Wreck-It Ralph moves up release date, reboots name

When word of Walt Disney Animation Studios next release was originally leaked, we learned the title was Reboot Ralph and that it was focused on a video game character who escaped his game. But that was about all we knew. Now Disney has changed the title to Wreck-It Ralph and released a much more detailed plot synopsis:

Wreck-It Ralph longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix. Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun, Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz, a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

As you might expect, this features a return to CG Animation for Disney. The voice talent includes John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch and it will be directed by Simpsons and Futurama helmer Rich Moore. That is definitely a strong lineup.

“I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn’t there more to life than the role I’ve been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds.” said Moore. “It’s unlike anything anyone’s seen before, and I’m thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

The movie, the 52nd animated feature from Disney, will be released on November 12, 2012. A move which fills a gap in Disney’s release calendar created when Monster’s University was moved back to 2013. They might be burning the midnight oil down there in Burbank to meet the earlier deadline.

This seems like a very different film for WDAS. But that’s okay in my book. I’ve loved some of their other departure films. Something along the lines of Meet The Robinsons would be great, I think. The question comes down to how is the film marketed. With Tangled, Disney figured out how to make a film that on its cover was a girls film (which, if you saw it, you know was only partially true – it was as much about Eugene as it was Rapunzel) into something that little boys wanted to see. They will have to pull the reverse trick with Wreck-It Ralph. Can’t wait to see how they do it.