In the film Ralph is depicted as aesthetically disappointing according to America’s standards. Ralph is tall, stalky, has big hands and feet, tattered hair, a protruding nose and buck teeth. Also Ralph is not wealthy; he is “homeless” and lives in a dump full of bricks and sleeps on a tree stump. The hero in the game Fix-It Felix Jr., is a skinny, well-dressed guy with perfect teeth, a button nose, and full hair. Not only is Felix the hero of the game, he also lives in the penthouse suite of an apartment and carries around a golden hammer from his father that fixes anything it touches. The townspeople in the game praise Felix and demean Ralph not only because Felix is the hero and Ralph is the villain but also because Felix is “pretty” and wealthy and Ralph is “ugly” and poor. The townspeople are depicted as ditsy and fake, blindly following Felix and praising him unconditionally no matter what he does. The townspeople mirror the American people, who blindly follow beauty and consumer trends and praise the ideas of materialism and aestheticism.
The actions of Felix and Ralph during the course of the movie also accentuates and pokes fun at America’s obsession with money, power, and beauty. Tired of being seen as the bad guy, Ralph goes to other games within the arcade in search of a gold medal - which he believes will validate him as a hero. When he returns from another videogame with a medal, he is surprised to find that he receives no heroic praise but instead is presented with an abandoned, out of order game. Ralph relied on material things for approval and success and he ended up coming up confused and short. Americans often rely on material things to bring happiness and use material objects to monitor success. However, material things don’t necessarily fulfil self-satisfaction or validate actions and American’s often end up still depressed and confused why their material excursions came up short.
Felix relies on his golden hammer to accomplish tasks and without it he has little developed skills and success. Disney uses Felix’s reliance on his hammer to poke fun at America's reliance on quick and effective material objects. Not many of today’s teenagers can live without their phones, calculators or other electronics for assistance, which are products of wealth and entitlement. These products once again fuel the large flame of materialism and aesthetics that has spread among the U.S.
The characters and ideas in the movie Wreck-It Ralph may seem fun-loving on the surface and maybe that’s what Disney intended. If Americans take a simple break from gawking over pretty pictures and material possessions, they can look under the surface of the animated film and observe a mirror, reflecting the faults of Americans, right back at them.
Wreck-It Ralph Trailer:
I think it is interesting how you tie in our society in America with Wreck It Ralph. I agree that America has an odd obsession with money, power, and beauty, and I like how you address the problem. Great job Ella!
ReplyDeleteWreck-it Ralph was always my go-to "easy" movie that didn't have any deeper motivations. Looks like that just changed. Very insightful, I like your interpretation of Fix-it Felix's hammer as a symbol a lot.
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