Time to announce the winner of The MAJOR Award for Best Animated Picture for 2012!
The nominees were: “Brave”, “Frankenweenie”, “Rise of the Guardians”, “The Secret World of Arrietty” and “Wreck-it Ralph”.
All were great films, each of them is worthy of you checking them out… but only one can win. Click through to see which one did!
“Wreck-It Ralph”
“Wreck-It Ralph” cleverly launches from a point we’re all familiar with: the video game. It envisions a video game villain who tires of his routine, and longs to be one of the “good guys” for a change. He’s a program who wishes to branch out beyond his programming, which in and of itself is already more existential than most animated heroes. Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is indeed quite a protagonist for an animated movie, and audiences will find themselves siding with him quickly. In spite of his villainous duties, he’s genuinely a good guy at heart.
With a brief “Bad Guys Anonymous” meeting, establishes a sense of humor and an adult appeal. Ralph then leaves his game (“Fix-It Felix”) and finds his way to other games in the arcade, and that’s when the action really starts to kick in. A stop at “Hero’s Duty” showcases how different video games are now from back in the day. Eventually, Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a “glitch” in the racing game Sugar Rush. And it’s through helping her that Ralph finally becomes the hero he always hoped he could be.
“Wreck-It Ralph” contains a number of nostalgia inducing video game references and homages, but it’s in using the video games as a metaphor for what others expect of us and what our self-imposed limits are that the movie cleverly delivers its messages of individuality and believing in yourself. Of course, it’s all delivered in a gorgeously animated, fast paced, funny film that the entire family will enjoy.
With fun, colorful settings, good humor, great action, unique characters and your recommended dosage of lightly imparted kids’ movie lessons, “Wreck-It Ralph” is the best animated film of the year.
Other nominees were all great in their own way, and are each excellent, excellent movies well worth your time to check out. “Brave” may not be Pixar’s best, but it’s a high quality, superbly animated offering, and their first film with a heroine instead of a hero. If you haven’t caught it yet, you certainly should. “Frankenweenie” is Tim Burton’s return to original, more personal efforts, and his care for the project and unmistakably unique style show through. “Rise of the Guardians” surprised me enormously. I thought it was gorgeous, fun, funny and adventurous. Who ever knew that Santa could kick ass? And “The Secret World of Arrietty” is about as beautiful as they come. It’s lavishly drawn and tells a sweet story… I’m a newbie to the world of Japanese animation, but it’s films like this that make me want to see many, many more.
They each brought a big smile to my face as I watched, they were all completely praise-worthy. But the one taking home the medal… is “Wreck-It Ralph”
“Wreck-It Ralph”, the FMR MAJOR Award winner for Best Animated Picture 2012
Fogs' Movie Reviews 
Don’t think it will win the Oscar, but I’ll take the major award love.
I dont know… I mean, I still have hope that Oscar will break the Pixar domination this year… we’ll see. I mean, obviously they couldnt give it to Cars 2 so I’m glad they didnt there, but they might recognize this as being better than Brave, we’ll see.
I’m all about Frankenweenie. I love that Burton has gotten back to making not only watchable movies but really, really good movies. Would love to see him rewarded for that.
Weenie de Franken had some weaknesses too though. We’ll see. Oscar may award that cause it’s Tim Burton, I’m not sure. Personally, Frankenweenie had too many weak points for me to crown it. 😦 I would have loved to though, I got a really great introduction to that flick at Comic-Con, and that creates a bond that’s not easily broken.
I’m still bummed I missed out on Wreck-It Ralph. I’m not a huge fan of Disney movies, but this one sounds right up my alley. I’m all about video game nostalgia. 🙂
Oh, man! You’d love it I think. All my gamer friends basically went nuts over it. You know? Any time the contra code gets worked into a movie, you know you’re gonna geek out. LOL
Haven’t seen this one, I only saw two animated movies this year – which is still a lot because I usually watch animated movies only if someone is desperate enough to let me babysit – Frankenweenie and Brave and I cried during both so much I don’t think I’ll watch any animation soon 🙂
LOL!! That’s a unique barrier… They make you cry too much. 🙂 I can’t see “Wreck-It Ralph” making you cry, but then again, I wouldn’t have thought Brave or Frankenweenie would either.
Of course, they do mess with some pets in Frankenweenie, that’s for sure. LOL
Kinda surprised you didn’t go with RotG. Wreck-It Ralph wasn’t bad, but it did leave me underwhelmed. I’d personally say Frankenweenie was the best out of your nominations, but even then it wasn’t great. Overall this was a weak year for animated films.
