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Even though the entertainment industry has seen a massive shift toward appealing primarily to teens and tweens in the last 20 years or so, I can’t help but notice that certain animated films within the same time span are becoming more and more sophisticated. In the case of Wreck-It Ralph, which is clearly being marketed to kids, this irony is as blatant as ever!

 

Case in point: when I went to see Wreck-It Ralph recently, the theatre was filled with only adults! Seriously, not a kid in sight! Now why do you suppose that is?

 

I think the answer is pretty simple. Wreck-It Ralph focuses on video games and characters that were popular with the previous generations. These days, kids are all about Call of Duty and Halo and those ultra-realistic first-person shooter games. But back in the day when I was growing up, it didn’t get more epic or cutting edge than a couple of levels of Zelda or stomping ‘shrooms with Mario and Luigi! Going back even further, it was all about Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Wreck-It Ralph pays tribute to all these old school gamer characters, specifically in the great group therapy scene, in which Ralph, a video game villain, attends Bad-Anon and admits to his other fellow villains that he doesn’t want to be the bad guy anymore. (Other classic baddies in the group include Clyde the Ghost from Pac-Man, M. Bison from Street Fighter, Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog, and Bowser from Super Mario Bros.) Even the soundtrack in the movie brings to mind the cheesy, electronic keyboard music from back in the day. So, as you can see, there is a significant nostalgia factor here.

 

But that’s not to say that 21st century kids can’t enjoy it either. If nothing else, Wreck-It Ralph keeps those old games alive and well for the younger generation to be exposed to – it might even inspire a Millennial or two to seek out an old copy of Mortal Kombat just to find out who this Kano character is all about! But aside from that, there’s plenty else to keep teens and tweens entertained – great animation, high-flying action, hilarious dialogue, and captivating characters. All ingredients shared by old AND new school video games!