I love the premise of Wreck-It Ralph, Disney’s animated comedy releasing next November. Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is a 9-foot tall, 650 pound bad guy in a Rampage meets Donkey Kong-style arcade game. When the arcade closes, all the characters from the different games start interacting with each other in their various worlds. It’s pretty much an acid trip’s best case scenario.
If you’re like me and you spent a lot of time at Aladdin’s Castle (or any number of long lost arcades) this is where it gets really interesting. Disney has been aquiring rights to include various characters in their film ala Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, a movie that featured characters beyond the Disney wheelhouse. Disney presented some brief footage of Ralph at CinemaCon this week and the fine people at /film have already spotted the following characters:
- Bowser from Super Mario Bros.
- Doctor Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog
- Kano from Mortal Kombat
- A Ghost from Pac-Man
- Zangief from Street Fighter
- Coily the Snake from Q*bert
I think what really blows my mind is Kano from Mortal Kombat. I remember a time when Mortal Kombat could only be played when the ‘rents were looking the other direction. Senator Joseph Lieberman led senate hearings in ’93 where Mortal Kombat and its graphic depictions of gore and sexuality (those female characters had some boobs) were the main topic of conversation. Now it’s in Disney’s 52nd animated film.
These past few years have felt like a renaissance period for nerd entertainment*. If this isn’t the apex then I don’t know what is.
Indeed you have, good sir.
*That’s not a complaint, at least not always.