“Overall this was a weak year for animated films.”
Agreed, though its rare that we get more than one outstanding one in any given year anyways, really.
I did talk RotG up quite a bit, I know, but it doesnt quite have the unerlying moral you know? End of the day, its a fun animated actioner…
True, though it’s possible that we just got spoiled the last couple years. ’10 gave us Toy Story 3, HTTYD, and Tangled, then last year we got Kung Fu Panda 2, Tintin, and Puss in Boots. We got a few good animated films this year, though nothing I’d consider great like those movies.
I’d swipe out Rango for Tintin in 2011. Rango was awesome, man!
Not having seen this though hearing good things all around, I think there were only a couple of good animated films this year and this was one. Still, I cant imagine it unseating ParaNorman in my top spot for best animated of the year!
Yeah, ParaNorman was really good, but I chose it as the one to bump for Arrietty.
The Academy sides with you though, buddy, as they did include it in the nominees for Best Animated. It’d be something if it won, wouldnt it? 😀
This choice for Wreck-It-Ralph as FMR best animated major award is SWEET!
A fun field ; great pick.
I thought Paranorman is a decent honorable mention (maybe 2nd tier but clever).
Additionally on DVD of Brave, there’s a solid little animated short called “La Luna.”
It preceeded it theatrically too.
But animated shorts is a whole new story, then I’d really have my hands full. LOL 😀
Glad you concur with the selection, S Meister!
The only animated film on my Best Of The Year list. Hope it gets the Oscar.
Yeah, I still bet they go the conservative route and choose “Brave” – if I had to lay odds.
But it would be pretty sweet, though, no? 🙂
I thought that you would go for this one. I can’t really say my choice as I haven’t seen Frankenweenie and really want to, good choice though!
Thank you James, thank you.
You should check out Frankenweenie. Definitely. It’s really good, just slightly below this one in my opinion LOL 😉
Cool, I certainly mean to check it out 🙂
I could accept either Wreck it Ralph or Frankenweenie. Both were very solid. I don’t think it was a weak year for animated fare, it’s just that the quality was more spread out among several worthy films. A non- Pixar Disney film would be a fun Academy Award winner also.
Yeah, It’s funny that even if its non pixar it still stays Disney 😦
As to the weak year, I think we’re all kind of accustomed to having at least that one KILLER animated movie that you just know is going to be a classic. I dont think any of these are one of those, thus… the “weak year”,
Thats where Im at on it.
Excellent choice! You know I’m in full agreement on this one.
😀 I do, actually. LOL, I definitely knew you’d approve.
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We still don’t even have this over here, no idea why there is such a delay! Although apparently they are redoing some of the voices for over here which isn’t something I was aware they did. Therefore, I can’t really pass judgement on your choice, but my favourite of the others is Frankenweenie. I kinda hope that The Scientists wins the Oscar though for some British pride!
The Scientists? Did they rename that to “The Pirates” here?
I’m not sure about Ralph, why they’d do that? No idea… maybe they’re thinking all the video game references wouldnt hit? Not sure about the video game culture there… not just now, but over the last thirty years, cause this movie defenitely has a BUNCH of nostalgic references. 😀
Ah man, I meant The Pirates! It was called The Pirates: In an Adventures with Scientists here. Again, no idea why there is so much localisation going on!
We have a big gaming culture over here, I don’t think there’d be much problem with the references. I know that one of our radio DJs is having is voice dubbed in. Maybe it’s just to get some more British voices in there that we might recognise, coz, ya know, we can;t appreciate none British talent! 😉
Gotcha. Well, they’ll do anything for an extra buck, right? At least that’s a worldwide phenomena! LOL
Saw all of 1 animated film last year – Brave. Wreck It Ralph’s due to be released in the UK 1 week after the official download from Disney’s is made available. How messed up is that?!
Apparently, they think that you wouldnt be interested in it. LOL
I was just talking about that with Chris from Terry Malloy’s Pigeon Coop, too. Apparently theyre going to dub some british voices in to up the appeal? Honestly, they must feel as though they have a film on their hands that wont translate well. 😦
I thought for sure you were giving it to rise of the guardians. I haven’t seen this one yet. I guess I should check it out.
Yes. You should. 😉
Guardians was close, man. It really was. End of the day though, Ralph edged it out a bit.