Film diary.

(Slightly outside of the monthly challenge...) 

- Wreck-It Ralph. (2012. Dir. Rich Moore). Do your job with dedication every day. Be paid for it by ending every journey dumped from a building, and then sleep in a dumpster. Life is tough for a video-game villain. And for Wreck-it Ralph, it’s getting to be more than daily sessions with a villain support group can solve. Heck, if heroes get all the glory and adoration, why not just cross over into another game and make himself the hero? 

Of course, changing your very nature may not be quite as easy as it sounds…

A beloved latter-day Disney production that takes more than few cues from by then completely absorbed company Pixar —what with the concept of a different world just behind our own, problems that can’t quite be solved just by goodwill, and a lack of musical moments. But these influences paid off and the result is an entertaining animated movie that is also slightly unusual for Disney. 

Consider, for instance, the curiosity that of the VG words we’re shown, it’s the most seemingly sweet and simple (Sugar Rush; Fix-It Felix) that produce the most unlikable characters, while modern violent worlds (Hero’s Duty) wind up producing the more noble, determined characters. Consider, also, the message that ultimately you can’t quite change what you are —Ralph can only be useful if he does wreck things, most of the time. Felix can only fix things even if it harms him. Vanellope is uncomfortable when thrown into the role of a princess. Even Calhoun can never escape traumatic memories just because she knows they are merely a programmed story. 

You can’t quite change what you are, but you can use those skills to improve your situation. Vanellope chooses to remain a glitch, and this gives her an advantage over her adversaries. Ralph can find the adoration he wanted without changing his in-game role (and he can even help characters in an even worse situation than his). And Calhoun can find solace outside of her own game, going so far as to marry Felix, a character from an altogether different world. 

Generally, an enjoyable, well-made movie for all (or most?) audiences.