The Surprising Disability Representation of Wreck-It Ralph (& bonus queercoding)

Why hello there. Welcome to the brainrot party! !

(overlaid cheering) YIPPEE WAHOO MAAARRIOOO help me. So this video is a bit of an offshoot to my main Wreck-It Ralph analysis, which will mostly focus on King Candy and it's also not done yet so. .

. . Keep an eye out for that!

If. . .

you care. . .

Anyways I wanted a moment to discuss a few characters on their own, Those being Vanellope Von Schweetz and Sergeant Calhoun. Specifically, the disability representation surrounding Vanellope's glitch, and Calhoun's PTSD. As we're here, we might as well also touch on queercoding, and although its a bit more of a stretch.

. . you should hear me out.

Y'know, we gotta check off all the boxes so all the transphobes and homophobes can leave, so. . .

if you're still here. . .

you're cool. Let's start off with Vanellope. On the surface, she's a snarky, spunky, hyperactive 9 year old girl, but she also carries incredible strength and kindness within her heart.

Her chemistry with Ralph is such an adorable dynamic, too. They share the struggle of being outcast by everyone in their respective games, and learn to form a sincere friendship over it. Also, you gotta love the trope of: "Big scary guy becomes a father figure to fearless little girl" .

. . s.

Sometimes, there are multiple. But the most stand-out aspect of Vanellope has to be her glitch. Which means every once in a while, she'll get all choppy, and kinda dissociate into another dimension for a moment.

So kinda like a sneeze? First of all, the film seems to be pretty intentional with the disability metaphor, given how they avoid using language such as "fixed" or "cured". And they also thankfully never took the route of removing Vanellope's glitch all-together.

SOUR BILL: ". . .

because if she crosses the finish line," SOUR BILL: "she won't be a glitch anymore! " Good on them! More on that later!

For now, let's focus on something that Vanellope says. VANELLOPE: "I'm not a glitch, Taffyta. .

. I just got pixlexia, okay? " It's not only a clever pun, but its proof that disabilities do in fact exist in this world.

But unless having Tourette's means you can teleport, and having Dyslexia means you can phase in and out of existence, I don't think Vanellope's glitch really has a real-life equivalent. But this fact doesn't take away from how it's shown to affect her. Because she's disabled, she's singled out and bullied by all the other kids her age.

Not to mention, her condition is stigmatized beyond belief to the extent she's seen as a threat. . .

. but not ONLY a threat, a CRIMINAL. Did I mention she's NINE?

? ? But worst of all.

. . and, this one's juicy, She has someone else trying to speak for her, on HER behalf, despite them NOT having her disability.

Someone who SAYS they're doing the right thing, when in actuality, they are, at best, misjudging the reality of her condition, or at WORST. . .

purposefully spreading disinformation about her for their own benefit. I think we know which one King Candy is doing. But by the end of the movie, HE'S DEAD.

So. . .

(starts laughing) Her glitch, like any other part of her, remains as a piece of her identity. along with her favorite clothes, favorite hairstyle, her way of speaking. .

. It's just another thing she's learned to embrace whole-heartedly as what makes her. .

. well, Vanellope! But here's where it kinda starts to go into a grey area.

. . VANELLOPE: "I'm a racer, with the greatest superpower ever!

" You see, her glitch gives her already cutting-edge racing skills a surprising advantage, allowing her to teleport ahead of the other racers. But it's not entirely a superpower, either. Earlier in the film, she struggles to control it, and it sometimes puts her in danger.

Although it's clear the worst part is having to deal with the discrimination, something the glitch itself has nothing to do with- The biggest part of the problem being the system she lives in. So a few nights ago, I was eating ice cream and watching Avatar The Last Airbender, -as you do on a Saturday night. .

. I had watched season 2, episode 6, which is where we meet a character named Toph. Toph is a little girl who lives in the wealthiest family of her earth kingdom village.

