Wreck-It Ralph (formerly Reboot Ralph)

[DisneyEra]

Check out the new poster!


I really like it! Although I wish they had included Vanellope and Felix and some other actual characters alongside the cameo characters.

Wreck it Ralph himself along with the cameo characters from Sega, Capcom, ect. Disney marketing at it's finest! Clearly this is the "American Poster". Reminds me of the Tangled posters: The american one with Rapunzel, Rider & the animals in a Dreamworks-esqe fighting stans, while one of the interntional posters was with Rapunzel on the boat with the lights, Rider paddling the boat & the tower & Castle in the background. That one was the traditional Disney poster for Tangled/Rapunzel. But they couldn't have that one in America, modern audience wouldn't buy it, as we saw a year earlier with Princess & the Frog

[DisneyEra]

See now, I'm not a gamer either. And to be honest, after watching the two trailers, I have to admit I have no interest whatsoever in this film. Seems like a story I have seen done a thousand times, and the "clever" game references do nothing for me. Nor will they do for people that aren't or weren't gamers.

To semi-quote Howard Ashaman: " Does this film fit comfortable on the shelf with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Cinderella?". I don't think so. I also don't think this film has universal appeal...

Hmmm... I don't think this will be a hit

I hope I'm wrong

I disagree with this post entirely. And here's why...

I am a gamer, so many of these references apply to me. But even then, I think Wreck it Ralph will still have a presence with audiences that aren't gamers. Why? Because I feel the story and characters will be strong enough that it will be universal to everyone, regardless if they are gamers or not.

Take for example Who Framed Roger Rabbit. One of the biggest appealing elements of the film are the cameo appearances by various cartoon characters from the golden age of animation. The film had a ton of them, and it too relied on jokes and tropes related to the world of animation. And yet, what really stood out for people was the story and the characters. The very adult themes of infidelity, murder and corruption, the subtle yet raunchy humor, the brisk pacing, action and mystery made it a huge it with people. Yeah, animated characters have more history than video game characters, but even then while people talk about how Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny met in that one scene, what stayed with them was the powerful story.

So don't be too surprised if Wreck it Ralph suddenly finds an audience with non-gamers because the story that has been given to the story has been solid based on what we have seen, read and heard. It is a very universal story about accepting yourself for who you are and having a huge impact in your world, as well as learning to appreciate everyone in your life, which in a way is a very classic Disney moral.

Now, regarding what you said about the movie being able to fit in with Peter Pan and Cinderella... well that's the beauty of this movie: it DOESN'T fit in. Wreck it Ralph seems to be something special and unique for Disney, a movie that seems honest with its humor and characters rather than aiming for the cool, hip audience (yeah some ads have the infamous DreamWorks face going on, but so far Ralph and friends have been sold as their own characters, not as super hip characters for the younger generation). Yeah, the movies you mentioned are class acts on their own, but comparing Ralph to them is diminishing its value and placing unfair judgment on it, which is exactly what Wreck it Ralph is talking about with the Vanellope story: being rejected because you somehow don't "fit" with the best when the chance hasn't even been given.

Let us also forget that on that shelf lies other Disney classics like Three Caballeros, the package films, Alice in Wonderland and such, movies that fans have deemed as "unworthy" of the Disney name, but are still part of that shelf along with Peter Pan and Cinderella.

If you feel that the movie isn't for you, well that's fine. But I think video game references and all, it will have an audience that isn't primarily composed of gamers. Heck, I know a lot of my friends who are not gamers yet still really want to see this movie because it looks fun, creative and different.

I think we will all be having this same discussion in about 1, 5 years when "Big Hero 6" starts to come out. A film that won't fit in with the classics & is about an obscure Marvel group that mordern audiences have never heard of. I appaud Disney Animation for taking these risks, like they did in the early 2000s.

[LySs]

See now, I'm not a gamer either. And to be honest, after watching the two trailers, I have to admit I have no interest whatsoever in this film. Seems like a story I have seen done a thousand times, and the "clever" game references do nothing for me. Nor will they do for people that aren't or weren't gamers.

