Writer Rich Moore Gives Comic-Con the Low-Down on ‘Wreck-It Ralph’
If you are a fan of arcade games or even just one of those people who root for the underdog, Wreck-It Ralph, a new film from Disney and former Simpsons writer Rich Moore, will be right up your skeeball alley. Film Equals was at Comic-Con to hear all about this wonderfully imaginative animated feature from its creators, as well as stars John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman.
Ralph is a bad guy. For thirty years, he’s been wrecking buildings and thwarting a maintenance man in a pixelated video game that always ends with him falling from the roof and never getting a medal. It’s a sad and lonely life, but he’s trying to make the best of it with the support of his fellow game villains, including one of the ghosts from Pac-Man and Bowser from Super Mario Bros. Still, he longs to be the hero just once.
What I loved about the trailer and clips that Moore debuted was how the humor and heart of the story blended together so seamlessly. Yes, there was one extended potty joke meant for the kiddies, but when you have Sarah Silverman playing a character glitch in a candy landscape Japanese racing game, you should expect some low-brow humor. Eventually, her character and Ralph (who is voiced by the always fabulous Reilly) team up and discover that their greatest weaknesses can be their greatest assets, and that even the bad guy can save the day.
Perhaps in an effort to upstage Pixar, Disney has thrown a lot of money into the animation of this film, and it shows, but what matters most at the end of the day is the story, and it looks like they may have landed on a winning tale. The audience at Hall H is not known for being forgiving, but they laughed, they “aww-ed,” and they seemed genuinely enchanted by the sneak peek, as was I.
Wreck-It Ralph smashes into theatres on November 2nd, 2012.
Kristen Elizabeth
Born and raised in Florida, but currently living in Los Angeles, Kristen spent most of her life wanting to be in the movies until she realized that she wanted to write for them more. When she's not patronizing the Arclight theatre, she can be found either reading a good, old-fashioned bodice ripper, discussing the failures of George Lucas with her friends over cherry pie at Mel's Diner or trying to round up one or more of her Star Trek RPG players. She's a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and recently finished her first novel.
