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- "Sure must be nice, being the good guy."
- ―Wreck-It Ralph[src]
Wreck-It Ralph is the main protagonist in the 2012 film with the same name. He is voiced by John C. Reilly.
Official Disney Bio
Ralph is a heavy-handed "wrecking riot" with a heart. For thirty years, he's been doing his job as the bad guy in the arcade game Fix-it Felix Jr. But it's getting harder and harder to love his job when no one seems to like him for doing it. Suffering from a classic case of "bad guy fatigue" and hungry for a little "wreck-ognition", Ralph embarks on a wild adventure across an incredible arcade-game universe to prove that just because he's a bad guy doesn't mean he's a "bad guy."
Personality
Despite his hulking appearance, Ralph is ultimately sweet and humble. Even so, he admittedly has a temper problem, which results in him wrecking things when angered. In fact, it's because of his wrecking programming that Ralph was often shunned by the Nicelanders. Ralph himself proved to be ashamed by his wrecking habits at points. During the film, he appeared to be oblivious to what actually makes one a hero. During the first part of his adventure, he was openly out for himself, believing earning a medal (though he didn't technically earn it) would automatically give him the title of a hero. It isn't until he meets and befriends a young glitch named Vanellope, that he learns being a hero means learning to put others before yourself. Aside from this, Ralph can be an incredible bumbler, mostly due to his massive size.
Video Game Role
In the fictional arcade video game of Fix-It Felix, Jr., Ralph is in rage of his forest home being destroyed by construction of a new apartment building. Ralph shouts out "I'm gonna wreck it." and begins to demolish the building by destroying the windows, as revenge. As Felix comes in to save the day, Ralph throws down bricks, attempting to stop the hero from undoing his immense damage. However, Felix succeeds in repairing the apartment building and, in the end of the game, the Nicelanders who lives in the apartment throws Ralph off the top of the building, sending him falling into a puddle of mud. Ralph actually act as the villain in the game (which he does not like).
Appearances
Wreck-It Ralph
Ralph and Felix at the anniversary party.
On the 30th anniversary of his game, Fix-It Felix,Jr., Wreck-It Ralph attends Bad-Anon to relieve the stress he's been feeling for the last 30 years, this being the first time he has ever done so. Because of his role as the villain, people mistreat him, despite the fact that he's really a nice guy, albeit hot tempered. At the meeting, Ralph confesses that he doesn't want to be the bad guy any longer. The confession shocks the other members of the meeting who fear Ralph's going Turbo. Ralph reassures the others that he only wants a better life, but wanting to change the program can be very dangerous in the arcade, and can even result in a game getting unplugged. After the meeting, Ralph returns home and finds that the citizens of his game, and several other invited guests, are having an anniversary party without him. Ralph gets Felix to invite him in, but the Nicelanders are less than pleased to see Ralph. The awkward moment turns into a heated argument between Ralph and the mayor of Niceland, Gene. Ralph believes earning a medal like Felix would give him the respect he deserves, and Gene indirectly agrees. However, Gene then claims Ralph earning a medal is impossible as he's just the "bad guy who wrecks the building", angering Ralph to the point where he destroys the anniversary cake.
Ralph earning the Medal of Heroes.
Ralph then heads to Tapper, to ask the bartender if he knows of such a game that presents bad guys with medals. After searching through Tapper's lost and found box, Ralph instead runs into a soldier from a game called Hero's Duty who tells Ralph that a medal is given to the bravest of the brave: the Medal of Heroes. The soldier then spots a cockroach on Ralph's soldier, freaks out, and flees, inadvertently running right into a wall and knocking himself out. Ralph then seizes this opportunity to win a medal and steals the soldier's armor and sneaks into the game. However, it's not at all what he had hoped. Hero's Duty instead turns out to be a violent game infested by deadly creatures known as the Cy-Bugs. Eventually, Ralph finds the medal but he accidentally hatches a Cy-Bug egg and the baby bug attacks Ralph, sending him on an escape shuttle that blasts them to Sugar Rush, a kart racing game. Meanwhile, Fix-It Felix Jr. is put out of order due to Ralph's absence. Mr. Litwak, the owner of the arcade, reluctantly decides that if the game doesn't work the following day, it would be unplugged. To save the game, Felix journeys off to find Ralph and teams up with the leader of Hero's Duty, Sergeant Calhoun, to do so. Back at Sugar Rush, the Cy-Bug apparently dies in a taffy lake, but it instead creates a nest underground. Ralph accidentally loses his medal, which is soon stolen by a little girl named Vanellope.