But due to her overprotective parents, at night she turns to a double life. Possessing incredible earthbending talent, she sneaks off to fight at tournements, where she easily triumphs as the champion fighter. BUT.

SHE'S GAY. -I mean, sorry, she's BLIND. And her ring name is "The Blind Bandit" which is also the name of the episode.

You'd expect a sense of sight to be pretty crucial for combat, but not for Toph. Because this means she's been able to fine-tune her other senses to-a-T, allowing her to develop a uniquely exceptional earthbending strategy that nobody else can predict. That being, waiting and listening.

Her raw skill however, does not save her from being patronized by her blindness, most notably, by her family. TOPH'S FATHER: "My daughter is blind. " TOPH'S FATHER: "She is blind, and tiny, and helpless, and.

. . fragile!

" TOPH'S FATHER: "She cannot help you! " Something that weighs down on her immensely, and something that's prevented her from even making any friends. KING CANDY: "Vanellope.

. . cannot be allowed to race.

" KING CANDY: "Because. . .

she's a glitch. " VANELLOPE: "Help! Somebody please help!

" Is this starting to sound familiar? Both characters have faced adversity surrounding their disabilities, restricting their very ways of life. Vanellope is forbidden from racing because of her glitch, and Toph is forbidden from fighting because of her blindness, despite both of them being INCREDIBLY SKILLED at what they do.

But at the same time, both characters live as champions, not because their disabilities are. . .

automatically a superpower, but because they learned to wait, and listen. They found an opportunity to understand themselves, and in that way, turned their quote "greatest flaw" into their greatest strength. But to be blunt, this is very idealized.

Because in real life, a lot of the time having a disability doesn't present you with some kind of special opportunity, most of the time it just. . .

makes things harder. That's why I think it's crucial that if you're gonna show a disabled character, you gotta make sure their triumphs are accurately balanced by their struggles. Toph's character kinda carries the implication that "she's blind, therefore her other senses are exceptional.

" but like, what if they weren't? It kind of tries to justify itself, when in reality, you shouldn't need to prove anything in spite of a disability, 'cause existing with one is hard enough! Vanellope also begins to teeter on this, although I think it's less severe.

I don't think it's implied that Vanellope is the best racer because of her glitch, it just. . .

also happens to benefit her. . .

. by giving her TELEPORTATION POWERS. And I know its not entirely fair to compare these two, because they have fundamentally different disabilities.

But hey, representation usually isn't perfect, and I think it's cool that disabled little kids, and even adults can see themselves in characters like Vanellope or Toph. And you know what, I think that justifies them enough. Also I watched a great video by Jessica Kellgren-Fozard that informed me more about this trope.

So if you're interested in disability representation and media analysis, I totally recommend that you check out her channel! Now, to stray away entirely from this superpower trope, we have Sergeant Calhoun. Or, Tamora.

. . um.

. . what's her middle name?

. . .

sorry. Tamora Jean Calhoun is probably the most underrated character in our main four lineup. On the surface, she has a rough, gritty, and intimidating demeanor.

. . h o w e v e r.

She's also a reliable leader, and once she feels comfortable, has a great sense of humor. well. .

. dark humor. TAFFYTA: "NOO WE DON'T WANNA DIEEEE-" CALHOUN: "Oh, this place just got interesting.

" I absolutely LOVE how Felix bounces off of her in the B-plot, like, pairing such an innocent, happy-go-lucky guy, with this stoic, no-nonsense war veteran is SO entertaining to watch. But one of Calhoun's greatest struggles is her tendency to brush off feelings of emotional vulnerabilit And this is deeply rooted into her because of a traumatic event from her past. Calhoun has only ever let her guard down for one person, that being her fiancé, whose name is actually Brad Scott.

and that is the kind of name I'd expect from this guy. . .

also for some reason in different regions he's. . .