To semi-quote Howard Ashaman: " Does this film fit comfortable on the shelf with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Cinderella?". I don't think so. I also don't think this film has universal appeal...

Hmmm... I don't think this will be a hit

I hope I'm wrong

I'm a gamer and I for one am excited for this movie. Not so much for the cameos themselves (though the idea of seeing Bowser, Zangief, Pacman, etc. in a Disney movie is pretty sweet), but for the concept, the story, the characters, the visual direction, etc. And to answer Ashman's quote, I say I applaud Disney for taking risks and breaking away from their standard formula. Do I want to see them drop the formula completely? Of course not, since the formula is why I love Disney in the first place. It's Disney's identity. But it's also good to diverse, and to show that they're able to tell a story with any theme and setting.

By the way, this happened to catch my eye during the trailer


Could "Jenkins" possibly be a reference to Leeroy Jenkins?
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LkCNJRfSZBU" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Also, "No camping" probably refers to the video game term
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camping_%28gaming%29

[RyGuy]

I'm not a gamer. In fact, I'd never heard of Zangief before the first Wreck-it Ralph trailer (though I did get the Pac Man and Qbert jokes since I grew up in the 80s when just about everything was 8 bit).

I am absolutely looking forward to this movie. For me, it all comes down to the story. Can Disney succeed in telling a story that is engaging? Makes me care about the characters? Makes me laugh? Cheer? Feel like a kid again?

If they can do that, I don't care so much what the setting or the medium is.

And while Ashman wrote fantastic lyrics and told engaging stories, he was just one person in Disney's history. There were many before him; there will be many after him. If you remove the nostalgia factor, many of the classics wouldn't fit comfortably on the shelf with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Cinderella, including most of the package films and perhaps even 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book (IMHO, of course).

Time will tell whether Wreck-it Ralph was a worthwhile risk or not, but Disney has survived a number of risky choices that weren't as critically or commercially successful as hoped (i.e., The Black Cauldron, Treasure Planet, and Chicken Little to name a few).

[Disney's Divinity]

See now, I'm not a gamer either. And to be honest, after watching the two trailers, I have to admit I have no interest whatsoever in this film. Seems like a story I have seen done a thousand times, and the "clever" game references do nothing for me. Nor will they do for people that aren't or weren't gamers.

To semi-quote Howard Ashaman: " Does this film fit comfortable on the shelf with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Cinderella?". I don't think so. I also don't think this film has universal appeal...

I don't think there's anything wrong with the game references, I think the film just looks bland is all. And it's possible the film wouln't "fit comfortably...with Pinocchio," etc., but not because it's different from those films as some might suppose. If anything, because it isn't good.

[RyGuy]

And it's possible the film wouln't "fit comfortably...with Pinocchio," etc., but not because it's different from those films as some might suppose. If anything, because it isn't good.

But how do you know it isn't good until you see it?

I was watching Waking Sleeping Beauty not too long ago, and I remember one of the animators/producers talking about how no one wanted to work on The Lion King and everyone wanted to work on Pocahontas. Everyone expected great things from Pocahontas, but not The Lion King.

Of course, we have the benefit of being able to look back and see which was the better film (commercially/critically speaking), but my point is that until the movie is released and you see it, it's impossible to say whether it's great or whether it sucks.

[Disney's Divinity]

And it's possible the film wouln't "fit comfortably...with Pinocchio," etc., but not because it's different from those films as some might suppose. If anything, because it isn't good.

But how do you know it isn't good until you see it?

Take it in-context. My point was that, if the movie ends up not fitting comfortably besides other classics, it won't be because the film is different, but because it isn't good (if it is, in fact, not good).

Though I can't say I have much hope it will be very good, so it doesn't really bother me that you took it that way.

[ajmrowland]

See now, I'm not a gamer either. And to be honest, after watching the two trailers, I have to admit I have no interest whatsoever in this film. Seems like a story I have seen done a thousand times, and the "clever" game references do nothing for me. Nor will they do for people that aren't or weren't gamers.

