The story of an arcade-game bad guy
who embarks on a quest to prove he's really a good guy, Walt Disney Animation
Studios' "Wreck-It Ralph" journeys through wildly diverse arcade-game
worlds, including the '80s-era, 8-bit video-game world of Fix-It Felix, Jr.,
the ultra-modern first-person shooter game Hero's Duty and the candy-coated
cart-racing game Sugar Rush.
Helping
to differentiate these worlds from one another are unique cinematography,
animation, effects and music. "Music is another way to set the stage and
make these worlds completely different," said producer Clark Spencer.
But
not just any music. Filmmakers tapped diverse and unexpected artists to help
tell the story. Composer Henry Jackman created the film's score, which is
complemented by original songs and music from Skrillex, AKB48, Owl City and
Buckner & Garcia.
Directed
by Rich Moore, produced by Spencer and featuring the voices of John C. Reilly,
Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, "Wreck-It Ralph"
crashes into Philippine theatres on Oct. 31, 2012. The film's soundtrack from
Walt Disney Records will be available Oct. 30, 2012.
"When
it came to the music of 'Wreck-It Ralph,'" said Moore, "we wanted to
work with some really talented artists and I love that they aren't necessarily
the people audiences expect to hear in a Disney animated movie. But when they
hear the music and how it supports the story and drives the emotion, they'll
say, 'This is perfect.'"
Moore
said he took his lead from the original director of animated movies. "Walt
Disney was a pioneer when it came to music. What sounds like classics to us
now—Ukulele Ike in 'Pinocchio,' Peggy Lee in 'Lady and the Tramp'—were very
unexpected choices."
THE SCORE
Classically
trained composer Henry Jackman ("Winnie the Pooh," "X-Men: First
Class") was called on to write the score for "Wreck-It Ralph,"
helping to shape the diverse worlds with music. Jackman researched arcade games
and incorporated their classic sounds into the score, bringing the arcade and
its individual games to life. "The music transports you," said Moore.
"It channels each era perfectly. [Henry Jackman] is fantastic."
According
to Jackman, the score was driven by the story, which allowed him to tap his
classical roots, too. "When something emotional is developing, it actually
opens the door to the orchestral score without it feeling imposed," he
said.
ORIGINAL SONGS
Ralph's
quest leads him to the intense, cy-bug-infested world of Hero's Duty, where he
hopes to land a medal. Underscoring the chaos and excitement of the
first-person shooter game, GRAMMY®-winning artist Skrillex wrote the game-play
music, "Bug Hunt," hand-picking Netherlands' producers/DJs/videogame
soundtrack composers Noisia to remix the track for the album. "The mood of
that game world is high-energy and futuristic. I make music with many different
colors of the emotional spectrum—this reflects a more aggressive side of my
music."
Japan's
pop phenomenon AKB48 accompanies Ralph to the land of sweets with the aptly
named theme song "Sugar Rush." "We've always thought of Sugar
Rush—with its nod to anime—as a game that may have originated in Japan,"
said Spencer. "So we went to Japan and got the hottest J-pop group to
perform the song that really sets the tone for this '90s-era cart-racing game:
young and hip."
Owl
City ("Fireflies," "Good Time") provides an upbeat and
story-driven cap to the film with "When Can I See You Again?"
According to singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Adam Young, the song offers a
bit of an emotional tug-of-war. "It's a very bouncy, happy, uplifting
song, but there's a bittersweet part of it, leaving a key relationship in the
film open-ended."
Also
contributing to the end credits are Buckner & Garcia, the team behind the
1982 Top-10 hit "Pac-Man Fever." Jerry Buckner of Buckner &
Garcia co-produced the song "Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph" with hit songwriter/producer
Jamie Houston (Steven Tyler, Macy Gray). "It was great to be invited to
contribute a song to the movie and soundtrack," said Buckner. "The
song has an '80s pop flavor with a contemporary twist—we're really happy with
how it turned out."
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