Ralph meeting Vanellope.
Vanellope uses the medal to insert herself into Sugar Rush's upcoming race, as every racer needs to pay admission with one gold coin. Ralph tries to capture Vanellope to get his medal, but the ruler of the game, King Candy, orders his guards to capture Ralph. Ralph is taken to the king's castle where he meets King Candy himself, and his minion, Sour Bill. Ralph explains that he's only in Sugar Rush to retrieve his medal after Vanellope stole it, but the king tells Ralph the medal is now nothing but code and can only be retrieved when someone wins the cup at the end of the race. Ralph then openly decides to steal back the medal once the race is won, but King Candy orders him leave the game or be imprisoned. Ralph escapes to find some racers to help win back his medal, but he instead finds Vanellope being tormented by the racers. Ralph scares them off, feeling sympathy for the child. After the racers retreat, Vanellope explains that she was going to return his medal the moment she won the race. Unfortunately, the other racers destroyed Vanellope's kart as she is banned from racing because she was said to be a glitch and that glitches don't race. Ralph then goes at a fit of rage as he was now without any apparent chance of getting his medal back. He begins to wreck the nearest things and even splits a jawbreaker in half. Ralph's strength gives Vanellope the idea to have him break into King Candy's kart factory where karts for the game are built. Ralph reluctantly agrees and the duo head off. At the factory, Ralph and Vanellope work together to make the kart, which comes out perfect for Vanellope despite its repulsive appearance. Ralph and Vanellope then sign the kart and begin to bond together. However, the moment is short-lived as King Candy and his minions arrive and chase Ralph and Vanellope down.
Ralph after wrecking Vanellope's kart.
Using his fists, Ralph gets himself, Vanellope, and the kart to the safety of Vanellope's secret hideout in the Diet Cola Mountain. Inside, Vanellope confesses that she has no clue as to how to drive, but Ralph decides to build a track and teach her himself. During this time, Vanellope also tells Ralph that because of her ability, she isn't allowed to race and is constantly treated harshly by the inhabitants of the game. Ralph asks why she won't simply leave the game for a new one and Vanellope reveals that she can't because glitches can't leave their games. The duo take to the track and become fairly close during the process. Afterwards, the friends begin to make way for the upcoming Roster Race, but Vanellope runs back into the mountain to get something. During her absence, King Candy arrives and tells Ralph that if Vanellope were to glitch during a race, the players would think the game was broken and Sugar Rush would be unplugged. Not only that, Vanellope would die along with the game since she cannot escape. Ralph understands the situation and King Candy returns his medal. When Vanellope returns, she gives Ralph a medal she made that read, "You're my hero" just in case they didn't win the race. The emotionally-wrecked Ralph then tries to dissuade Vanellope from racing. When Vanellope notices Ralph's medal, she believes he has ratted her out for it, and the two begin to argue. Vanellope tries to race without Ralph, but the bad guy hangs Vanellope on a lollipop tree and dramatically wrecks her kart. Vanellope tried to stop him, but to no avail as her kart is crushed, along with her dreams of racing and getting a better life. Vanellope runs off heartbroken and Ralph, feeling downhearted, returns to his game.
Ralph and Felix reuniting.
