Posted on

Emptied & Humbled: Wreck-it Ralph – Glory

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Lent is about glory. Or in movie terms, the happy ending.

Yes, part of Lent is solemn, contemplative, sorrowful. This is the time when we consider sacrifice and death. But part of Lent is also celebratory! We mourn for Good Friday, but we celebrate the happy ending of Easter Sunday!

Jesus has won. Death has been defeated!

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (I Corinthians 15:55)

We mourn the death but celebrate the glory.

But (Jesus) emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:7-11)

Everything Jesus did, he did for the Father’s glory.

He emptied himself for the Father’s glory.

He humbled himself for the Father’s glory.

We saw that Ralph was willing to sacrifice himself to save Vanellope. In doing so he saved all of Sugar Rush and even got to be part of his Fix-it Felix, Jr community.

All Vanellope wanted was to be able to race! She ended up being a princess, the daughter of the true King and got to be part of the Sugar Rush community.

Both Ralph and Vanellope received their glory, they received community.

Often, God’s glory is seen in community.

Click To Tweet

What community are you a part of?

What community should you be serving?

What should you give back to your community?

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Posted on

Emptied & Humbled: Wreck-it Ralph – Identity

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Lent is about identity. Like Jesus, the choices and sacrifices we make tend to reveal our true identity. This is doubly true in Wreck-it Ralph!

The Good Bad Guy?

Yea, Ralph is the bad guy in Fix-it Felix, Jr. But by his actions – by his sacrifice – Ralph shows himself to truly be the hero!

His position did not define him, his choices and sacrifice did.

You’ve seen this, I’m sure.

Leaders lead. Just because someone has the word leader in their title or position does not make them a leader. Conversely, we all know people who lead well, even without position or title.

The same is true for pastors, right? Just because someone is a pastor doesn’t mean they are a pastor or a shepherd. At the same time, you probably know someone who is a true pastor – a real shepherd – even though they are not one by trade or title.

The same goes for Ralph. He is the hero – the savior – because of what he did, not because of who he is.

The Real Princess

One of my favorite parts of Wreck-it Ralph is when we find out that Vanellope is really a princess!


(Watch before you continue.)

As I’ve written before, Sugar Rush is under the control of a counterfeit king, King Candy. Sugar Rush is “fallen.” King Candy has reprogrammed Sugar Rush so that no one knows how it used to be or how it should be.

When Vanellope crosses the finish line, something miraculous – something biblical – happens; Sugar Rush is restored and transformed! The curse is lifted and Sugar Rush is restored to its original creation. When this happens we find out that Vanellope is really a princess, the daughter of the true king!

Ralph’s sacrifice saved Vanellope and revealed to her her true identity. Vanellope, the sweet little “glitch,” is really the daughter of the true king!

That’s us!

We are the sweet little “glitches” that, when we trust Jesus, become children of the true King!

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) — Romans 8:15-17

Because Jesus emptied and humbled himself to the point of death on the cross – and rose again! – we can be adopted into God’s family!

Because of that sacrifice, we know our true identity – we are God’s adopted children!

Lent is about our adoption into God’s family. Lent is about our true identity.

Today, take the time to consider that if you have trusted in Jesus, you are one of God’s kids and a fellow heir with his only begotten son, Jesus.

If you have not yet trusted Jesus, then today is the day!

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! (Acts 16:31)

Jesus loves you.

If you have questions about Jesus, the faith, or Lent, please reach out to me.

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Posted on

Emptied & Humbled: Wreck-it Ralph – Death

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Lent is about Death. We anticipate Jesus’ death on Good Friday and then celebrate his defeat of death on Easter/Resurrection Sunday!

As we said yesterday, Ralph emptied himself and humbled himself. So much so that he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Ralph emptied and humbled himself to the point of death.

Yea, I know he didn’t die.

But he was willing to die.

He thought he was going to die.

And he did it anyway.

Ralph made the ultimate sacrifice.

This sacrifice is the point of Lent.

During Lent, we stop and remember what Jesus did for us. We stop and consider what Jesus sacrificed for us.

We ponder what he emptied himself of. We wonder at how the creator God could humble himself.

Somewhere during Lent, we remember that what he did, he did for us. What he did, he did for me.  What he did, he did for you.

In the same way that Vanellope had he “glitch,” we have our own glitches.

We know our crap. We know the stuff we usually try to hide.

Even with all that stuff, Jesus loves us. Jesus loves us so much that even while we were still dirty, rotten sinners, he died for us.

Yes, Lent is about death.

Not just Jesus’, but also the little deaths we die to every day.

