. But this time with a clever twist! The protagonist is for once the villain of a game and wants to redeem himself by becoming the good guy! However, the execution of the film's content and message is pretty admirable. During his journey, our titular character learns about true redemption, but also learns to accept his job and purpose in life, without letting it define him completely!
Vanellope is also an outcast as well (the fact that she's a glitch isn't a coincidence; Characters which never makes the games are hard to delete, since it causes a chain reaction that glitches to other things. So the deleted characters are locked away into the code). 
Hey, we're allowed to have
our place to meet, aren't we? :)
Most of the characters goes through arcs in this film; Felix learns about the world outside
his game and walks in Ralph's shoes by learning about rejection (and therefore grows as a character). Calhoun learns to love again. The Nicelanders learns how to appreciate Ralph. 
And to continue to summarize about the Disneyesque components; Yes, Vanellope gets transformed to a Princess at the very end (which is really cliche, but still).









Disney`s Sanitized Reputation
 
Look at this, Jeanne D'Arc :)
This is what Underland does to ya :)
Disney gets usually associated with their cute and fluffy components that it's easy to forget that most of their films have a fair amount of darkness and edge. If that's being said, there are certainly several films of theirs that could've been viewed as un-Disney.
As their dark attempts as The Black Cauldron and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who certainly broke the mold. And even the quite Disney-steeped Pocahontas broke the mold by having an unhappy ending. 
The stigma Disney usually faces could come from the fact it's genre, animation, which usually gets associated with children. Which elements who are overall un-Disney is of course subjective, but features from the early 2000's truly felt un-Disney at times (at least in tone); The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis The Lost Empire and Lilo & Stitch.








Videogame References and Characters

There's no denial that Wreck-It-Ralph's appeal is to gamers. But still it manages to have a broad appeal to a wide audience, nonetheless. The game authenticity was a part from the get-go. The crew studied and referred real games. As Street Fighter, Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy and Call of Duty. The game setting could be perceived as being un-Disney, since they usually adapts exciting stories and characters. And rarely blend other franchises into their movies.
At least this isn't Pizza Planet :)
The crew has blended several, iconic game characters. And the dealings for them went smoother than excepted, by leaving the companies excited for the movie! The only concern were the homeless cameos, which would imply their popularity. Mario and Luigi were originally going to be in it, but the crew were unsure of how they would be used in the film. However, not all of the portrayals were accurate, considering how Zangief isn't really the main antagonist (which Phil Johnston took responsibility for).



Yes, these are real and not the ones from the old hag from Snow White :)


Trivia

This is a Lightning McQueen free race, folks :)
The filmmakers had several ideas that were discarded, though they claimed it could surface again in the sequel (as the crew did with Toy Story)! Wreck-It-Ralph is a technically complex film, having more special effects than what they've usually had in an animated film. A new cinematography Camera Capture system was created. Which helped the makers walk through scenes in real time, visualizing various takes and virtual camera moves. Another system called BRDF (bidirectional reflectance distribution functions) was made. A lightning system based on a new idea of how surfaces react with light in a physically based, realistic or theatrical way. It's a marriage of the way a surface reacts and the way a light illuminates the surface. 
Mike Gabriel (Pocahontas, The Rescuers Down Under) was the art director and Clark Spencer (Lilo & Stitch, Bolt, Zootopia and 2011's Winnie the Pooh) was the producer. Real candy was used for inspiration of Sugar Rush! The team went to the biggest candy fair in the world, ISM Cologne in Germany (which I would love to be a part of, haha!).


Don't do this at home, kids ;)



The main actors actually recorded their sessions together, suggested by John C. Reilly (since he thought the process for voicing animation could be boring). Jane Lynch was considered for Calhoun before Glee took off. And a real arcade game was made for Fix it Felix Jr.!
The crew were considering to make the "real world"-scenes live action. And the surge protector was originally going to be a vortex in a toilet and cord block. Moore's young son assured him that youngsters still knows the old games (fortunately, haha!). And the director of look and lightning, Adolph Lusinsky (from Armageddon), came from a video game background. And although the film was never envisioned as a musical, Bobby and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (guess which film they were behind) made a original song for the Wreck-It-Ralph, which never made it. And 188 original characters were created for the movie!








Epilogue

I'm just a mirage. In your mind  :)
Yes, embrace the CGI rendition :)
Despite it's different tone, I really do genuinely consider Wreck-It-Ralph to be Disneyesque at times! Mostly because of it's heart, charm and Disneyesque components. Because of that, I was looking forward to it's
sequel or even shorts about this franchise! It's definitively an unique diamond in the rough in the Disney canon and deserves to be seen as a legit Disney classic.
And yes, the much debated sequel has actually includes the Disney Princesses. Believe it or not. But we'll just have to accept the fact, folks.








  












References:
Wreck-It-Ralph Ultimate Collectors Edition
The Art of Wreck-It-Ralph (Jennifer Lee, Maggie Malone).
D23 Magazine Summer 2012.
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