Being inspired by the shared curiosity between myself, @Gregolas, and @jhull’s daughter, I’d like to start an analysis discussion of Wreck-it Ralph. Would anyone be interested in participating?
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Sure! That’s a really fun movie, and it’s got a pretty clear MC-IC relationship between Ralph and Vanillope. I think we might be able to get some interesting conversation out of it. It seems like, if any movie were to break the OS Activity-MC Universe tendency, it’d be this one, what with the heavy emphasis on one’s role in society/the game, the prejudice towards glitches, and the battle between being a “good guy” and being fundamentally good in nature. But we’ll surely talk about all that.
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Wreck-It Ralph is an amazing movie ! That being said I’m not sure about it breaking the OS Physics-MC Universe tendency ? Vanellope strikes me as an exemple of an IC Mind, not because of her own fixed attitude (even if she’s kind of fixated on piloting a kart), but more because of the fixed attitude others have of her - their prejudice towards glitches, which seems to me like the major source of conflict for her. With Ralph as the MC, you get to see what it is like for you to have this problem and serves as a reflection of his own issues : he is the bad guy of his videogame and isn’t pleased at all with his current situation.
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What’s the OS story about?
I completely agree with Vanellope’s throughline being in Mind and Ralph’s personal turmoil stemming from his status as a “bad guy” (MC Concern of Universe). Assuming that’s the case, then the OS would be in either Physics or Psychology.
I’ve been wondering that myself. I originally thought it was in Physics (with a title along the lines of “Protecting the Arcade”), but I’ve been reconsidering, especially since I have a hard time seeing Ralph as a Stop character. In addition, @Gregolas’s post about all the examples of Being in the film also shook my original opinion:
Conflict stemming from “one’s role in society/the game,” as @actingpower put it, also points to an OS Concern of Being.
If the OS were to be in Psychology, then that would put the RS in Physics, which could refer to building the kart together and learning/teaching how to drive, although that seems more like subject matter rather than defining what brings conflict into the relationship. A better example (of an RS of Physics) may be during the heartbreaking scene when Ralph destroys the kart. While there’s lots of misunderstanding going on (“No, I understand plenty, traitor!”), the argument only begins after Vanellope finds out Ralph was talking to King Candy. Not to mention the kart actually being destroyed puts a huge strain on their friendship.
How would we factor Turbo into the OS? Is it the lies he feeds the citizens and the “bad guy” that contributes more to the conflict, or is it that he locked away the citizens’ memories? How about the Cy-Bugs?
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I definitely think the OS is in Psychology. I have a hard time separating out exactly what is OS and what isn’t, but I would say, from a zoomed out overall perspective on the story, the OS problems stem from characters not playing their roles. Bad guys have bad guy anonymous meetings because they’re tired of being bad guys and want medals and are treated poorly by everyone, Turbo makes the fear of one “going Turbo” a thing, stuff like that.
I have a suggestion, though I may be looking at it from a less than objective angle (I’m still trying to learn to separate the actual source of the conflict from the motivations behind the conflict).
Everyone is concerned with the the possible Future of their Game Being Unplugged (which is where the Turbo and Cy-Bugs fit in).
Ralph’s personal concern is Getting the Medal.
Vanellope is trying to Become a racer (and overall, change her nature back to bring the queen instead of a glitch).
The relationship between them grows because of Innermost Desires - they learn to work together – and nearly fall apart – because they’re both attracted to something because of their experiences.
Just a thought. I could be totally wrong.
Yes, but this isn’t why the bad guys have their meetings, or why the citizens of Sugar Rush don’t remember who Vanellope is, is it?
The bad guys have their meeting in order to cope with being forced to be bad guys in order to avoid having their games unplugged. The citizens of Sugar Rush don’t remember who Vanellope is because Turbo invaded Sugar Rush because his game was unplugged.
If there was no possibility of the games being unplugged, then none of the other stuff would be an issue.
- Ralph could be nice and stuff, and wouldn’t have had to go off into another game in order to be a “hero”.
- Vanellope could race, and no one would worry about her being a glitch and how that would affect them.
- Turbo wouldn’t have invaded Sugar Rush in the first place, so Vanellope wouldn’t be a glitch.
- The other bad guys would be able to change their ways if they wanted to without having to fear the possibility of “going Turbo.”
I can see the logic path, here, but never got the sense that this was related to the game being unplugged. The bad guys are tired of being thought of as bad guys whether playing the game or hanging out in Game Central Station, aren’t they? Being unplugged is a fear that is present, but it doesn’t seem to me to be what’s driving this story. If the Nicelanders are nice to Ralph while not playing the game, that part of the story is solved. Sugar Rush isn’t under any threat of being unplugged, but still has the issues of keeping Vanellope from racing. Being unplugged is the justification to keep her from racing.
Turbos game being unplugged isn’t the source of Sugar Rush’s problems. Because Turbo’s game was unplugged (justification) he goes to another game, brainwashes everyone by screwing with the code, and tells them not to let the glitch race. If he weren’t manipulating them, they wouldn’t have a problem because of his game being unplugged.