When he returns, he finds that all the Nicelanders, except Gene, have fled to Game Central Station. Gene tells Ralph that when Felix left to look for him and never returned, everyone panicked and fled. Gene also informed Ralph that Litwak will be unplugging the game in the morning. Ralph apologizes for the event, but Gene hands over the keys to the penthouse as promised, and leaves as well. In anger, Ralph throws his medal to the screen of the game. The impact of the medal knocks off the out of order sign and reveals the Sugar Rush cabinet. On the cabinet, Ralph notices Vanellope's picture featured prominently on it. Ralph rushes back to Sugar Rush to find answers. When he arrives, Ralph finds Sour Bill, who is cleaning the wreckage of Vanellope's kart. By licking and chewing on him as a method of torture, Ralph gets Bill to reveal that King Candy hacked into Sugar Rush's codes and tried to erase Vanellope out of existence, turning her into a glitch. He also tells Ralph that if Vanellope crosses the finish line in an official race, the game will reset and she'll no longer be a glitch. Bill also tells Ralph that Vanellope and Felix are trapped in King Candy's fungeon. Ralph then sticks Sour Bill onto a lollipop tree, collects the pieces of Vanellope's destroyed kart, and barges into the fungeon where Felix is imprisoned. Ralph confesses to Felix that he ran off to try to be a good-guy because he was tired of being rejected and treated like a criminal, which was his everyday life for the last 30 years. Beginning to understand how he cannot change who he is, Ralph asks Felix to fix Vanellope's destroyed kart (the only hope for Vanellope), promising that he will never try to be good again if Felix does so.
Ralph and Felix can't believe what they're seeing - King Candy is really Turbo!
Ralph then breaks into the cell where Vanellope is imprisoned and rolls in her repaired kart, confessing to her that he is an idiot, a real numbskull, a selfish diaper baby, and a stink-brain. The two, along with Felix, rush to the Random Roster Race. Ralph instructs her to just cross the finish line to be a real racer as she does not have to win, but Vanellope, declaring herself to be real racer already, is determined to win the race. She gets into the already-started race, but her glitching gets her to second place, behind King Candy, within minutes. As Ralph focuses on a jumbo screen near the start/finish line overlooking the race, he is punched by Sergeant Calhoun, who tells him that the game is going down because swarms of Cy-Bugs are born underground and will attack any minute as she blames Ralph for letting that happen. Just then, the Cy-Bugs explode from the grounds and begin to ravage through Sugar Rush, prompting Calhoun to evacuate the citizens. Back on the track, Vanellope passes King Candy, but the king rams into her kart in an attempt to destroy it. Vanellope fights him off and she begins to glitch as she does. As Ralph fights off the bugs, Felix tells him to turn to the screen to see Vanellope and King Candy fighting. Vanellope's glitching causes King Candy to glitch also, making his facade fall and revealing himself to be Turbo, the old racer whose game-jumping has ended two games, and supposedly, his life. Both Felix and Ralph are shocked and speechless at the revelation. Meanwhile, Vanellope is able to escape Candy, but just then, more Cy-Bugs explode from the sides of the track as she approaches the finish line. Vanellope's kart is caught in the explosion, which sends her falling off the track, prompting Ralph and Felix to come to her rescue, but the Cy-Bugs destroy the finish line.
Ralph plummeting to Diet Cola Mountain.
Seeing as the game has little to no hope of survival, Ralph grabs Vanellope and heads for Game Central Station, but Vanellope, still being a glitch, is unable to leave. Despite this, the she ensures Ralph that everything will be okay, but Ralph refuses to leave Vanellope to die as he desperately thinks of a way to save her. When he overhears Calhoun telling Felix that the monsters cannot be stopped without a beacon, Ralph quickly formulates an idea to erupt the Diet Cola Mountain, hoping that the lava light will be mistaken for a beacon, which will attract the Cy-Bugs. He borrows Calhoun's hoverboard to flies to the top of the mountain, where he begins to smash its crater of mentos with his fists. Just as Ralph is about to bring down the crater, King Candy (who has transformed into a Cy-Bug monster after being consumed by one) arrives and attempts to kill him. They battle, but then King Candy lifts Ralph into the air, from where Ralph is forced to watch helplessly as Vanellope and his other friends are nearly killed by a swarm of bugs. Ralph resigns himself to his fate and breaks himself free from Candy's grasps. As he falls toward Diet Cola Mountain, Ralph recites the Bad Guy Affirmation he learned at Bad-Anon and tightly grips Vanellope's medal. Having plummeted from an altitude high enough, his one forceful smash sends the entire crater of mentos barreling down. He is then saved by Vanellope, who uses another racer's kart to race into the mountain and catch him. Together, the two escape the mountain as massive amounts of mentos plunge into the lava, causing the mountain to erupt. The eruption of Diet Cola Mountain produces a beacon that attracts all the Cy-bugs, including King Candy, and vaporizes them for good, saving Sugar Rush and the entire arcade.