British? ok- Anyways, Calhoun lets her guard down in more ways than one. On her wedding day, she neglected to do her usual perimeter check, resulting in a <font color="#FF0000">GIANT CYBUG CRASHING HER WEDDING </font> <font color="#FF0000">AND EATING HER HUSBAND ON THE ALTAR RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER.

</font> <font color="#FF0000">AND BECAUSE CYBUGS POSSESS THE ABILITY TO TRANSFORM INTO WHATEVER THEY EAT, </font> <font color="#FF0000">THE WRETCHED BEAST STARTED TAKING THE FORM OF HER DEAD HUSBAND, </font> <font color="#FF0000">AND SHE HAD TO LOOK HIM IN THE EYES AS SHE PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY! ! </font> or at least that's.

. . probably what happened.

. . Either way, that's really fucking bad!

As a result, Calhoun is emotionally closed off from others, and suffers from PTSD flashbacks. which will either happen spontaneously, or after hearing a trigger word. one of hers being the name her fiancé used to call her.

I think this is, in fact accurate to real life PTSD because a lot of the time, flashbacks might just happen with no warning as a result of intrusive thoughts, or from hearing a trigger word, or phrase, or topic, or anything like that. So as far as flashbacks go, I think they're being pretty accurate with the representation here. And unlike Vanellope, Calhoun suffers from a real-life disability, there is no useful upside to having something like this, it just makes it harder for her to live healthily, and form meaningful connections with other people.

It's never even joked about or anything- nothing is in bad taste, the film goes out of its way to take her trauma seriously. FELIX: "Is she always this intense? " KOHUT: "It's not her fault.

" 'IT'S NOT HER FAULT. ' (claps) THANK YOU KOHUT SAY IT WITH ME, (clapping) IT'S. NOT.

HER. FAULT! Believe it or not, Calhoun was once planned to have a camouflage ability.

which would've symbolized how she feels forced to mask her emotions. The production team sadly decided against it, reasoning that it would've made her "too difficult to relate to. " Which is a bit of a crime if you ask me, because that sounds AWESOME!

But eventually, Felix is the one person who teaches her to love again. . .

somehow. . .

Like, he is not only out of her league, he is in like, an ENTIRELY different dimension. THREE FEET CLOSER TO THE GROUND. That's not to say I DON'T love the pairing, but.

. . How did he accomplish this?

Maybe all Calhoun needed was an opportunity to move on from the past, by meeting someone who was reliable and kind, and never withheld his emotions from her. . .

for better or for worse. . .

He's just a little guy! And she's just a tall woman. And at this point I think Felix is into the kind of woman who will actually just kill him.

But by the end of the film, Calhoun and Felix have their wedding, in the very same chapel where her trauma took place. Except this time, the soldiers are evidently VERY prepared to protect her. It's played off as being a little silly with how excessive it is, but it's clear that Calhoun needs this reinforcement to feel safe.

and it's honestly really cool that they took her seriously and made her comfort a priority. So even if the scars of her past never fully disappear, she's now able to push aside those painful thoughts with memories of love and comfort. allowing her to finally and properly heal, and to ultimately start a better chapter of her life.

AND THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL LIKE, I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER. To be fair, it's pretty surface level stuff given we're only shown 2 flashbacks and they never explicitly say Calhoun has PTSD, but it's simple and effective with what it's trying to be. They not only share her struggles and how detrimental this condition is to her life, but they also share how she's healing, and they do so in a way that isn't dismissive of her anxiety.

So to the writers of this movie: Good on you guys. :) But it's time to get a little silly. .

. . and.

. . (scoffs) TRANSGENDER?

VANELLOPE IS TRANS CODED? ? (CROWD GASPS) Allow me to explain VANELLOPE: "What're ya nuts?

C'mon, this isn't me! " VANELLOPE: "This is me! " Wreck-It Ralph is fundamentally, a movie about identity.

