Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An arcade game villain dreams of becoming a hero and finds himself in a different game's world.
The story
Wreck-It Ralph, the villain of the platformer Fix-It Felix, Jr., is frustrated with his assigned role. After being ostracized at his game's thirtieth-anniversary commemoration, Ralph decides to win a medal, believing that it will earn him respect. Upon learning that the first-person shooter Hero's Duty awards medals, Ralph sneaks into the game and obtains a medal after getting past its enemies, Cy-Bugs. However, he accidentally launches himself in an escape pod and crash-lands in Sugar Rush, a confectionery-themed kart racing game. With Ralph gone, his game is labeled "out of order," putting it at risk of being unplugged, while his friend Felix and a soldier from Hero's Duty set out to find him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ralph, a villain in Fix-It Felix, Jr., seeks a medal from the game Hero's Duty to gain respect. He accidentally crashes into the kart racing game Sugar Rush. While his friend Felix and Sergeant Calhoun search for him, Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz, a 'glitch' in Sugar Rush. Vanellope uses Ralph's medal to enter a race, and Ralph helps her build a new kart. Meanwhile, the duo discovers that the ruler of Sugar Rush, King Candy, is actually Turbo, a villain from another game who took over Sugar Rush. After a series of events involving Cy-Bugs and a desperate attempt to save the game, Ralph and Vanellope confront Turbo. Ralph destroys the Cy-Bugs, and Vanellope wins the race, becoming the true ruler of Sugar Rush. Ralph returns to his game, content with his role as a villain but finally respected by his peers.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rich Moore
- Writers
- Phil Johnston · screenplay; Jennifer Lee · screenplay; Rich Moore · story; Phil Johnston · story; Jim Reardon · story
- Cast and characters
- John C. Reilly · Ralph; Sarah Silverman · Vanellope von Schweetz; Jack McBrayer · Felix; Jane Lynch · Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun; Alan Tudyk · King Candy; Mindy Kaling · Taffyta Muttonfudge; Joe Lo Truglio · Markowski; Ed O'Neill · Stan Litwak
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Tone and mood
- adventure; nostalgic
- Setting
- A fictional arcade world including Game Central Station, Fix-It Felix, Jr., Hero's Duty, and Sugar Rush.
- Premise and plot tags
- multiverse; video games; buddy comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The concept of Wreck-It Ralph originated in the late 1980s under the working title High Score.
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $496 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Award · Best Animated Feature · win; Golden Globe · Best Animated Feature · nomination; Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · nomination
- Production trivia
- The concept was developed under the working title High Score in the late 1980s.; The film features over 188 individual character models from various games.; The high score on the Fix-It Felix, Jr. screen refers to Walt Disney's birthdate.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…
