WRECK IT, RYU!

I personally believed it would take more than a decade to land any voice work on a Disney animated movie.  It’s been one of many VO goals for my career.  Fortunately, it looks to be coming true well ahead of schedule (I’ll have been a freelance voice actor for 7 years this September).  The mouse house’s new flick, “Wreck It Ralph”, features a slew of video game characters, with brief appearances from multiple well-known franchises.  I am proud to announce I have recorded a cameo as Ryu from Street Fighter.   The process of domestic animated recording sessions usually involves an ensemble cast.  However, this was just myself with director, Rich Moore (The Simpsons, Futurama).  Will fate smile upon me and let that tiny moment make it to the final cut in theatres on November 2?  Fingers crossed.  Meanwhile, in a rather unprecedented move, Disney gave the additional voice actors a little spotlight in their recent press release:

BURBANK, Calif. (July 19, 2012) – Tapping stars from the big and small screens, Walt Disney Animation Studios rounds out its voice cast for “Wreck-It Ralph.” Directed by Rich Moore (TV’s “The Simpsons,” “Futurama”) and produced by Clark Spencer (“Lilo & Stitch,” “Bolt”), the hilarious arcade-game-hopping adventure adds to its current roster, which includes John C. Reilly as Wreck-It Ralph, Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix Jr., Jane Lynch as Sergeant Calhoun and Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz. “Wreck-It Ralph” hits theaters November 2, 2012.

 

Helping to bring to life the diverse, colorful and wildly imaginative arcade-game worlds created for “Wreck-It Ralph” are the following voice cast members:

 

• Alan Tudyk (ABC’s “Suburgatory,” “Dodgeball”) as King Candy, ruler of Sugar Rush, a candy-coated cart racing game
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• Ed O’Neill (ABC’s “Modern Family”) as Mr. Litwak, owner of Litwak’s Family Fun Center & Arcade
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• Mindy Kaling (“The Mindy Project,” “The Office”) as Taffyta Muttonfudge, an accomplished racer and Vanellope’s nemesis
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• Adam Carolla  (“The Adam Carolla Show”) as Wynchel, Sugar Rush security
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• Horatio Sanz (“Saturday Night Live”) as Duncan, Sugar Rush security
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• Dennis Haysbert (CBS’s “The Unit,” “24”) as General from the first-person shooter game, Hero’s Duty
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• Edie McClurg (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” TV’s “The Life & Times of Tim,” “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”) – as Mary, a Nicelander who lives within the game Fix-It Felix, Jr.
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• Roger Craig Smith (Captain Marvel from TV’s “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” Ezio from game franchise “Assassin’s Creed”) as Sonic the Hedgehog
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• Gerald C Rivers  (video game “Street Fighter” series) as M. Bison
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• Rachael Harris (“The Hangover,” TV’s “New Girl”) as Deanna, a Nicelander who lives within the game Fix-It Felix, Jr.
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• Stefanie Scott (Disney Channel’s “A.N.T. Farm”) as Moppet Girl, a young arcade enthusiast who visits Litwak’s arcade
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• Reuben Langdon (multiple “Street Fighter” video games) as Ken from Street Fighter
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• Kyle Hebert (multiple “Street Fighter” video games, TV’s “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”) as Ryu from Street Fighter

 

ABOUT THE MOVIE

From Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emmy®-winning director Rich Moore comes “Wreck-It Ralph,” a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping adventure. For decades, Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) has been overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voice of Jack McBrayer), the good-guy star of their game who always gets to save the day. Tired of playing the role of a bad guy, Ralph takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a journey across the arcade through multiple generations of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero.  On his quest, Ralph meets tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch) from the first-person action game Hero’s Duty, and feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, who may just be his first real friend. But everything changes when a deadly enemy is unleashed, threatening the entire arcade and Vanellope herself. Ralph finally gets his chance to save the day—but can he do it in time? “Wreck-It Ralph” crashes onto the big screen on November 2, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

 

I want to personally thank Jonathan Klein at New Generation Pictures, for making a call to his friend at Disney, who put the bug in the production office’s ears about using the actual voice actors from Street Fighter.   No matter how this plays out, my soul is overwhelmingly fulfilled.  I feel pretty confident that my tiny moment will end up in the film because the director was rather emphatic about wanting iconic game characters to be sprinkled throughout.  If not, maybe it could end up in the deleted scenes on blu ray.   Regardless, just having this moment happen has been a wild, surreal, and exhilarating-beyond-words experience.