Breaking out of the Box

So, my thoughts on Wreck-it Ralph. First off, it's easy to compare it to the Toy Story movies, since it also creates a universe in which characters come alive when humans aren't around, but I also see similarities with Monsters, Inc.; in that a big old lummox with a soft heart finds true fulfillment as a kind of surrogate father. Yet another movie with a metaphor for parenthood; hooray! If only they'd consider having a mother-figure as the protagonist instead of a father-figure every once a while....but that's all by the by. I want to talk about this movie as a story that advances feminist themes. And by feminist I don't mean passing the Bechdel test (it does, but mostly only with scenes wherein the catty girls pick on Vanellope, and that kind of stinks) but by picking apart the notion of arbitrary roles.

( Not playing by the rules )