Wreck It Ralph

Originally written in the previous iteration of this blog on March 26, 2013.
Republished: July 18, 2023
Updated: March 27, 2025

Times were changing at Disney back in 2013. Ever since Disney acquired Pixar in 2006, it became increasingly clear that Pixar’s approach to animation was shaping Disney’s future films. One such example was Wreck-It Ralph, which I had the chance to watch on DVD and Blu-ray. I felt it was possibly the best Disney film I had seen in years.

The movie bore all the hallmarks of Pixar’s influence, from the idea of video game characters coming to life, similar to Toy Story, to its animation style. Much like many Pixar films, Wreck-It Ralph delivered deep themes about change, hope, and empowerment, reminiscent of Up and WALL-E.

The story followed Ralph, the villain from the 8-bit arcade game Fix-It Felix!¹, who embarked on a journey through the arcade to prove his worth and gain respect from his peers.

The movie started with Ralph attending a therapy session with other video game antagonists at a group called Bad-Anon. He expressed dissatisfaction with his 30-year role of wrecking an apartment building, stating that he no longer wanted to be the bad guy. After the session, the villains returned home through Game Central Station, the central hub of the video game world, where we got a glimpse into their lives.

When Ralph returned to his game, he discovered that everyone was celebrating Fix-It Felix Jr.’s 30th anniversary without him. After crashing the party, the contrasting relationships between the characters became clear: Felix was friendly toward Ralph, while the Nicelanders (the apartment dwellers) feared and disliked him.

After this confrontation, Ralph vowed to prove himself by earning a Hero’s Medal, an award only given to the good guys. Unsure how to earn one, Ralph got a lucky break when he encountered a character from Hero’s Duty. He stole the character’s battle suit and entered Hero’s Duty, a first-person shooter, where he won a medal through dishonest means.

While Ralph was off getting his medal, Fix-It Felix! was temporarily out of order, facing removal from the arcade due to Ralph’s absence. This prompted Felix to search for him.

Ralph eventually found himself in Sugar Rush, a kart racing game, where he met Vanellope, a glitchy character who stole Ralph’s medal to enter a race. Vanellope’s participation was met with disdain from the other racers, who bullied her.

Seeing this, Ralph struck a deal with Vanellope: he would help her win the race in exchange for his medal. As they worked together, Ralph and Vanellope formed a deep friendship, though it was tested when Ralph was tricked by King Candy, the ruler of Sugar Rush, into sabotaging Vanellope’s kart and ruining her dreams.

With the medal in hand, Ralph returned home, only to realize the emptiness of his prize and tossed it away. He came to understand the real value of his friendship with Vanellope and discovered she wasn’t the glitch she appeared to be.

Ralph went back to Sugar Rush to make things right. With the help of Felix, who had been taken prisoner in the game, they repaired Vanellope’s kart, and she was able to race.

As the race neared its end, Sugar Rush became infested with Cy-Bugs, monsters from Hero’s Duty, one of which followed Ralph into the game. Just as Vanellope approached the finish line, it was revealed that King Candy was actually Turbo, a legendary arcade character who had abandoned his game to take over another more popular one, TurboTime.

Vanellope was unable to finish the race because of the Cy-Bugs, and as the characters evacuated to Game Central Station, Vanellope, being a glitch, couldn’t leave. In a desperate moment, Sergeant Calhoun from Hero’s Duty revealed that Sugar Rush couldn’t be saved without a beacon to lure and destroy the Cy-Bugs. This sparked an idea in Ralph—Diet Cola Mountain, where dropping Mentos into the cola could create a beacon.

Ralph was then interrupted by Turbo, now merged with a Cy-Bug. After a brief struggle, Turbo lifted Ralph high above Diet Cola Mountain, showing him Vanellope surrounded by Cy-Bugs. Ralph broke free and dove into the mountain, intending to sacrifice himself to save Sugar Rush.

As he fell, Ralph recited the mantra from Bad-Anon—even though he was a bad guy, he wouldn’t want to be anyone else. Just before he plunged into the cola, Vanellope used her glitching abilities to save him. The Mentos created a beacon, drawing the Cy-Bugs and Turbo to their destruction.

With the Cy-Bug infestation gone, Vanellope crossed the finish line, restoring the game to its original state and reclaiming her role as Princess Vanellope, the ruler of Sugar Rush, while retaining her glitching ability.

Felix and Ralph returned to their game just in time to prevent it from being unplugged. The movie ended with Calhoun and Felix, who had developed a romantic relationship, getting married. Ralph finally earned the respect he had been seeking.

What stood out most to me at the time was Ralph’s personal growth throughout his journey. At the beginning, he had been dissatisfied with his life and obsessed with gaining respect. His selfishness was evident when he abandoned his game and cheated to get a medal. However, as Ralph befriended Vanellope, the medal lost its importance. He threw it away when he realized the cost of keeping it—his friendship with Vanellope and his place in the game. His redemption came when he helped Vanellope back into the race and saved Sugar Rush from destruction. These actions earned him the respect he desired, but more importantly, Ralph learned that being the “good guy” in the game wasn’t as important as his friendship with Vanellope.

Ralph’s transformation was in stark contrast to Turbo, who started as a good guy but became consumed with an obsession for popularity. His villainous actions escalated, leading him to take over Sugar Rush and eventually merge with a Cy-Bug, seeking to dominate the arcade. Ultimately, it was the bad guy who redeemed himself, while the good guy fell from grace.

I also loved the nostalgic video game cameos, including Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter.

There were two scenes that truly moved me—Ralph’s sacrifice to save Sugar Rush and the final scene of the movie. Ralph’s selflessness in his sacrifice was touching, especially when he recited the Bad-Anon mantra. It showed that he had fully come to terms with his role as the “bad guy” and that it didn’t define him as a bad person.

The final scene, where Ralph was lifted by the Nicelanders to be thrown off the roof, continued his journey of self-acceptance. From that vantage point, he watched Vanellope race and reaffirmed his appreciation for his life. He didn’t need a medal to prove he was a good guy — if a little kid like Vanellope liked him, then how bad could he really be?

Rating:

A few years after the original release, Wreck-It Ralph got a sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). In this movie, Ralph and Vanellope ventured into the Internet to find a replacement part for her arcade game, encountering new challenges along the way. While it had its moments of fun, I felt it didn’t quite capture the same magic as the original film. The story didn’t offer much new to the characters, and honestly, the sequel seemed unnecessary, as the original story had already completed a satisfying arc for Ralph and Vanellope. Since then, Disney hasn’t really done much with the Wreck-It Ralph franchise, leaving it as a stand-alone classic that remains untouched.