I obviously love video games (you don’t get into this field by accident), but I’m also a huge Disney geek. I’ve adorned my room with monuments and mementos plastered with Mickey’s and Donald’s likenesses. So when Disney announced it was going to make an animated movie set inside the world of gaming, I thought it sounded like pretty much the greatest thing ever. Judging from the newest trailer Disney released for Wreck-It Ralph today (embedded at the bottom of this story), well…now I really think it looks like the greatest thing ever.
The company responsible for eight decades of animated hits has packed this video with charm and humor that can appeal to anyone, but gamers will especially find a lot to like in this short preview. For instance….
Old characters get new voices
While the main characters in Wreck-It Ralph are original Disney creations, plenty of icons from gaming history litter the frame. This includes a set of villains that form a support group, including Bowser from Nintendo’s Mario series and Zangief from Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise.
While Zangief obviously has a thick Russian accent, the voice of Clyde is more amusing (he’s the orange ghost from Pac-Man). Why is his voice so funny? Well, it’s just so…normal. Like, in the way you would least expect.
I also like that Clyde looks like the leader of the villain support group. Makes sense. He has been in the bad guy game longer than just about any other character (Pac-Man’s been around since 1980). Nice touch, Disney.
Poor Q*bert is homeless
Remember Q*bert? That weird orange thing that loved to hop around those colorful squares? Well, while many of his old-school contemporaries have still kept their popularity in the modern age of gaming, poor Q*bert has found himself forgotten and homeless. Just looking at the pathetic, little guy with his dirty cardboard sign (declaring that his game is unplugged) just breaks my heart.
Forget about Bambi’s mom dying. This is the new saddest thing ever.
Call of ‘Doody’
One of the arcade games Wreck-It Ralph invades is Hero’s Duty, a clear homage to modern shooters like Call of Duty and Halo. Upon hearing this, Sarah Silverman’s character can’t help but make a joke about the word “doody,” a mockery I’m sure we’re all heard made at Call of Duty’s expense before.
It’s Sonic!
Disney previously announced that Sonic the Hedgehog would make an appearance in Wreck-It Ralph, but this new trailer gives us our first glimpse of the blue blur in the movie. Let’s hope that it does a better job of not ruining him than Sega.
You can find plenty more fun gaming tributes and cameos in the full trailer, posted below. Disney releases Wreck-It Ralph in theaters on November 2.