Unplugged...

And here we have another game cancellation from the Mouse...

Only it's a game that never was intended to exist.  If you saw "Wreck-It Ralph" last year then you remember the gaming environments that Ralph got to experience.  From the Donkey Kong-like world of Fix-It Felix Jr. that he inhabited, to the Mario Cart feel of the sickeningly sweet world of Sugar Rush, to the Halo inspired world of Hero's Duty.  But there was another gaming world that didn't make the cut.

Extreme Easy Living 2, a fictional game that appears in a scene that audiences never actually saw, it was never actually rendered because it was cut well before that process could begin.  Here you can watch an animatic of the exclusive scene courtesy of Total Film (their exclusive, not ours).  It has a unique charm to it, but I agree with the cut.  It didn't add anything else to the story and would likely have slowed down the story.  Something that really wouldn't work for the ADD minds of the film going audience.

You know, the ones that would actually be the audience to play these games...

More Wreckage...

New box office wreakord...




The new trailer for "Wreck-It Ralph" is out...

It's got more of the story, and explains how the film unfolds in a much better way than the first trailer. Overall, it's an improvement over a good trailer for a very entertaining film.

It's going to be interesting to note that this will be the first year in a long time since a WDAS film did better than a Pixar film. Still, it's fine. They're brothers fighting over who is better.

But they're both family, they're both Disney...

Bad Guys Are Better...

Your expectations are going to be wrecked...




With each passing day, more and more info comes out about the Mouse's latest film...

Animated film, I mean. It's hard to believe that it's only a few more months before it comes out. Disney's marketing has been having press events, like the one that was held the other day and giving media some small bits of info about the project. This is where they screened that "Paperman" short I was telling you about. And everyone that saw it, loved it. Just go ahead and give it the Oscar for best animated short. It has it in the bag.

The guys from /Film were at the event and gave us a nice nugget to think over entitled: "50 Things You Didn't Know About Wreck-It Ralph." It's fun and informative so take a look at the article. And get ready for this to be the first year in a while that the Disney film actually beats the Pixar film when the box office is counted.

Yeah, that's what I said...

Paperclips...

That Oscar for best animated short, give it up...






John Kahrs' "Paperman" is getting an unbelievably large amount of positive buzz...

And it deserves every single piece of praise that is heaped upon it. It's truly marvelous, special and amazingly poignant. I've only seen a small amount, but I've talked to many who have watched the entire thing, and they're universally loving this Disney short.

There are several short films that the Mouse has released talking about it. So here for you are those:

The Idea.

The Drawings.

The Look.

So when you go to see "Wreck-It Ralph" this fall, you'll get a diamond-like bonus in front of that film. And while you will love the wonder and cleverness of Ralph, you will fall in love with this small black and white masterpiece.

And you will see the future of Disney Animation with this short...

Ralph Wrecks Panel...

Gonna wreck the box office...









Out of all the things that were shown at the Disney Panel, one film stole the show...

Or panel I should say. That would be the next animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios if you're still not getting what I'm hinting at. Sure, "Oz: The Great and Powerful" looked stunning, and "The Lone Ranger" will be a giant Western epic if the film lives up to the teaser footage that was shown. But the film that got the most buzz, the most jabber, the most geeked out moments?

"Wreck-It Ralph"

Now, I've been telling you how well thought out, endearing and heart felt the story is for sometime. But yesterday a whole lot more people got a sense of what it is. I think this year will be the first one in a long time that the film released from the Mouse actually does better, and gets more buzz than the one released by the Lamp. And the cherry on top is the amazing "Paperman" short that you will be blown away by.

Disney will make a mint with this film. Mark my words. It is going to be a big hit. And Disney animation will knock away a few more detractors about their being irrelevant. This film shows you that after being under Lasseter for a little over half a decade, the Hat Building is finally going to be firing on all cylinders.

And "Frozen" will only add to that success next year...

One Sheet/Many Characters...

Please deposit one peso, mark, whatever...







As the marketing campaign gets more focused we'll see more of the Mouse's next animated feature...

One such way for characters from a new film to be known is for the studio to release posters for individual subjects in a film. And Walt Disney Studios has just released some international one sheets for "Wreck-It Ralph" that give you a better look at what these 8-Bit creations look like behind the cabinet. Head over to Cine1 to see the collection.

