It is sure must be nice being the good guy – Ralph, Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph
When I saw the trailer for Disney’s latest 3D animated film, I was initially drawn to the world of arcade video games that serves as a backdrop for the story about a gaming “bad guy” turned hero. Wreck-It Ralph is surprisingly poignant, and as we sat with Director Rich Moore and Producer Clark Spencer, I wanted to find out more about the origin of the story, how the filmmakers managed to create such distinct video game worlds and whether or not a sequel was in the works.
Four years in the making, the idea began at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. After “sitting and thinking about what would make a good movie, someone brought up the notion of a story about video games” (Moore). The video game world is interesting and Moore felt like there was the potential for spectacle, comedy, and drama and would be a place audiences would like to visit. As Moore began delving into the world of video games, their characters, and what their lives are like, he thought that this was “the worst idea ever,” since each character has one job that they do day in and day out. “And then it hit me…that would be great if you had a main character who didn’t like his job…who was wondering if this is all there is to life” (Moore). Thus the film, with it’s overarching world of video games and a very personal internal conflict between a character and his “job” was born. But this was just the beginning of the process. The filmmakers “hone these movies over and over to find depth to them” which is where the story begins to take form (Moore).
Three very distinct video game worlds are depicted in the film, each with it’s own unique look and tone. Early on, Moore knew that he wanted to celebrate the differences in video games while staying true to their styles. Fix-It Felix Jr.’s 8-bit arcade style is meant to juxtapose the modern and technically sophisticated shooter game Hero’s Duty. As audiences are brought into each world, Moore hopes they feel like they are seeing three different movies as it is this uniqueness that gives the film a sense of appeal.
For avid gamers, it is likely the film’s cameos that will draw the largest appeal. As a long-time gamer, I absolutely loved seeing some of the characters from my favorite games and appreciated the fact that they were real. Authenticity is important to Disney’s filmmakers and if you’re going to make a film with an arcade video game theme, it has to be done right (Moore).
With the video game world as vast as it is, I imagine that there are stories yet to be told and already, there is the question of whether or not a sequel is in the works for Disney’s arcade game-themed film. “I love the characters…I love working with the people who portray the characters. That alone… to be able to work with those same characters, those same worlds, the same people, would be great” (Spencer). And in fact, the filmmakers had many ideas for other worlds, including a 4th titled Extreme Easy Living 2, which nearly made it into the film. While they eventually removed that world from the film, it may be brought back in a subsequent film if Wreck-It Ralph does well.
Wreck-It Ralph debuts in theaters nationwide on November 2nd, 2012.
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a press event with roundtable interviews which helped facilitate this post.
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