Wreck-It Ralph smashed box office records for a Disney animated film in its opening weekend, and won over critics and audiences no less. With its creativity, heart and passionate storytelling, Wreck-It Ralph signals Walt Disney Animation Studios is back in the game, so to speak. This edition of Disney In Depth will explore what has led up to this new hit for the studio, as well as what awaits.

Many individuals say the Disney Renaissance began with 1989’s The Little Mermaid, with following entries Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King reaching even greater heights – everyone seems to leave out the forgotten The Rescuers Down Under. Regardless, this represented a period of unparalleled imagination and inspiration within the studio, continuing for several years to follow. Then came the slump. Audiences were no longer interested in musicals, so it seemed, and Disney animation switched gears into the sci-fi realm with productions like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet. Computer animation emerged, and with that advent Disney entered the new arena with misses like Chicken Little and the awkward-yet-smart Meet the Robinsons. None of these performed all that wonderfully. It had appeared as though Disney lost its touch. But the studio had some exciting developments up their sleeve.

Wreck-It Ralph
Directed by Rich Moore
Written by Jennifer Lee, Phil Johnston
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk
Walt Disney Pictures
Rated PG | 108 Minutes
Release Date: November 2, 2012

Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain of the classic arcade video game Fix-It Felix Jr., a Donkey Kong copycat in which the game’s eponymous hero (Jack McBrayer) repairs a building that Ralph destroys. For 30 years now, Ralph has been doing the same job and has grown tired of being the bad guy.

Wanting to prove he can be the heroic good guy, Ralph escapes his game and suits up in Hero’s Duty, a futuristic first-person shooter in there spirit of Halo. There, Ralph aids the game’s fearless leader, Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch), battle against “Cy-Bugs,” the game’s extraterrestrial invaders.

A trailer has been released for the upcoming animated comedy Escape From Planet Earth, which will hit theaters February 13, 2013.

The movie had some troubles making it to the big screen, with a lawsuit between The Weinstein Company and producer Brian Inerfield and director Tony Leech, who exited the movie in 2010. The movie is now listed as directed by Cal Brunker, who was a storyboard artist on Despicable Me. Voice cast includes Brendan Fraser, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jane Lynch, Paul Reubens, and Rob Corddry.

You can see the trailer for Escape From Planet Earth below now.

There are only a few more weeks left before Wreck-It Ralph hits theaters, but the Disney Marketing team isn’t even close to done to pushing this wonderful film. We’ve seen a few trailers in the past, but this newest one has some new footage and even an new way to look at the iconic Disney Castle opening. Check it out below.

The trailer reveals nothing we didn’t already know. Ralph is the bad guy of an 8-bit coin-op arcade game who dreams of being something else. One day he breaks away from his programing and goes game hopping. But because the game relies so much on his presence, Ralph’s absence means that arcade managers would have to pull the plug on the Fix-It Felix Jr. arcade game, putting Felix and his fellow characters in the dark forever.

The voice cast for Disney’s video game adventure movie, Wreck-It Ralph, has expanded exponentially, and in a very good way.

The movie, which already features John C. Reilly in the lead as Ralph, a video game bad guy who decides he wants to be the hero, as well as Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, will now tout an even more impressive list of names.

Walt Disney Animation Studio has announced the additions of Alan Tudyk (Firefly/Serenity, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), Mindy Kaling (The Office, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), and Ed O’Neill (Modern Family, Married With Children) to the cast, as well as many others.