Looking forward to pumping in a few coins for this one...

Home Improvements...

Not game over, man...





The official website of "Wreck-It Ralph" is up...

Take a look at it. And while there put in a quarter (metaphorically, of course) and play the actual "Fix-It Felix" game that Ralph is a part of. It's a nice site packed with all kinds of 8-Bit Eighties goodness. I look forward to more and more content being added.

Disney animators seem to be in very high spirits right now and deservedly so...

8-Bit Story Trailer...

Tokens...




Walt Disney Animation Studios made no delay in releasing this...

The first trailer for "Wreck-It Ralph" is out. Take a look at it and see for yourself. And no, it's not the last one, and it's not all the cameos you'll see. But what you don't see is all the heart in the film. This in only a quarters worth.

Please deposit another token...

More Wreckage...

Wakka, wakka, wakka...






The Mouse has released more pictures of Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Wreck-It Ralph" that comes out in November...

These images come via USA Today, so if you'd like uber-size images then head over there. That first one up top is of Ralph meeting at the central hub, known as Game Central Station, where his AA (Villain's Anonymous) meetings happen with several famous counterparts.



And here is the outside of their meeting place. You can get an idea from this as to how they all meet up in the arcade they occupy.



This one is when he meets up with Sarah Silverman's Vanellope von Schweetz, which is basically a fictional game version of Mario Karts.



And here is Jane Lynch's Sgt. Calhoun character that Ralph tries to get to whip him into shape so he can be a hero. As you would sumize, it doesn't go as Ralph expects. From the talks I've had with my Bothans, they're really positive on this film and those that have seen the Rich Moore film really like it. What do video games do when the lights go out at the arcade?

Come November you'll find out...

Seeing A Wreck...

Wreak the status quo....


Artwork copyright Disney


The Mouse has had test screenings of "Wreck-It Ralph" going on...

And reports are starting to make their way on the web. Some lucky guys over at The Rotoscopers were lucky enough to catch a sneak peek of the unfinished film. Take a listen to their podcast and see if they liked it. Here's a hint: four stars.

Game on Lamp...

8-Bit Love...

Game on...






The teaser poster for Walt Disney Animation Studios "Wreck-It Ralph" is out...

It's minimalistic, but then so were the games of the time and the story seems to reflect it. I know some people were wanting more, but this isn't a bad representation of a film about an 8-bit video game.

Of course, it'll be nice when the trailer finally arrives...

From Reboot To Wreck-It...

Make sure you're not a wreck at the box office...


Just don't be a wreck at the box office..


After "Tangled," Walt Disney Animation Studios is looking to prove that lighting will strike again...

Originally 2012 was going to be a hole in the production schedule for the Mouse's animation division, but with Pixar's "Monster University" being pushed out to 2013, we got a little bonus. "Reboot Ralph" got bumped up to November 2 2012 to fill that void.

Now, Disney has announced a name change as well. No longer will it be Reboot, but instead "Wreck-It Ralph." I don't know about the name, but all the buzz I've been hearing about the story sounds good. Walt Disney Pictures has even provided a synopsis of the film:

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS INTRODUCES WILDLY FUNNY NEW CG COMEDY ADVENTURE “WRECK-IT RALPH”

Directed by Emmy® Winner Rich Moore, Hilarious and Wildly Imaginative Animated Movie to Feature the Voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch

BURBANK, Calif. (June 13, 2011) – Some of us are born to be bad, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore (TV’s “The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) take moviegoers on a hilarious, video-game-hopping journey in “Wreck-It Ralph,” the story of an arcade game Bad Guy determined to prove he can be a Good Guy. Produced by Clark Spencer (“Lilo & Stitch,” “Bolt”) and featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, the CG comedy adventure will hit theaters on Nov. 2, 2012, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Says Moore, “I love the idea of a very simple 8-bit video game character struggling with the complex question: ‘isn't there more to life than the role I've been assigned?’ In his quest for the answer, we journey with our hero through three visually distinct video game worlds. It's unlike anything anyone's seen before, and I'm thrilled to be to creating it here at Walt Disney Animation Studios.”

Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidently unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

From all I've been told, this is a very different film for Disney, both in tone and character. I can't wait to see where they go with it...