Wreck-It Ralph

This was my first time watching (and hearing about) Wreck–It Ralph; I had no idea it was even a Disney film. The film challenges the perception of villainy. Ralph wants to be regarded as a ‘nice’ guy; However, he is stuck as a villain because of his role in the game. Despite him just following directions and doing what he is programed to do, the other characters in the game resent him because he is a villain. I drew several parallels while watching the film: Ralph to minorities and Fix-It Felix to the “white, upper-class male”. Regardless of what Ralph does, the people perceive him as bad and judge him without knowing him. He even gets ‘randomly’ searched two times in Game Central Station; It is obvious that the officer singled him out because he is a villain. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many minorities. Felix, on the other hand, is a genuinely nice person who does not understand what Ralph is going through because he has an inborn privilege of being the ‘good guy’. That is the reality for many Caucasian people. The contrast between the hero and villain depicts the struggle of those not privileged to the audience.

My favorite part of Wreck-It Ralph is when Ralph helps Vanellope learn how to operate her car. The upbeat background music (Rihanna’s ‘Shut up and drive’) made the scene relatable and enjoyable. Also, Ralph’s disposition after she learns how to drive reminded me of a father watching his daughter learn to ride a bike; it was so sweet! 

Although I believe children would benefit from watching this film, there were many small things that kids probably did not pick up on in Wreck-It Ralph. The sign in the back of the villain meeting, “Bad-Anon : One game at a Time” is one of the many subtle things that adults pick up more on than children. Additionally, they modeled their “Game Central Station” (the place where all of the characters from the games can intermingle) after Grand Central Station. The little details like these enhanced the film from an ‘adult’ perspective.

The real villain in the film is King Candy. When we finally see that King Candy is actually evil, he begins to fit the basic villain type that Disney usually uses. He is portrayed as strange, unappealing and flamboyant. He dresses in traditionally non-masculine clothing and says things that can be construed as feminine. For example, Ralph comments that Kind Candy must like the color pink because his castle was almost all pink. King Candy replies with, “That’s obviously salmon”. Usually, masculine character not know the difference between pink and salmon.

Out of all of the films we had to analyze, this one is my favorite. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. We can all appreciate and learn from the messages that the animators portrayed through Ralph's story. It encompasses everything I love in a movie: action, romance and a ‘happily- ever-after’.