It includes themes of trying to disprove misconceptions about yourself, trying to break from a system of oppression, and the journey it takes to heal from trauma. If you get down to it, the person Vanellope is programmed to be is somebody she simply doesn't identify with. Not to mention as princess, she was programmed to take a very feminine, polite, and reserved role.

Instead, Vanellope is choosing to be a lot more tomboyish and adventurous because those are the traits that most resonate with her. Now I'm not saying that because she's tomboyish it means she has to be trans, because you can be cis and still disregard gender norms, but I'm saying this because she explicitly chooses to define herself differently from who she used to be. Even though that isn't inherently trans, which is why I'm saying it's more like she's "trans coded" 'cause its more like her circumstances just line up with some shared experience that trans people have.

ANYWAYS ENOUGH RAMBLIN'. Your programming is a crucial deciding factor in your identity, and yet, it lies completely outside of your control. It determines your circumstances, your genetics, what you do with your life.

. . It's a pretty big deal.

So Vanellope's decision to present differently because she was unhappy with her programmed self, definitely bears some resemblance to exploring one's gender identity. But Vanellope's experience hasn't been without struggle. .

. Gender dysphoria is not something you need to feel in order to be trans, but as a common shared experience, it can often be a driving factor. But speaking of driving, Vanellope's so called "dysphoria" is that she's bullied for wanting to race, due to an aspect of herself that she has no say in, that being, her glitch.

I wanna use her glitch as a different metaphor for this example. TAFFYTA: "You will never be a racer, because you're a glitch," TAFFYTA: "and that's all you'll ever be! " Taffyta is arguing that Vanellope will never be the person she wishes to be, because genetically, she's another thing!

Great argument, Taffyta. Good job owning that pesky liberal with FACTS AND LOGIC. But Vanellope actually starts to internalize this, which is exemplified when she says: VANELLOPE: "I mean everyone here says I'm just a mistake" VANELLOPE: "and that I wasn't even s'posed to exist, what do you expect?

" VANELLOPE: "It's one of the joys of being me. . .

" HONEY NOOOOO. . .

. . But not only does Vanellope have to deal with transphobic little candy children, when she herself is also.

. . a candy child.

. . But she's also forced to live in a societal system that absolutely hates her!

King Candy has used fear mongering to stigmatize Vanellope's entire existence and he also made it illegal for her to exist and is CONSTANTLY going after her, trying to lock her up because she supposedly "endangers their game. " OHHOHOH SOMEBODY STOP THE GLITCH BEFORE SHE CORRUPTS MY CHILDREN! Candy's purposefully taking away any opportunity Vanellope has to express herself so he can keep her in line.

In reality he's doing this because she threatens the system, because SHE threatens HIM. You heard that right, being transgender scares your senators, SO KEEP DOING IT! Regardless, Vanellope never gave up hope.

She could never fully ignore that. . .

itch inside of her brain saying she must be meant for something more. . .

but after years of trying, and failing, and dreaming. . .

she finally walks to a kart of her own. Not one she made by herself when she was alone, in secret. .

. but a real kart. With help from somebody else who understood.

And so, Vanellope chased her dreams. And now she finally knows what it's like. .

. to live them. So never stop chasing yours.

(overlaid 'AWWW'ing) Wow that was so nice of you to say to me. ,, Thank you- hGBLEGH (sniff) oh, sorry, that was a weird sound. oh are u ok?

oh, sorry, that was a weird sound. oh, sorry, that was a weird sound. yeaah ok cool i-i was just checking in Anyways all of this was just my thoughts and OPINIONS on this movie My opinions, I said they were my opinions.

Please don't run me over with your bike, and let me know if you have OTHER COOL interpretations because I WILL read my comments and probably heart all of them, whether you want me to or not. Unless you say something mean, and in that case I hope you get an itchy rash. Anyways I hope you enjoyed, and lemme know if you liked it!

Ok I'm done recording now, goodbye.