Eight bits

Wreck-It Ralph

Crit

The life of an Donkey Kong-generation arcade villain ain't all fun and games. From the Bad Guys Anonymous meeting early on ("one game at a time") to the apocalyptic showdown between bad and evil, this is consistently smart enough to make you forget--or at least not worry about--how often Disney/Pixar (a distinction that no longer has a difference) has already made you weepy with essentially the same story, an odd couple of misfits finding fulfillment in their mutual devotion.

What makes this one special is not the strong 3D or the wild color palette but the conviction of the four principal actors, all readily recognizable from their voices--John C. Reilly as the musclebound title character, Sarah Silverman as the "glitch" Vanellope in Sugar Rush, Jack McBrayer as Ralph's nemesis in the eponymous game Fix-It Felix Jr., and Jane Lynch as the busty, wasp-waisted commando leader Calhoun in Hero's Duty--as well as the game environments they inhabit. (In what may be a personal record for Silverman, her character's language sinks no lower than a scatological pun on the name of Calhoun's game.)

Randomly, the best takeoff imaginable (and we've all imagined it, sort of) of the marching soldiers outside the Wicked Witch's castle in The Wizard of Oz. And finally, in a meta sense, it's hard to resist the notion of McBrayer's nerdy 30 Rock character romancing someone played by one of the outest real-life lesbians in the biz--priceless.

Oh, and almost forgot: a lovely romantic short, Paperman--bet on an Oscar® nomination.

Trailers (all 3D)

• Rise of the Guardians--Santa (with a Russian accent?), the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc., as superheroes.
• The Croods--Another entry in the rebellious little girl subgenré.
• Despicable Me 2--What do you call those paper noisemaker/whistle dealies you blow on at midnight on New Year's that unfurl a couple of feet? Oh, just click on the link, scroll down to the promo video, and watch it--it's worth having to sit through the 15-second pre-promo promo.
• Also saw 3D versions of trailers I'd already seen for Oz: The Great and Powerful (the 3D looks great) and The Hobbit (the 3D looks needless), as well as a trailer for the 3D reboot of Monsters, Inc.