To semi-quote Howard Ashaman: " Does this film fit comfortable on the shelf with Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Cinderella?". I don't think so. I also don't think this film has universal appeal...

Hmmm... I don't think this will be a hit

I hope I'm wrong

I certainly havent seen a character arc like this done like this, so a story like this is one most people probably havent seen if I havent. That's going off local people I know.


I'm a moderate gamer; I game a lot, but more modern games and very few older ones. Why? my first video games were on N64 and most 2D stuff I dont do as much, but maybe casually. The most exposure I've had to 2D was the gameboy color and Advance games I had, and they were alright. I hadnt heard of Zangieff or Zombie from house of the Dead until first trailer, and I totally forgot about Qbert, but Pac-Man ghost, Eggman(forgot original name) and bowser are universal.
edit: who's the snake? It looks like that Pokemon, Ekans.

[DisneyJedi]

To be honest, while I am getting more and more stoked for this, while trying not to spoil myself with sneak peeks, I am sort of nervous about whether it will be a financial/critical hit for Disney or it will end up blowing up in their faces.

[LySs]

I hadnt heard of Zangieff or Zombie from house of the Dead until first trailer, and I totally forgot about Qbert, but Pac-Man ghost, Eggman(forgot original name) and bowser are universal.
edit: who's the snake? It looks like that Pokemon, Ekans.

You've never heard of Street Fighter? Maybe Zangief is not the most well-known, but I'm sure you've at least heard of characters like Ryu or Chun-Li.

Funny enough, Zangief is not even a villain.

The purple snake is also from Qbert, named Coily

[ajmrowland]

^yeah, i've heard of all of that, mostly from browsing the bluray section at best buy, except coily.

[jazzflower92]

I hadnt heard of Zangieff or Zombie from house of the Dead until first trailer, and I totally forgot about Qbert, but Pac-Man ghost, Eggman(forgot original name) and bowser are universal.
edit: who's the snake? It looks like that Pokemon, Ekans.

You've never heard of Street Fighter? Maybe Zangief is not the most well-known, but I'm sure you've at least heard of characters like Ryu or Chun-Li.

Funny enough, Zangief is not even a villain.

The purple snake is also from Qbert, named Coily

The funny story is that in some adaptions of Street Figther he actually was made into a bad guy working for Bison.He was a villian in the 1994 live action Street Fighter movie,the American animated adaption,and a anime series as well.So,Zangrief has been adapted into the bad guy role.Though this Zangrief could come from a game that was adapted from the 1994 movie.Actually there was an arcade game based on the 1994 movie version.

[estefan]

To be honest, while I am getting more and more stoked for this, while trying not to spoil myself with sneak peeks, I am sort of nervous about whether it will be a financial/critical hit for Disney or it will end up blowing up in their faces.

I think it will be a huge hit for Disney. I think they will definitely attract video game fans, but others will probably check it out, too. This has actually been a very strong year for animation, box-office wise.

[Jules]

So what does "doody" mean, anyway?

Is it a comic euphemism for penis?

[magired1]

Doody means crap. Ya know poop?

[SWillie!]

No way would they put something that meant penis in a Disney film. That's pushin it too far

[Elladorine]

No way would they put something that meant penis in a Disney film. That's pushin it too far

Especially when they add "better watch your step."

[Barbossa]

Check out the new poster!


I really like it! Although I wish they had included Vanellope and Felix and some other actual characters alongside the cameo characters.

Nice poster. But as someone pointed out on Aintitcool, where's Leisure Suit Larry?

[Kyle]

Im surprised they would put sonic and a number of those others on the poster and still exclude Bowser.

[Sky Syndrome]

I hadnt heard of Zangieff or Zombie from house of the Dead until first trailer, and I totally forgot about Qbert, but Pac-Man ghost, Eggman(forgot original name) and bowser are universal.

Regretably, I'm always forgetting the other name Eggman has and have to look it up on occasion. His original name actually is Eggman. In the original Japanese game he first appeared in his name was Doctor Eggman and for the English version of the same game, his name was Doctor Ivo Robotnik. I have no idea where they pulled the name 'Ivo' from.