The death of our pride. The death of our own selfish desire. The death of our ego.

What in your life needs to die? What are you holding onto? What do you need to let go of?

This Lent season – today – think about what Jesus did for you. Then consider what you should do for Jesus.

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Posted on

Emptied & Humbled: Wreck-it Ralph – Sacrifice

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Ralph had a choice to make. Would he help Vanellope or would he pursue his own desire, to take a hero’s medal back to Fix-it Felix, Jr and join the community?

While Spider-man sacrificed his wants, Ralph chose to sacrifice his life.

King Candy, now the “Lord of the Flies” bug-like creature, has Ralph high above Candy Crush. Vanellope, who cannot leave the game, is about to die at the hands claws of the demon-like bugs from the game Hero’s Duty.

Ralph knows that the bugs are drawn to light, that if he can crash the Mentos into the Coke River, then he can erupt the volcano and draw the bugs away from Vanellope.

The catch, however, is that he would have to sacrifice himself. And that is what he does.

Ralph breaks free of King Candy and falls to (what he thinks will be) his death. On the way down he crashes through the Mentos, igniting the Mentos/Coke volcano.

This is exactly the attitude that Jesus has in Philippians 2.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:3-8)

Ralph, like Jesus, thought of others – specifically Vanellope – as more important than himself.

Ralph, like Jesus, emptied himself of his own desire – to go home a hero – and became a servant, serving Vanellope to the point of death.

(Yea, I know he didn’t die, but he thought he was going to die. He was willing to die and chose to sacrifice himself thinking he would die.)

This is how Jesus loves you.

Jesus emptied and humbled himself for you.

But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Today, instead of thinking of what you need to sacrifice, thank God – thank Jesus – for what he did for you!

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Posted on

Emptied & Humbled: Wreck-it Ralph – Choice

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Last week we looked at Spider-man 2, Philippians 2, and saw how they both apply to Lent. This week will look at Disney’s Wreck-it Ralph.

Ralph wanted something that we all want; Ralph wanted friends, Ralph wanted community. Ralph, the bad guy of the video game Fix-it Felix, Jr, wanted to be a part of the community. He simply wanted to be friends with Felix and the others.

When Ralph crashed an anniversary party, he found out that he would only be invited if he was a hero, if he won a medal. The problem was, there was no way to win a medal in his game. To win a medal, Ralph had to “go Turbo;” that meant he had to leave Fix-it Felix, Jr and enter a different game.

In the world of Wreck-it Ralph, “going Turbo” was a very bad thing.

And now Ralph had a choice to make; would he stay in his game or would he “go Turbo” to try to win a medal?

In the context of this movie, it is easy to see that the characters in Fix-it Felix, Jr are in the wrong. What Ralph wants is a very good thing. We are all made to live in a community.

First, we are made in the image of God and God lives in a community.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness...” (Genesis 1:26)

Before we were even a thing, God lived in a community. God – in the Trinity – lives in a community. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the holy three-in-one – live in a perfect community. A perfect mix of unity, equality, and submission.

And we were made in his image. It is good for us to live in a community.

Ralph’s desire – his ambition – was a good ambition. Regardless, Ralph still needed to choose between his desire – community – and something greater. That something greater was Vanellope.

Ralph wanted the medal so he could join the Fix-it Felix, Jr community. After he met Vanellope, he had to choose between his own desire and her’s.

He wanted to take the medal back so that he could join the Fix-it Felix, Jr community.

She wants to enter – and win – a race.

What did Jesus want?

So what did Jesus want? What did Jesus give up? I don’t know, to be honest.

But (Jesus) emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8)

We know that he emptied himself and took the form of a slave. Yea, I don’t know everything that this means, but it sounds to me that he gave up being the master. Jesus gave up being in charge to being a slave.

We also know that he humbled himself. The creator God, the God that created even life, humbled himself to the point of death. The Lord – the God of Israel – humbled himself to the point of death.

Jesus gave up a lot.

What do you want?

So what do you want? What are you in the middle of choosing between?

Spider-man wanted the girl, grades, and a job. All good things.

Ralph wanted friends. Certainly a very good thing.

But both choose something greater.

What is your greater?

This is part of Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional. The whole devotional can be found here.

Check out Emptied & Humbled, a movie based Lenten devotional.

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Posted on

Wreck-it Ralph Christian Movie Review – Resurrection

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

This Reel Parable has major spoilers, and I mean major. Major like “did you know Old Yeller dies?” major. This movie bible study assumes that you have seen Wreck-it Ralph or don’t care if we spoil it for you. We warned you…

This is part 6 of a 6 part Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph. You can find all of our Wreck-it Ralph content here.

