Wreck it Ralph is a story about the Indomitable Racing Spirit

"POD" (podimus) 09/14/2013 at 10:29 • Filed to: Wreck it Ralph, racing, spirit, kart, karts

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With the Jolopnik premiere of Rush, and an excellent week of movie related Jalop-ness, I began to ponder my own list of the best racing movies. After doing some mental back-flips, I quickly realized that most of them were animated. This really doesn't surprise me; not because I'm a hater for live action, there are some truly great racing movies that I never tire of, but because I just find I enjoy animated films more (more on that topic in a future post). When it comes down to my all time favorite animated racing movie, there is only one that can possibly take the cake (pun intended).

Wreck it Ralph.

Sure, on the surface, this movie may seem like the story of a misunderstood villain who, through adversity and some new friends, is able to come to terms with his place in the world. But that's just the surface plot. The real genius to Wreck it Ralph is how the multiple story arcs of several characters, all damaged in their own way, are brought together and made better through racing. What is the catalyst of this sugar burning plot?

Vanellope Von Schweetz.

A young wanna be racer whose only desire is to be accepted in to the racing circles of her peers and find her way to the starting grid of the Sugar Rush Grand Prix. The road she travels is not an easy one, and the welcome she received is colder than a Microsoft Fanboy at an iPhone launch.

Despite this outright hostility, Vanellope's unflappable attitude and keen sense of opportunity quickly land her her first sponsor. While this sponcer may not seem like a likely choice, he brought the exact skill set Vanellope needed to truly begin her career.

With any grassroots team though, the money for the best equipment, and fanciest parts is simply not there. Not to mention, no real mechanic. So, you Jalop it, and no matter how Jalop'ed your car may be, it is still awesome.

Car in hand, and an enthusiastic team in tow, Vanellope must gain the skill and technique required to really let the sprinkles fly! Remember, a little oppo will fix anything.

Sadly though, no matter how good the team, differing personal agendas can create a rift, ripping the forged partnership asunder.

When all hope seems lost, and Vanellope has resigned herself to her fate, the sponsor sees the errors of his ways, and realizes that the sheer tenacity and indomitable racing spirit of Ms. Schweetz simply can not be ignored. Swallowing his pride he returns, and he's brought a mechanic.

With the Sugar-Jalop-Express back in action, all that is left is for our young heroine to dig deep, grab life by the gumdrops, and prove her worth.

Once those racing goal are met, and all the hard work pays off, our little racer finally realizes her true potential.

And there you have it.

So while some may see Wreck it Ralph as a "bad guy gone good" story, I choose to see it as the story of a young racer with an unstoppable drive to achieve her dreams of belonging on the racing circuit. While in the process of realizing those dreams, she promotes the self-reflection and solution based actions in those around her, allowing the other characters to realize their own self-worth. A whole movie where every character is made batter through racing (except Turbo, Turbo was a narcissistic sociopath).

Justin Young > POD 09/14/2013 at 12:26

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I love Wreck-It Ralph! The best Disney animated film by far!

I loved the inclusion of the manual transmission with the three pedals!

POD > Justin Young 09/14/2013 at 12:30

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Agreed! When I first saw that I scared my wife by shouting "it's got a clutch!"

I guess the animators at Disney Animation Studio are Jalops (well some of them anyway).

aquila121 > POD 09/14/2013 at 12:38

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I will say I flat-out cried at three points in this movie—Ralph's crushing the kart, even though I knew Felix would repair it; 'bad guy affirmation' at the end; and when the Sugar-Jalop-Express (great label, by the way) comes out all undercooked and looking like a heap, then Vanellope whispers "I love it."

Also, I knew I was watching the right movie when Ralph reminds her all she has to do is finish, but Vanellope grits her teeth and drops the Milano-clutch (bonus points for the stick shift kart!) with, "I'm a racer—and I'm gonna win."

OneFastPuertoRican > POD 09/14/2013 at 12:39

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Nice read.

Wreck-It Ralph still scores high on my daughter's "Most Favorist Movies" list. So much so, that she wants to be Vanellope for Halloween.

By default, Dad has to be Ralph.

POD > aquila121 09/14/2013 at 12:49

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Thanks!

The moment when Vanellope first sees her car is my favorite of the movie. It brought back so many memories about my first car and how awesome I thought it was even though it was "just an old Accord". I think my allergies were acting up a bit at that part.

The Bad Guy affirmation is another great part. I really like how it speaks to the stages of change and how Ralph seems to be in the contemplation/action stages.

POD > OneFastPuertoRican 09/14/2013 at 12:51

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Thanks!

That's awesome! Do you have a wagon you could dress up as a Sugar Rush kart for her to pull all her candy in?

OneFastPuertoRican > POD 09/14/2013 at 12:56

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Not so much. She'll just have a traditional candy bag that will "mysteriously disappear" after three days.

GhostZ > POD 09/16/2013 at 23:55

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So it's exactly like this.

POD > GhostZ 09/16/2013 at 23:58

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Just substitute Midi-chlorians with confectioners sugar.

GhostZ > POD 09/17/2013 at 00:00

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Will this do?

I've often wondered what would have happened if Anakin had kept racing instead of being picked up to become a Jedi.

POD > GhostZ 09/17/2013 at 00:04

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Lol, that's a lot of "sugar".

I like to think he would have eventually paid off his (or was it his Mom's?) debt, opened his own shop, and tinkered on pod racers his whole life.