Disney’s latest 3D flick may include some of your favourite video game characters like Bowser, Pac-Man and Sonic the Hedgehog. However, none of this would have been possible without the guidance of animation director Rich Moore.
But even if you’ve never heard of Moore before, chances are you’re familiar with some of his work. Having directed episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama, he is actually an accomplished director with two Primetime Emmy Awards under his belt.
Speaking about his new film Wreck-it Ralph during a phone call, Moore let us in on what it was like to create a movie about video games.
Wreck-It Ralph focuses on the bad guy:
An underdog story, the film surrounds Wreck-It-Ralph, a video game villain with dreams of becoming a hero. Tired of being overshadowed by good guy Fix-It-Felix, Ralph goes on a quest that ultimately brings havoc to the whole arcade he lives in.
Believe or not, “hero” Fix-It-Felix was originally supposed to be the star of the film. But when Moore and screenwriter Phil Johnston weren’t really getting traction with the project, they scrapped the idea and decided to focus the movie on Wreck-It Ralph instead.
“In a feature, the main character has an arc, a journey. They learn something or something changes in that character,” Moore says. “It was tough to build a nice comedic story with a lot of heart around (Fix-it-Felix).”
The flick features appearances by 190 characters and the voice talents of some of Hollywood’s biggest names:
Featuring cameos by Sonic the Hedgehog’s Doctor Eggman, Street Fighter’s Chun-Li and even Paddles 1 and 2 from Pong, the film also includes original characters voiced by John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Alan Tudyk.
While working with everyone has been a treat for Moore, he was particularly pleased to have Reilly on board as the title character of Wreck-It Ralph.
Reilly, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work in Chicago, was so invested with his role that he even asked Moore to meet with the animators who created his character.
“(Reilly) was so hands on and so instrumental in fleshing out who Ralph is and what he’s like. Every character he plays feels like a real human being. You really care about his characters and you want them to achieve what it is that they want and desire.” Read more…
To celebrate the launch of Xbox LIVE Block Party, Xbox Canada hosted the ultimate 80s throw back event featuring 80s celebrities and old school arcade games, even with the mullets. Check out the celebrity guests who made an appearance!
Xbox LIVE Arcade has just announced the addition of several new games, to be made available Wednesday, July 30.
The retro shooter game Geometry Wards: Retra Evolved 2 will be made available this week, with games such as Braid, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, Galaga Legions and Castle Crashers to be released throughout the month of August.
In conjunction of the launch of these new titles, Xbox LIVE Arcade users can also earn entry into the Summer of Arcade sweepstakes promotion by logging in and playing the trail or full version of the featured game of the week for the chance to win prizes such as a 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and an Xbox 360 Elite console.
Midway Games Inc., a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, today announced the launch of two new online store fronts for downloadable distribution of titles from the company’s large selection of arcade, PC and touchscreen games.
Starting July 11, users can go to www.midwayarcade.com to download arcade classics and new touchcreen games for devices such as the iPod Touch. Classic games available for download from the website include Defender, Joust, and Spy Hunter. These games are selling for as little as $5 for 3 games.
Midway Games Inc. also launched www.midway.com today, which features ten recent game releases from the company. This digital storefront is aimed more towards the North American market, and games can be purchased for $9.99 each.