Sharing God’s story with Wreck-it Ralph

It’s no secret that I love Wreck-it Ralph. The way that it shows us what the resurrection looks like is one big reason why! Not only do we get to the a “new heaven and a new earth,” but we also get to see a resurrected/glorified body AND our true identity!

Run the Race

Because of Ralph’s sacrifice, Vanellope finished the race. She finished the race. That alone is quite biblical!

I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! (2 Timothy 4:7)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us… (Hebrews 12:1)

With the help of her “cloud of witnesses,” her community, Vanellope was able to run the race and finish the race.

Don’t give up the race. And don’t give up on your community.

But wait, there’s more!

A New Heaven and a New Earth

By finishing the race – by crossing the finish line – the world of Sugar Rush is reset. The corrupt and counterfeit world, ruled by the counterfeit king, was made new!

Sugar Rush was made right. The old went away. The new came.

The corrupted (hacked by King Candy) world of Sugar Rush was made new and restored back to its original creation!

The fallen world of Sugar Rush was made new and restored back to its original creation!

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… (Revelations 21:1a)

For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. (Isaiah 65:17)

While waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides. (2 Peter 3:12-13)

We know our “end” is not really the end, but a new beginning. Someday this painful, hurtful, vengeful world will be made new, just like Sugar Rush!

Yes, someday our broken world will be made new, just like Sugar Rush was made new!

Click To Tweet

Someday this ugly world will be made beautiful!

But wait, there is *still* more!

Princess Vanellope

Not only was Sugar Rush made new, but so was Vanellope!

The once glitchy “mistake,” the perishable little girl could not leave the game because she would die, was raised imperishable!

It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. (I Corinthians 15:42)

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come! (II Corinthians 5:17)

Don’t miss the story here.

Ralph offers himself as a sacrifice to save not just Vanellope, but all of Sugar Rush.

Because of his sacrifice Vanellope able to finish the race and cross the finish line!

The game – the world of Sugar Rush – is made new and restored to its perfect and original creation.

Vanellope, too, is made new and raised up in her new and perfected body!

But wait, there is still even more!

Not only is Vanellope made new, but her *true* identify is revealed.

Vanellope, this glitchy nobody, is actually Princess Vanellope. Yeah, Princess. So, yeah, she is the daughter of the one true king!

The same is true for Christians!

But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ). (Romans 8:14-17a)

Yes, as Christians we are sons and daughters of the one true King! We are fellow heirs with Jesus Christ himself!

Like Vanellope, we too are sons and daughters of the one true King!

Click To Tweet

This should be so encouraging to you. Just like Vanellope we all have our own “glitches.” We are all fallen and broken in some way.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3″23)

But just like Vanellope we too can be royalty. She was saved by Ralph’s sacrifice, we are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice!

We, too, can be made new. When we believe in Jesus we join God’s family.

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31a)

I assume that if you are reading this then you do believe. If not, then today is the day!

Prince-and-Princess-Crown-Cut-Outs (Right click and save)

Here is a great way to share God’s story with your kid(s). Make and decorate a Prince and/or Princess crown! Be sure to write Prince/Princess and your name and your kid’s name. And wear them proudly!

Check out this better kind of Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph!

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

Posted on

Wreck-it Ralph Christian Movie Review – Savior

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

This Reel Parable has major spoilers, and I mean major. Major like “did you know that Qui-Gon Jinn dies at the end of Star Wars Episode I?” major. This movie bible study assumes that you have seen Wreck-it Ralph or don’t care if we spoil it for you. We warned you…

This is part 5 of a 6 part Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph. You can find all of our Wreck-it Ralph content here.

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

How do you know that Ralph truly loved Vanellope? They fought. They argued. They hurt each other’s feelings.

So how do we know he really loved her?

Because he was willing to die for her.

My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

No greater love than this that a man (Ralph) would give his life for a friend (Vanellope).

While almost everything King Candy said was a lie (that deceiver!) what he said about Vanellope leaving the game was true. Because of her glitch, she could not leave the game. Anyone else could simply leave the game.

She could not.

We see that this is true when Sugar Rush is about to be destroyed.

The aliens from Hero’s Duty have taken over. They are destroying everything and trying to devour everyone.

King Candy – Turbo – is unmasked and his true nature revealed.

He is out to destroy Sugar Rush.

As everyone escapes the game we see that Vanellope truly cannot leave and is about to be destroyed.

If she dies in the game then she dies for real.

Game over.

Forever.

