Ralph reichts - Blu-Ray

Movie: Now enough! For many years now, Randale Ralph (voiced by Christian Ulmen) has had to play the role of the villain in the videogame Fix-it Felix Jr. day after day, only for the hard-working handyman Fix-it Felix Jr. to end up looking like the big hero. And while he's still celebrated after work, Ralph spends his free time alone or in a support group for video game villains. But that's over now. Ralph wants to prove to all the characters from his game once and for all that he too can be a hero. And so he sneaks into the modern first-person shooter game Hero's Duty in order to win the coveted Hero's Medal. He actually succeeds in this endeavor, but he can't return to his game that easily. And so he suddenly finds himself in the racing game Sugar Rush, where the cheeky racer Vanellope (Anna Fischer) steals his medal to use as entry money for the next race. Ralph now does everything he can to grab back the proof of his heroism. But his interaction with other games has fatal consequences that could spell the end of all games in the big arcade.

With Ralph Enough, Disney delivers an amusing declaration of love for the era of old arcade games. Peppered with little quotes and references to various video game classics, from Pac-Man to Q*Bert to Street Fighter, the film is a real feast especially for game fans of the 80s and 90s. But the younger generation also gets their money's worth from this colourful adventure. Especially in the world of Sugar Rush there are enough nice ideas, high show values and good laughs to entertain especially younger viewers. At times the whole thing seems a bit too over-the-top and a bit chaotic, but on balance this unusual glimpse into the secret world of video game characters offers enough fun for an enjoyable afternoon at the cinema.

Small points are deducted for the German dubbing, however. The voice actors, especially Christian Ulmen and Anna Fischer, are well chosen and do their best to fill the characters with life. But unfortunately they can't stand up to the comparison with the original speakers. Especially Sarah Silverman as the original voice of Vanellope is so special and so wonderful that Anna Fischer can't match it even with her best efforts. In addition, some of the nice puns also lose their wit, which robs the German version overall of a bit of the bite that can be observed in the original English version.

However, Ralph reichts works very well even in the dubbed version. The idea of the characters going about normal lives after the games are turned off, partying together, forming support groups, or bumping into each other at Game Central Station is full of possibilities, and director Rich Moore makes great use of them. The characters are charming, the visuals are very affectionate and imaginative and also the story knows how to entertain properly with its good mix of humor, suspense and emotion, even if the Disney-typical sugar coating at the end is a bit thick.

Ralph Enough, whether in the 2D or the quite effective 3D version, whether you love video games or not, is great fun for fans of colorful animated adventures big and small. The film certainly won't be quite a Disney classic, for that it simply lacks that last ounce of magic that has made other animated films by the studio so timeless. But the whole thing is entertaining, charming and very funny. Therefore: just turn off the video game console and turn on the Blu-Ray player! Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The Blu-Rays from Disney are usually characterized by a very high technical quality. Ralph reichts is no exception. The absolutely clean picture convinces with a very high level of sharpness, which reproduces even the smallest details well recognizable. And the powerful colors, the contrasts and the well-tuned black levels also reinforce the very positive overall impression that the picture quality leaves. The audio, which is in a DTS-HD mix, doesn't disappoint either. While the dialogue is clear and powerfully mixed and primarily occupies the central sound area, quite a few sound effects repeatedly ensure a good utilization of the surround channels. Very good!

Extras: In terms of extras, the disc disappoints a little, at least in terms of the quantity of bonus material. The quality, on the other hand, knows how to convince. It starts there with the short film conquered in flight (about 6 min.), which was already seen in the cinema before Ralph reichts and which was awarded an Oscar for best animated short film in 2013. There's also a pretty decent making of (approx. 17 mins), as well as some cut or alternate scenes (approx. 15 mins), which are in an early raw version and can be viewed with an optional audio commentary. Even though these scenes are technically very basic, they are worth watching if only because it becomes clear at some points here that the story may well have been taken in a slightly different direction at an earlier stage.

Finally, the bonus material includes a couple of TV spots from the video games featured in the film, with the Fix-it Felix Jr. trimmed to look old being particularly wonderful and likely to inspire great nostalgia, especially among viewers who grew up with the old 80s videogames.

Conclusion: Ralph Enough may not have what it takes to become one of the all-time great Disney classics. Funny, charming and endearing, however, this turbulent video game homage has become all. So for passionate gamers and Disney fans absolutely recommendable, especially since the film on Blu-Ray presents itself technically from its best sides and also has a few nice extras to offer!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp