Imagine having raspy-voiced John C. Reilly and whiny-voiced Sarah Silverman yelling, cajoling and yakking at you for one hour and 48 minutes.
That's one way to describe "Wreck-It Ralph," a garishly-colored, frantic, not very funny animated feature from Walt Disney.
The words of Vanellope, a Bratz doll style character voiced by comedian Sarah Silverman, used to describe Ralph, a Shrek-like character voiced by John C. Reilly ("Step Brothers," "Chicago" supporting actor Oscar nomination), best describe "Wreck-It Ralph" itself: "so freakishly annoying."
The animated film is basically a series of poundings, chases, gunfire and explosions -- just like your typical video game -- with lots of 3-D-ready visuals (I opted for regular format).
If you're a gamer, you may want to play the likely "Wreck-It Ralph" game version (as well ride a probable Disney World theme park attraction). If you're not a gamer, and have no interest in getting small and being inside a video game, "Wreck-It Ralph" will hold little interest for you.
The storyline, such as it is, has to do with Ralph not wanting to play a bad guy in "Fix-It Felix," a 1980's-style video game at an arcade.
Felix, a Super Mario Brothers style character, is voiced by Jack McBrayer (TV's "30 Rock").
Another of the film's main characters, Sgt. Calhoun, a female soldier, is voiced by Jane Lynch (TV's "Glee").
King Candy, a character that harks back to roles played by Keenan Wynn, is voiced by Alan Tudyk (TV's :"Subpurgatory").
Much of "Wreck-It Ralph" takes place, not in the video game, "Fix-It Felix," but in another video game, "Sugar Rush," where King Candy rules over Vanellope and a host of other subjects, some of whom are various permutations of some of your favorite candies.
The movie is directed by Rich Moore (TV's "Futurama" and "The Simpsons") in his big screen directorial debut.
The formulaic screenplay was written by Phil Johnson ("Cedar Rapids") and Jennifer Lee, with additional story material from John C. Reilly.
"Wreck-It Ralph" will probably be enjoyed by children 10 and under. Those older, as well as parents or guardians, might be better served by frequent trips to the concession stand to buy more candy.
Preceeding "Wreck-It Ralph" is "Paperman," a wordless, black and white animated short that is charming, sophisticated and clever -- pretty much everything "Wreck-It Ralph" is not.
"Wreck-It Ralph": MPAA rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children) for some rude humor and mild action-violence; Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family; Run time: 1 hr, 48 mins.; Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
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