Ralph figures out that the Mentos over Diet Coke Mountain will create a flame/light to draw the bug’s attention.

Bug Turbo and Ralph duke it out in an epic final battle to the top of Diet Coke Mountain. It is during this epic battle that Ralph realizes that the only way to save Vanellope is to sacrifice himself.

He can save her. But he will die if he does.

Because he really does love her, Ralph decides to save her, at all costs.

If he can just fall into Diet Coke Mountain he can knock the Mentos into the Diet Coke causing a volcanic eruption, create a homing beacon, and draw the bugs to their destruction!

This will save Vanellope and all of Sugar Rush!

In that moment Ralph decides to offer himself as her sacrifice.

He would give up his life to save her life.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.

He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!

As a result God exalted him…Philippians 2:3-9a

This sounds like Ralph, right?

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

When Ralph saw that Vanellope truly needed help he cared about her life more than his own. He humbled himself so that he could save her.

He knew she was important.

He put her needs above his own.

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.

Ralph did this too.

Ralph really, really, really wanted to win a medal. He could have simply left Sugar Rush, returned home, and showed off his medal.

Instead, he chose to help Vanellope.

He chose to empty himself of his own ambition – the desire to win a medal and to be a part of his community – and instead chose to stay and help Vanellope.

He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!

I know Ralph did not die. I get that.

But he was willing to die to save Vanellope.

He thought he was going to die.

He did humble himself to the point of death. At least to the point of being willing to die!

As a result God exalted him…

I know this may be a stretch, but I love that Ralph does get exalted back in his game.

After he does his bad guy job the whole community literally holds him up – exalts him! – and it is then that he can see Vanellope!

So why would Ralph do that for Vanellope?

Why would he save her?

Why would he sacrifice himself for her?

Because Vanellope could not save herself. As simple as it sounds, she needed a savior.

And Ralph understood her pain.

Ralph knew her suffering.

For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.

Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.Hebrews 4:15-16

Ralph knew her suffering.

Why?

Because he had suffered the same way that she had suffered.

He had been hurt in the same way that she had been hurt.

Like Vanellope, Ralph lived alone on the outskirts of town.

Like Vanellope, Ralph longed for community and to be a part of the group.

Ralph understood Vanellope because he was treated like she was treated.

He may have been an outsider – a savior from another world/game – but he understood her pain and her suffering.

But remember, he didn’t just save her; he also set her apart and helped her fulfill her purpose!

It was only after Ralph literally saved her that she was able to finish the race and cross the finish line, fulfilling her purpose!

Check out this better kind of Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph!

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

Posted on

Wreck-it Ralph Christian Movie Review – Purpose

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

This Reel Parable has major spoilers, and I mean major. Major like “did you know that Superman now has a kid?” major. This movie bible study assumes that you have seen Wreck-it Ralph or don’t care if we spoil it for you. We warned you…

This is part 4 of a 6 part Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph. You can find all of our Wreck-it Ralph content here.

Problems

If King Candy is the villain of Sugar Rush (and he is!) then Vanellope is most certainly the heart and soul.

In a world that appears so perfect, she is the only one who knows that her life is anything but.

Like Ralph, she lives alone on the outskirts of town.

Like Ralph, she longs for community and to be a part of the group.

She is the adorable little loner and ambitious outsider longing to be a part of the game.

And while the whole world of Sugar Rush is broken she just might be the most broken.

While everyone has lost their memory because of King Candy’s hacking, she is the only one who has lost community and has lost fellowship. King Candy actually removed her from the community.

Oh, and to top it off she is the only one with a glitch!

Purpose

But Vanellope knows deep down inside that she was made for more.

She knows that she has a purpose.

She knows that she is special.

Having no memory of driving a car, much less racing a car, she knows that she was designed – programmed – to race!

She feels it in her bones and in her soul. She just knows it.

The world of Sugar Rush tells her she is worthless, purposeless, and an accident (a glitch!).

But she knows better. She knows that she has a purpose and that someone, somewhere, has a plan.

Do you ever feel the same way?

I know I do. My whole life I have heard this verse:

’For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11 NET

I am glad God knows the plans He has for me. I wish He would tell me what those plans are.

Like Vanellope I sometimes feel trapped in a world in which I don’t belong. I often feel like I am meant for more than this.

Remember what C.S. Lewis said.

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Notice this; Vanellope was unable to fulfill her purpose alone. It was in a community that she found the hope and encouragement she needed to fulfill her purpose!

In Ralph – in a relationship – she found the encouragement and help that she needed.

With Ralph’s help, she gets a car.

With Ralph’s help, she finally gets to drive.

