How Wreck-it Ralph At Its Core Is A Story About Teamwork

By Kai Barnes

Published June 2022

Wreck it Ralph, the Oscar-nominated cinematic masterpiece and box office smash from Disney and Pixar studios, is a story that demonstrates how teamwork and cooperation lead to ultimate success. Ralph is the villain in the arcade game “Fix-it Felix Jr.,” and is tired of being labeled as the “Bad Guy'' and constantly being defeated by Fix-it Felix, the “Good Guy.” After being antagonized by Gene, a prominent NPC in his game, at Fix-it Felix’s 13th anniversary, Ralph decides that he will become the good guy by earning a medal. He leaves his game and is able to steal a Hero's medal in a different game within the arcade called “Hero's Duty.” He then accidentally launches himself in a rocket that has a Cy-Bug (the bugs try to kill you in “Hero's Duty”) inside, and crash lands in the arcade game “Sugar Rush.” While in “Sugar Rush,” he stumbles upon Vanellope Von Schweetz, who steals and uses his medal to enter a “Sugar Rush” race. When Vanellope enters the race, King Candy, the ruler of “Sugar Rush,” prevents her from racing because she can glitch, which gives her an advantage. Vanellope’s kart is later destroyed by the other racers until Ralph steps in and scares them away. Ralph then confronts Vanellope, but after she proposes to win back the medal, Ralph agrees to help her. By pushing the past aside, and working alongside Vanellope, Ralph is able to help Vanellope build a new car and teach her how to race.

Becoming A Team Despite The Difficulties of Coming Together:

Vanellope tries to convince Ralph to team up with her, even after stealing and using his medal for selfish reasons. After she proposes the deal to Ralph, she says, “Hey, my arm’s getting tired, do we have a deal or not?” Ralph groans and tells Vanellope that “You better win that race” and they shake on it, marking the start of a beautiful yet unexpected friendship. However, their teamwork is tested when King Candy, after giving Ralph his medal back, tells him that Vanellope was never meant to exist, and that if she becomes a playable character her glitching might cause someone to declare the game broken, and could result in "an unplugging of the game.” Ralph, hearing this news, decides he cannot allow Vanellope to race, and destroys her cart. She then runs away and calls Ralph a true "bad guy.”

The Challenges Of Keeping Together:

Venellope tells Ralph after he destroys her kart, “You’re a rat and I don't need you. I can win this race on my own!” and goes as far as to say, “You really are the bad guy,” which hits Ralph hard, considering his goal is to prove that he is not a villain. She then leaves and abandons Ralph, who questions whether he made the right decision. Ralph, distraught and heartbroken, returns to “Fix-it Felix Jr.,” only to find it abandoned because Fix-it Felix had left to try to find Ralph. Then, while looking at the “Sugar Rush” arcade machine from behind the glass of his own game, Ralph notices that the console's character list displays Vanellope and returns to Candy Rush hoping for an explanation. He finds King Candy's assistant Sour Ball, and confronts him for King Candy's true reason for banning Vanellope from racing. Sour Ball reveals that Vanellope posed a threat to King Candy’s racing legacy because she originally was the queen racer in “Sugar Rush.” He reveals that King Candy locked away the memory codes of “Sugar Rush,” which is why nobody knows who Vanellope really is, but if Vanellope completes a race, all of King Candy's coding will be deleted, and the game will be restored to normal. Ralph then recovers Felix from the “Sugar Rush” dungeons, where Sour Ball had imprisoned him when he was looking for Ralph, and has him fix Vanellope's race car. Following that, Ralph reunites with Vanellope, who had been imprisoned by King Candy. There he sincerely apologizes to Vanellope, and they make up.

Reconciliation And Staying Together:

Ralph apologizes to Venellope while freeing her from Candy Rush’s prison system, stating, “I know, I know, I know, I’m an idiot.” Venellope responds saying, “And?” and Ralph goes on to condemn himself to the amusement of Venellope, who can tell Ralph is sorry and forgives him. Afterwards, Vanellope and Ralph go to the final race where they, as a team, through love and trust, are able to defeat King Candy and the Cy-Bugs after a long battle (which had multiplied within Candy Crush).

Achieving Success:

The image above shows Ralph and Vanellope as they’re about to cross the finish line in order to reset the game and restore Vanellope as queen racer after defeating King Candy and Cy-Bugs. Because of Ralph and Vanellope’s teamwork, they are able to achieve their goals: Ralph becomes a hero who is recognized and respected by people in his game and Vanellope is restored as the princess of “Candy Crush” and becomes a well-respected racer again. At the beginning of the film, Ralph’s motivation to leave the game sprouted from an exhaustion of being villainized. After overcoming his problems with Vanellope and learning the importance of teamwork, he realizes that he doesn’t need the spotlight in order to shine, and accepts the role of the “Bad Guy” in his game for the sake of others. He realizes how friendship and love are more important than fame and glory.

The Rewards of Success:

Ralph gets to sometimes see Vanellope racing in her game and is happy that the players love her and glitch ability. He says at the end of the movie, “Turns out I don't need a medal to tell me I'm a good guy. Cause if that little kid likes me, how bad can I be?” This proves how Ralph’s friendship with Vanellope has made him ultimately realize that he is not a “Bad Guy.” Although their story is a fantasy communicated in pixels, Ralph’s and Vanellope’s realizations are applicable beyond the screen. California school teacher Sandra Lopez said that “My kids love Wreck-It-Ralph. And what's best about this film is that it teaches the children real world values that are important.” Another Wreck-It Ralph lover, Renetta Billy, a mother with two children, describes her family's love for the film: “This film rocks! It's more than a movie. It’s art that is able to illustrate the importance of teamwork, while depicting the struggle and compromise necessary to make it work. I am forever grateful that my family saw this film.” When asked what her favorite character was, she said, “Ralph, of course!” This film has touched the hearts of hundreds of millions of children in the United States and all over the world.

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