Back at the track, Felix fixes the finish line allowing Vanellope to finish the race. Ralph pushes Vanellope's kart, with Vanellope inside, across the finish line, and she is revealed to be the rightful ruler of the kingdom, a princess, as codings of Sugar Rush are restored. At this time, the arcade is about ready to open, so Ralph and Vanellope bid each other farewell. Vanellope kindly offers Ralph a room in her castle where he'll be happy, to which Ralph humbly denies the offer, informing her that their friendship is enough to keep him happy and that he has a responsibility of his own, finally accepting his important role as the bad-guy of his game. After many salutations of farewell and humorous name-calling between the two, Ralph heads back to Fix-It Felix, Jr. with Felix just in time to show Mr. Litwak that the game is working again, sparing it from being unplugged.
Ralph waving to Vanellope during the film's finale.
During the finale, it is shown that the Nicelanders have finally learned that Ralph is an important part of the game and begin to treat him better. Nicelander Mary even bakes Ralph his own cake. Also, Ralph and Felix invite the homeless video game characters (including Q*bert) to help them out on the "bonus levels" of their game during gaming hours. This new addition has also brought new-found popularity to Fix-It Felix, Jr. Ralph and Felix build new apartments for the new characters, making Niceland a home for them. Ralph is also present at the wedding of Felix and Calhoun, serving as Felix's best man and shown to be shedding some tears as the bride and the groom officially tie the knot. During the end credits, it is shown that Vanellope and Calhoun regularly visit Ralph and Felix and vice versa, and the friends regularly have game jumping adventures together.
Video games
Wreck-It Ralph (video game)
Ralph in the Wreck-It Ralph the video game.
Taking place after the movie, Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun are in Sugar Rush to cheer Vanellope on for another race. Unfortunately, Ralph knocks a Cy-Bug egg into a taffy lake and rushes off to tell Felix. The Cy-Bugs hatch and immediately begin to attack Sugar Rush, eventually heading to Game Central Station. Vanellope and Calhoun evacuate with the other denizens while Ralph and Felix are given the task of destroying the bugs. Ralph and Felix journey off into Niceland, Hero's Duty, and Sugar Rush to eradicate the bugs, eventually being led to Game Central Station where they defeat the Cy-Bug Queen. After the bugs are defeated, Ralph heads to Sugar Rush to celebrate the new holiday made by Vanellope, and then back to his own game.
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed
Ralph makes an appearance in the game as a playable guest character. As the promotional video for the game goes, Ralph has game-jumped into the game and joined his good friend Sonic in some friendly races. Also, in the song "Life in the Arcade" (released on the Wreck-It Ralph soundtrack), one of the segments is Ralph's All-Star Mode tune. Also, although the idea is given that Ralph already received his medal, various of his quotes from this game say that he's "ready to win a medal."
Disney Infinity
Ralph will appear in the upcoming game, Disney Infinity.
Disney Parks
Ralph and Vanellope are currently making appearances at some of the Disney theme parks. At Walt Disney World, Ralph is present at Disney's Hollywood Studios' Magic of Disney Animation attraction and greets fans who walk through a making of exhibit in a Wreck-It Ralph themed area. In Disneyland, Ralph is now available in the Starcade in Tomorrowland. Ralph and Felix also appear in an 8-bit segment of Celebrate the Magic at the Magic Kingdom.
Relationships with other characters
Allies
Fix-It Felix, Jr.
