Wreck-It Ralph
2012, Walt Disney Studios
Somehow Disney managed to take an improbable premise and turn it into something quite enjoyable. Granted, the notion of computer game characters coming to life is hardly new; recall that Disney went down that road with Tron, twice, with mixed results. The trick here was to poke fun at the excesses of many of today's games—over-the-top violence, retina-searing saturated colors, and so on—while telling a surprisingly engaging story. Although the film does meander off course on occasion, one scene in particular really won me over: Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) confronts Ralph (John C. Reilly) about his "medal" by unleashing a continuous stream of potty jokes, and Ralph's wordless reaction is truly priceless. It's amazing to me how subtle, complex emotions can be conveyed so successfully in an animated character's face. Note that the bonus content includes the stunning short, Paperman.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
Ralph Breaks the Internet
2018, Walt Disney Studios
Here's another rare sequel that bests its predecessor. As we follow the adventures of best friends Ralph and Vanellope, we're assaulted by a searing parody of pop culture and life online; many of the jokes are laugh-out-loud. The terrific voice cast includes the brilliant Alan Tudyk as KnowsMore, essentially the Google search engine personified. Be sure to have a tissue on hand—the end is genuinely touching. Oh, and definitely watch the credits all the way though to the end...
"I'm sorry, my autofill is a little aggressive today."
DKS 7/3/20
Rev 4/19/2022
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