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Okay. I see what you’re saying now. That makes a lot of sense. It’s justifications versus the actual source of the conflict.
This is especially useful, since I’m currently trying to plot a story with an OS Concern of Being. I’ll have to keep this in mind while I’m plotting/writing. Thanks!
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For me, looking at the Future as the OS problem feels a lot like the line of thinking that put Belle in Future in the Beauty and the Beast thread. I still haven’t made my peace with the idea that her throughline is a well illustrated example of the Future, so I could be super wrong here, too.
@RailwayAdventurer, do you have other thoughts about the OS still being in Physics? Or do you, @Rachel_Blot?
@actingpower, am I on the same track as you with this? Do you have anything to add?
Perhaps the Cy-Bugs attacking and Calhoun trying to prevent them could be an example, although I’m not sure it’s a strong one.
I’m leaning more and more toward Psychology for the OS, but I’m always open to counterexamples. I’m curious about what @Rachel_Blot and @actingpower have to say too.
What’re the odds that Calhoun and Felix and working their own thinned down storyform?
I often have troubles differentiating the OS from other throughlines, it’s easier with MC and IC.
So from what we have now, if we go with the idea that Ralph is in Universe and Vanellope in Mind, that leaves Physics and Psychology. We can agree that Ralph is the changed character, and that the story most likely is a Success / Good one. Often when I have troubles finding a storyform I look at the Issues to try to “plot everything out”. I’m a real newbie when it comes to analysis so I’m most likely wrong, however here’s how I see it :
The story, as @jhull put it in his article, says that “It’s not the superficial surface labels that count, but rather the programming within that truly defines who and what you are.” I would agree with a OS concern of Being especially regarding the Being goal / Doing consequence. “If we can’t be our roles in the games, then nobody would be able to play it anymore.” What with Ralph’s game being unplugged because the characters act strangely, the Sugar King (forgot his english name) playing the part of… well, king, to keep doing his stuff, etc. And that leaves a concern of Doing for the Ralph / Vanellope relationship : building a kart and having each other’s back at the end come to mind.
Which creates issues of :
• “Fact, Fantasy, Security, Threat” for Ralph (he struggles with the fact that he is a bad guy, fancying himself as a hero, having others feel insecure around him and ending up being a threat, indeed, for his own game)
• “Value, Worth, Confidence, Worry” for Vanellope (being devalued by others because of her glitchiness while finding self-worth by herself and with someone like her, being confident in her pilot skills and having that carefree attitude that drives Ralph crazy)
• “Knowledge, Thought, Ability, Desire” for the OS characters (the general knowledge of the characters in terms of who can be a good guy and who can be a bad guy, the “I’m bad and that’s good, I’ll never be good and that’s not bad” mantra that is given more or less considerations depending on the sides, each good guy and bad guy having a task to handle in the games that nobody else can, while still having desires on their own)
• And “Wisdom, Enlightenment, Skill, Experience” for their relationship (a lack of wisdom which makes Ralph misjudge Vanellope at first, and later on Vanellope assuming he’s a treator and him destroying her kart [again, lack of wisdom : doesn’t know how to apply the knowledge that the Sugar King gave him], almost destroying their relationship ; the illumination that Vanellope and Ralph are both more than what they thought, rekindling their relationship ; them bonding over improving Vanellope’s piloting skills and them sharing the experience of being ostracized in their respective games)
What do you think ?
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@Rachel_Blot, as a fellow newbie, I’m very impressed. I’ve forgotten that you can look down to the Variations to figure out/confirm the Types. I also really like how you described the Goal and Consequence.
Now that we’ve all come to a consensus on the throughlines, should we discuss the Dynamic Story Points now?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
Definitely. Jim has confirmed it too, according to this article. I feel confident about Success/Good as well, with everyone fulfilling their roles in their games, and Ralph being happy with Nicelanders’ newfound kindness and his friendship with Vanellope.
Since Ralph’s Domain is in Universe, that would make him a Doer, which is easily supported. Whenever he’s angered, he breaks something, whether it’s a cake, jawbreaker, or a building. To change Gene’s mind on him becoming a “good guy,” Ralph leaves to get a medal, culminating in breaking into the Hero’s Duty tower. When Vanellope takes off with the medal, Ralph chases after her. He destroys the kart. Finally, he causes Diet Cola Mountain to erupt, even at the risk of his own life.
With an OS of Psychology, Ralph’s Growth is Start, which seems fit to fit him better. I would expect that Ralph is Linear, but I can’t come up with any examples. Anyone see any illustrations for Problem-solving Style or Growth?
“If I want to be treated like a hero, I need to bring back a medal to show everyone that I can do it.”
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Fantastic example.
Moving on, what do everyone think the Driver would be and why? Or the Story Limit?
I don’t know on this one. Does the story end when Ralph accepts his role as a bad guy—and then promptly does the good guy thing of sacrificing himself for Vanellope? What do you think?