Unlike the other members of the game, Felix never mistreated Ralph being that he was far too nice of a person. Although Ralph was obviously jealous of the handy man, he never displayed any hatred towards him, but just jealousy. Much like with Vanellope, Ralph and Felix's dynamic mirrors that of siblings. Felix poses as the more successful brother, while Ralph is the ignored brother who plays a role similar to an underdog. However, Felix did not entirely understand Ralph's feelings, as he was questioned by Calhoun as to the motives of Ralph's actions, to which Felix merely states he did not understand why he left, only remembering Ralph talk about cake and medals. It was not until Felix ventured out of his game that he grew to understand Ralph's feelings as he faced rejection by Calhoun, who rebuffed his affections for her, and was treated as a criminal, as Sour Bill locked him up in the fungeon. When the two reunited, Felix refused to help Ralph fix Vanellope's kart, saying he didn't have to do "boo" for him because he was so cross at Ralph for making him travel throughout the arcade to find him and was faced with rejection and being treated as a criminal throughout the journey. However, Ralph then told him that that was the reason he left his game as he had felt those same feelings every day for the past thirty years and wanted to get a medal to prove he could be a hero, and promised Felix he would never try to be good again as he came to understand that he couldn't change who he was. The two reconciled and began to see each other as equals. At the end of the film, however, both Ralph and Felix apparently became the best of friends, with Felix even referring to Ralph as brother.
Vanellope von Schweetz
- "Because if that little kid likes me, how bad can I be?"
- ―Ralph, about Vanellope (last lines in the film)
When Ralph and Vanellope first met, they didn't exactly see eye to eye. Ralph saw Vanellope as nothing more than a rotten thief after she stole his medal, and Vanellope thought Ralph was nothing more than an oafish buffoon. As they spent more time together however, they realized that they're not as different as they thought. Like Ralph, Vanellope was tired of being mistreated by the other members of her game, and wanted to be accepted. This connection gave the two a far better understanding of one another. It also explains why Vanellope was so crushed when Ralph (as a result of King Candy's manipulation) was against the idea of her racing. After years of being rejected, the one person who showed her kindness, was apparently against her, though Ralph's actions were meant to keep Vanellope safe. However, after Ralph realizes King Candy lied to him about what would happen if Vanellope did race and he learned from Sour Bill that everything would be fixed if she crossed the finish line in an official race, he didn't hesitate to come to her rescue, and the two reconciled. Vanellope also changed Ralph for the better as she helped him understand what it was like to be a true hero, as he decided to sacrifice himself to save her when King Candy and the Cy-Bugs took over Sugar Rush. Their relationship became similar to that of a big brother and little sister and grew into a very heartwarming one at that. Vanellope even offered Ralph a room in her castle after she turned out to be the rightful ruler of Sugar Rush, though he humbly denied as their friendship alone was enough to keep him happy.
Sergeant Calhoun
Because the movie mainly focuses on Ralph's relationship with Vanellope and his contrasting role to Fix it Felix as the bad guy in comparison to Felix, who was a good guy, and his desire to be seen as a hero, Ralph's relationship with Calhoun is never greatly expanded on, especially since the two had few interactions with each other throughout the film. During the film, however, Calhoun was shown to be greatly annoyed by Ralph. When Ralph impersonated Markowski and entered Hero's Duty, she was greatly annoyed by his behavior as he frequently ran around, screaming and running away from the bugs, along with interfering with the first player shooter, which she reprimanded him for. She later punched Ralph when she met him again in the Sugar Rush game, saying "This game is going down and it is all your fault!" showing that she had not forgiven him for his reckless behavior and wanted to remind Ralph what his actions would cost the Sugar Rush game. However, after Ralph decided to sacrifice himself to save the game and amend for his actions, she smiled as the game was restored and appeared to have forgiven Ralph and developed some respect for him. This is confirmed as she and Felix had invited him to serve as best man at their wedding, and they continually go with him on his game-jumping adventures after hours.
Enemies
King Candy
Upon meeting each other, Ralph and King Candy were immediately enemies. When King Candy learned that Ralph wasn't just game jumping in Sugar Rush, he feared Ralph was "going Turbo" and was planning on taking over Sugar Rush. Ralph grew a disliking for Candy after the king denied Ralph the chance to earn back his medal that Vanellope deposited to get into the Random Roster Race. As the film goes on, the two characters' hatred for one another grow stronger and stronger, to the point where Ralph wanted to mindlessly pummel the king and where the king wanted to murder Ralph after the former became a Cy-Bug. Though their characters are different in almost every aspect of the word, their stories are very similar. Both Ralph and King Candy's, then known as Turbo, game jumping quests to change their lives brought misfortune to the arcade, though Ralph's ambitions were driven out of wanting a better life and decided to right the wrongs he committed. Meanwhile, Turbo only wanted the excessive attention another game was gaining, ruining the game out of pure smite, and instead of trying to make things better, he took over another game and ruined the life of a character that was completely undeserving of the misery she gained due to his villainy.
