Wreck-It Ralph

[isoS]

All that said, I agree with you that it was weird for pixar to make what has now become a Disney Princesses movie -- maybe they thought they would put their own unique spin on that genre with Brave, but frankly I think it just showed a weakness they have in doing stories outside their comfort zone (not to mention a story for girls). As a fairy tale, Brave is pretty clunky and uninspired, whereas Tangled actually turns a weird and problematic fairy tale into a great, and quite modern, action romance.

[Itslikeimsayin]

Lasseter.

[isoS]

Bustid

[Newt Floss]

they're still two studios separated by hundreds of miles

What are you talking about? I've worked at Disney and Pixar was walking distance from my office. I used their gym all the time. Perks!

[Monty]

What are you talking about? I've worked at Disney and Pixar was walking distance from my office. I used their gym all the time. Perks!

#arguebrag

[Newt Floss]

;_;

[isoS]

Pixar is in Emeryville, which is near Oakland. Disney is in Burbank. Pixar probably has offices on the Disney lot, but that's not where the studio is based.

[Popinjay-Z]

The important thing is that both you and Newt are successful enough to have firsthand knowledge of where the studios are. So stop arguing about it and go throw a money party for the rest of us plebeians!

Serious question for all you insider-types who probably know the script already. I like the idea of this movie and I certainly like the cast, but I have no specific memories of my video game days (which lasted from a Nintendo in '86 to a Turbo GFX in '90 or '91) Will I enjoy this movie anyway? I remember my Dad playing 1941 a lot. Mostly I just wanted to watch the Cosby Show.

[isoS]

I have no knowledge of the script or anything like that. I admit I'm dreading a bunch of 2000s-era references because I've never even owned an XBox, and anything about Mass Effect or Final Fantasy or whatever will just go over my head. But judging by the trailer, it seems like there's a fair amount of '80s and '90s nods (like Q-bert and various Street Fighter II guys). And ultimately it has to work with or without real video game touchstones for it to be a good movie -- the inclusion or exclusion of the guys from Contra will not be the determining factor in this film's success (for me anyway).

[BillBrasky]

This was great, and had a firmer grasp on storytelling and character development than most live-action movies lately. LassEter's influence could definitely be detected. I also think (from what I have gathered from talk show interviews the last couple of weeks) that Reilly, Silverman, Lynch, and McBrayer all being in the same room together when they were recording really helped a lot in making the dialogue seem more natural and improv-like. Animated TV shows do this all the time (Bob's Burgers, Dr. Katz, etc.) so I don't know why in animated movies they mostly stick to the "record everyone separately in a booth" model.

There were lots of cute video game-related gags (I think I spotted some "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" graffiti in one scene), and once the movie gets to the "Sugar Rush" portion the candy jokes never stop (

Spoiler:  

Love the Oz-like guards at the candy king's palace...."O..reo...eoooo ooo"

) Ultimately though, the movie has a lot of heart and that's what matters. The short that plays before the movie is very well done too and probably a shoo-in to win Best Animated Short Film at next year's Oscars. They have really made a lot of strides lately in making computer animation resemble traditional hand-drawn animation (This started with "Tangled", but is especially evident in this short).

[isoS]

Yeah, I loved it too. They swung for the "Toy Story of Video Games" fences and hit a grand slam. (It also could be called the "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" of video games, except there's no scene with Mario and Pac Man sharing a parachute).

[ASR]

Yep, this was fantastic. I had really high expectations and had prepared myself for disappointment, but the whole thing was just so much fun. Genuinely funny, too. Very surreal seeing some of these characters on a big movie screen. 10-year-old me would have wet his pants at the thought of this film.

Oh, and that short before the movie was the cutest thing ever.

[AynBannd]

Yeah, I loved it. I came in just for nostalgia factor and video game references alone, but what really caught me by surprise was how much I'd be affected by the message/themes, and to me, felt so deep and terrifying. Especially when everyone in that Sugar Land arcade kept labeling Vanellope as "a mistake" (glitch)- oophf. Favorite scenes have to be Tapper, and the minigame of creating a Kart. Oh, and yeah that Paperman skit was also touching.

[Newt Floss]

I thought the movie was good not great. However, the puns in this film are fucking fantastic! I laughed really loud at most of them.

[MrDys]

Loved it. I really liked how some of the conflicts were really complex for a kid's movie:

Spoiler:  

Ralph deciding to destroy the car, etc.

Also, Alan-Tudyk-as-Ed-Wynn was fantastic. He needs to more voice work.

[misscritta]

I'm in love with this movie. My 11 year old keeps speaking in "Q-Bert-eze". It was a hit all around.

[isoS]

Q*Bert used to be available in the App Store and the PlayStation Store, but is no longer in either. I know this because WIR made me want to play it again and I can't. >

(I have an emulator that can play the ROM on my computer somewhere probably, but I really want to play it on my PS3 with a real controller.)

[Weinerslave]

I'll see it and everything, but I'm wondering: how are little kids, the intended demographic, supposed to connect to all the references to video games that none of them have ever heard of?

[MrDys]

The references are really bonuses for the adults. It's similar to how you didn't need to be a vintage toy collector to enjoy Toy Story.

[isoS]

I saw it with my 4yo daughter and spent the first 30 minutes worrying she wasn't into it because she doesn't play video games and doesn't even know what an arcade is. But she loved it and got into it despite the lack of context. To her it was probably just another fantastical world, like in any other movie. (She didn't know what 12th century Scotland was either, but she loved Brave too.)