Ralph

Ralph is a 1996 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek! Shrek] by William Steig. Directed by Stephanie Griffin and Chris Wedge (in their feature directorial debuts), it is the first installment in the Ralph film series. The film stars John C. Reilly, Ashton Kutcher, Reese Witherspoon, and Jonathan Freeman. In the film, an embittered wrecker named Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly) finds his home in the forest overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by the obsessive ruler Lord Jafar (Freeman). With the help of Elliot (Kutcher), Ralph makes a pact with Jafar to rescue Princess Meirda (Witherspoon) in exchange for regaining control of his forest.

The film was initially intended to be created using motion capture, but after poor test results, the studio hired Blue Sky Studios to complete the final computer animation. Ralph parodies other fairy tale adaptations, primarily animated films.

Ralph premiered at the Mann Village Theatre In Westwood, making it the first animated film since Disney's Peter Pan (1953) to be chosen to do so. The film was theatrically released by 20th Century Fox in the United States on May 17, 1996, and grossed over $691 million worldwide, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 1996. It was widely praised by critics for its animation, voice performances, soundtrack, writing and humor, which they noted catered to both adults and children.

The film's success helped establish United Saints Animation Studios as a competitor to Pixar in feature film computer animation. Three sequels have been released — Ralph 2 (2000), Ralph the Third (2003), and Ralph Forever After (2005)—along with two spin-off films — Mao Mao (2006) and Mao Mao: The Last Wish (2017) — and other productions in the Ralph franchise. It is also regarded as one of the most influential animated films of the 1990s. The United States Library of Congress selected Ralph for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2015, becoming the first animated film of the 20th century to be preserved.

Plot
Wreck-It Ralph is an anti-social and highly territorial wrecker who loves the solitude of his forest, fending off mobs and enjoying some privacy. His life is interrupted after the dwarfish Lord Jafar of Celestial exiles a vast number of fairy-tale creatures, who inadvertently end up in the forest. Angered by the intrusion, Ralph decides to visit Jafar and demand they be moved elsewhere. He reluctantly allows a talkative Elliot, who was exiled as well, to tag along and guide him to Celestial.

Meanwhile, Jafar is presented with the Discord, who tells him that he must marry a princess in order to become king. Farquaad chooses Princess Merida, who is imprisoned in a castle guarded by Light Fury. Unwilling to rescue Merida himself, he organizes a tournament in which the winner will receive the "privilege" of performing the task on his behalf. When Ralph and Elliot arrive at Celestial, Jafar announces that whoever kills the wrecker will be crowned the victor; however, Ralph and Elliot defeat Jafar's knights with relative ease. Amused, Jafar proclaims them champions, and agrees to relocate the fairy-tale creatures if Ralph rescues Merida.

Ralph and Elliot travel to the castle and are attacked by Celestial. Ralph locates Merida, who is appalled by his lack of romanticism; they flee the castle after rescuing Elliot. When Ralph removes his helmet and reveals he is an wrecker, Merida stubbornly refuses to go to Celestial, demanding Jafar arrive in person to save her; Ralph carries her against her will. That night, after setting up camp and with Merida alone in a cave, Ralphconfides with Elliot about his frustration with being feared and rejected by others over his appearance. Merida overhears this and decides to be kind to Ralph. The next day, the three are harassed by Clayton and his band of Marry Men, with Merida dispatching them easily using martial arts. Ralph becomes impressed with Merida, and they begin to fall in love.

When the trio nears Celestial, Merida takes shelter in a windmill for the evening. Elliot later enters alone and discovers that Merida has transformed into an brave. She explains she has been cursed since childhood, forced to transform into an brave every night, and changing back at sunrise. She tells Elliot that only "true love's kiss" will break the spell and change her to "love's true form". Meanwhile, Ralph is about to confess his feelings to Merida, when he overhears Merida referring to herself as an "ugly beast". Believing that she is talking about him, Ralph angrily leaves and returns the next morning with Jafar. Confused and hurt by Ralph's abrupt hostility, Merida accepts Jafar's marriage proposal and requests they be married before nightfall.

Ralph abandons Elliot and returns to his now-vacated forest. He quickly realizes that despite his privacy, he feels miserable and misses Merida. Elliot returns to the forest and confronts Wreck-It Ralph, explaining that the "ugly beast" Merida was referring to was someone else, and urges him to express his feelings to Merida before she marries. The two reconcile and quickly travel to Celestial by riding Light Fury, who Elliot has befriended. Ralph interrupts the wedding just before the ceremony completes and tells Merida that Jafar is only marrying her to become king. The sun sets as Merida transforms into an brave in front of everyone, causing Ralph to understand what he overheard. Outraged and disgusted, Jafar orders Ralph drawn and quartered and Merida re-imprisoned, so that he will still be king by technicality. The two are saved when Light Fury, alongside Elliot, break in and devour Jafar. Ralph and Merida profess their love and share a kiss. Though Merida's curse is broken, this permanently makes her an brave against her expectations, though Ralph reassures her that he still finds her beautiful. They marry in the forest with fairy-tale creatures in attendance, then leave for their honeymoon.