Another solid work of animation from the new and improved Disney animation studios since Pixar took over. It drags a bit in spots but overall a very fun picture set in a videogame world, where the titular Ralph (John C. Reilly) is tired of being the Donkey Kong to a Mario-like hero called Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer). Determined to get some respect, he travels to other games and helps the fallen star of a Mario Kart-like game (Sarah Silverman) regain her rightful place.
Wreck-It Ralph could have been a lazy string of references to classic video games, but the script is smart, CGI animation is near-Pixar quality, and the voice work is generally very good, with exceptional work by Silverman. That said, as an animation geek I was just as pleased by the animated short presented beforehand – “Paper Man,” which combines traditional 2D animation with 3D. This has been hailed as revolutionary, and I suppose it is if you ignore one of the greatest animated films of all time- The Iron Giant- but it is very charming and lovely nonetheless, and I hope that Disney will consider longer projects using these techniques.
Either way, you can’t go wrong with Wreck-It Ralph. Between this and 2010′s Tangled, I am optimistic about the future of Disney animation.
This is a pretty charming film from one of the great independent animation houses – Aardman, home to Wallace and Gromit and famous for using stop-motion and claymation for feature-length features and Oscar-winning shorts. They also do the occasional CG project, like Flushed Away and the extremely enjoyable Arthur Christmas. All of their films are characterized by a definite English sensibility and gentle good humour combined with a lot of sight gags. Hugh Grant and Martin Freeman lead the voice cast, with Grant a natural for the conflicted, sensitive Pirate Captain.
The Secret World of Arrietty is the latest release from Studio Ghibli, where the great Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed the likes of Spirited Away, My Neighbor Toroto, Nausicaa, and Princess Mononoke, which was bigger in Japan at the box office than Titanic. For a man who frequently makes noises about retirement, Miyazaki is still pretty active, serving as the producer and co-screenwriter for this new adaptation of the children’s classic The Borrowers. I am guessing he also served as the inspiration for director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who sprinkles references to other Ghibli films throughout, especially Totoro.