Sour Bill
When Ralph was brought to King Candy's palace after being arrested, it was plain to see Sour Bill wasn't too fond of the bad-guy. However, Ralph's feelings for the sour ball weren't expressed until later on in the film, where he tortured Sour Bill into revealing King Candy for the villain he was. It was obvious Ralph had a harsh disliking for Bill, most likely because of Bill's association with Candy. Evidence of this was shown during Bill's interrogation scene, where Ralph was completely fine with threatening to devour the sour ball, should he not cooperate and reveal Candy's crimes.
Gene
Of all the Nicelanders, Gene was, without a doubt, the most antagonistic towards Ralph. Unlike the rest of the Nicelanders, who were shown to fear Ralph and try to simply ignore him, Gene openly despised Ralph because of the former's role as the bad-guy, showing no fear when he ostracized the villain at the 30th anniversary party. It was also Gene's rudeness that led Ralph to game-jumping into Hero's Duty to win a medal, something that was forbidden.
Trivia
- Ralph is actually based on the classic video game character, Donkey Kong, or DK for short.
- When Ralph enters Hero's Duty, he mentions his mother exclaiming, "I love my mama!" This may be a nod to the person who created his Character Model and Textures.
- In early versions of the movie Ralph barely looked human.
- Ralph shares a few similarities with James P. Sullivan from Monsters, Inc.
- Both are hulking in size, but kind-hearted.
- Both had to face villains that were opposing their child friends. King Candy for Ralph and Randall Boggs for Sulley.
- Both made friends to female children. Ralph with Vanellope and Sulley with Boo.
- Ralph shares a few similarities with Baloo from The Jungle Book.
- Both are hulking in size, but are sweet in nature.
- Both made friends with children that weren't exactly kind to them. Ralph with Vanellope, and Baloo with Mowgli.
- Both had to "betray" the child friend to keep them safe from harm.
- Both Ralph and Baloo had to face villains that were originally after their child friends. King Candy for Ralph and Shere Khan for Baloo.
- Ralph shares a few similarities with Stitch from Lilo & Stitch.
- Both were meant to be evil in the beginning of the movie.
- Both were meant to destroy whatever they touch.
- Both made friends with a young girl (Vanellope for Ralph, and Lilo for Stitch.)
- Ralph's entire action in the film is similar to the actions of another character: Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas:
- Both are the leading villians in their world, yet are not evil in nature.
- (Halloweentown can be considered a villianous world by people in the Real World, thus making Jack Halloweentown's lead villian)
- Both are fed up with the same routine they've been doing for ages.
- Both have visited other worlds.
- Both try to do something new but end up nearly doing irreparable damage in the attempt.
- Both finally come to terms with who they are and the importance of their job at the end.
- Both are the leading villians in their world, yet are not evil in nature.
- In the film's earliest development, Ralph was meant to be a supporting character while Fix-It Felix Jr. has the role of the main character. However, writer Phil Johnston believes that the film plot of Ralph trying to become a bigger person (a hero) would be more compelling, so the roles of these two characters had been switched.
- Despite not being mentioned aloud, Ralph possesses immense speed, shown primarily when Ralph attempts to smash the Mentos' hanging down from Diet Cola Mountain. Another his was when made a race track in Diet Cola Mountain in a manner of seconds.
- Ralph's attempted suicide by Mentos + Diet Cola explosion is reminiscent of the Iron Giant's "Superman" scene at the end of The Iron Giant when he attempts to sacrifice himself to prevent a nuclear missile from accidentally hitting Hogarth Hughes' hometown and destroying it. However, it eventually turned out that the Giant actually did survive the resulting explosion after all due to his ability to repair himself.
- Ralph is the third main protagonist to be barefoot throughout his entire film, the first being Pocahontas and the second being Rapunzel. Interestingly enough, both Ralph and Rapunzel's feet have close ups at various points in their movies.
Gallery
- For more pictures and screenshots of Wreck-It Ralph (character), click here.