Disney beats Pixar

You must be doing something incredibly right when Disney buys you because you make better movies than them. This was way back in 2006 and to be honest, Pixar has made some of their best films since then — Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up. But you have to keep in mind, several of those movies had long been in production.

Brave might be the only new movie coming out of Pixar we’ve seen since they were bought — Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 being sequels. I’m not saying Pixar lost their way. But it’s funny seeing Brave, a more traditional animation, set in old times. Like many previous Disney animations. And then Wreck-It-Ralph. One of the few movies that gets video games in movies right. Filled with cultural references, a hearth, colorful animations and not to forget, great characters. It almost sounds like a Pixar movie.

I’m Gonna Wreck It!

Wreck-It Ralph is down. There’s no love for bad guys like him. He wants more. And he decides to go ‘turbo’. When a girl starts up the game she says: “Where’s the Wreck-It guy,” not even knowing his name. So who can blame him, really?

When he ends up in another game, he meets Vanellope von Schweetz. A brash little girl, who has her own software problem. She’s a glitch and can’t drive in the race of the game. But when she meets Ralph, she thinks they can help each other get what they want.

Wreck-It Ralph is a movie filled with game references and characters — which is what makes it work even better. Even Bowser (Super Mario), Pac-Man and Doctor Eggman (Sonic) are in there. Although Mario and Luigi were too expensive apparently. Additionally, they collect coins for a living so they're no suckers for money.

Disney – Pixar: 1–10

You can feel this is a movie made with love. And that was kind of Pixar’s thing, right? Wreck-It Ralph is made by people who understand and love video games, no doubt about it. And that’s rare — only Scott Pilgrim vs. the World comes to mind. It’s what makes it better than Brave, which missed the soul and story to make it Pixar-esque.

But make no mistake. This is only Disney’s first score. And Pixar made about ten slam dunks before it. This year Pixar will release Monsters University, which looks like a good old fashioned Pixar ( play trailer) — funny and beautiful. And Disney will be back with a more traditional animated musical called Frozen, about a girl who’s been cursed by The Snow Queen. No, that doesn’t sound too original or exciting. And the production going on and off for about a decade proves it’s a difficult movie.

So, okay, Pixar made a less than great movie. It wasn’t an awful movie. But Wreck-It-Ralph deserved the summer release spot in 2012, not Brave. Looking at the future however, it might be a one-time thing.

Wreck-It Ralph is out on DVD and Blu-ray now.