With Ralph’s help – with Ralph’s friendship – she gains confidence!

Most of us will not have our “burning bush” encounter.

Instead of a burning bush, God gave us a community; our family (maybe) and our Church.

Our family is the first place where most of us learn about God.

If it’s not our family then it was probably through a friend or through a Church.

This community introduces us to God and then helps us know His story better.

It is in this community of faith that we have the opportunity to learn, serve, discover our strengths and gifts and passion.

It is in this community that we, like Vanellope, fulfill our purpose.

But like Vanellope we need help!

Check out this better kind of Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph!

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

Posted on

Wreck-it Ralph Christian Movie Review – Cheater

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

This Reel Parable has major spoilers, and I mean major. Major like “Did you know Rose Bud was just his childhood sled?” major. This movie bible study assumes that you have seen Wreck-it Ralph or don’t care if we spoil it for you. We warned you…

This is part 3 of a 6 part Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph. You can find all of our Wreck-it Ralph content here.

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

Ralph’s quest for community lands him in Sugar Rush, a sweet-candied-confectioners wonderland that is not as sweet as it seems.

Sugar Rush is a fallen world.

The game was hacked and reprogrammed. It is now a poor counterfeit of the world that it was programmed (created) to be.

This fallen world is also under the control of a fallen character. Sugar Rush is under the control of King Candy.

Ah, King Candy.

He’s cute.

He’s funny.

He looks as sweet and innocent as the world he lives in.

But just like Sugar Rush, King Candy is also not what he seems.

He is also a faker!

King Candy looks sweet. But he is not.

King Candy sound nice. But he is not.

King Candy acts like he wants to help and do good, but he only wants to hurt and do harm.

He is a liar and he is a cheat.

Ask your kids – or yourself – these questions. For such a fun movie King Candy is a pretty complex character!

  • Does King Candy belong in Sugar Rush?
  • Where does King Candy actually belong?
  • What did King Candy do to Sugar Rush?
  • What does King Candy want?
  • What lies does King Candy tell?
  • Why is King Candy so mean to Vanellope?
  • What is King Candy trying to protect?
  • What is King Candy afraid of?

Just as Ralph does to belong in Sugar Rush, neither does King Candy!

Candy Coated Devil

After all the lies are found out Ralph learns that King Candy is actually Turbo, a disgraced character from Turbo Time, an old “classic” game overshadowed by the newer and flashier games.

Turbo wants the glory that is not his. He misses the spotlight and longs for attention. He is jealous of the attention other characters are getting in other games.

Due to his pride and jealousy, Turbo falls from grace. Turbo jumps games to be something he is not, a king.

King Candy is more than the main antagonist in Wreck-it Ralph. King Candy is also an amazing or movie metaphor for our adversary, the Devil.

Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!You said to yourself, “I will climb up to the sky.Above the stars of El I will set up my throne.I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon.I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!”Isaiah 14:12-14

Just like Satan fell from grace, so did King Candy. King Candy fell from grace when he jumped games and hacked Sugar Rush!

Turbo, as King Candy, set himself up as the King of Sugar Rush!

He actually set up his throne and called himself King, the “most high” character in Sugar Rush!

What did King Candy do with this power?

Did he help Vanellope?

Did he help anyone else?

Did he help Sugar Rush?

No…

All he did was help himself. He even hurt others to do so. We will talk more about that when we get to Vanellope.

But how did he do this?

Remember, King Candy is not as sweet as he seems.

He looks sweet, but he is really sour!

He looks good, but he is evil.

He looks sweet, but he is sour.

He looks bright and shiny but is dark and evil.

Why does he do this? Because most of us are afraid of scary things.  The Devil does not want to scare us. Instead, he wants to trick us.

Most of us will run from something scary. That is why King Candy disguised himself as something thing sweet!

He didn’t want to scare the girls in Sugar Rush, he wanted to trick them!

Our Adversary, the Devil, does the same thing.

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:27

Pretending to be good, he lied to everyone to protect his counterfeit kingdom.

He is a liar.

In the game of Sugar Rush King Candy is the father of lies.

Just like the Devil. The Devil is a liar.

You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:4

Just like King Candy, the Devil does not want you to know the truth. God loves you.

I am sure there is a lot of other stuff we can say about the Devil and his lies. But to not cause division or controversy I will leave it at this:

The Devil does not want you to know that God loves you more than anyone in the whole entire world! He created you to be in a relationship with Him but the Devil messed that up. And he’s been lying forever so that you won’t find out.

And, like King Candy, he has some control over this world right now.

The bible says:

Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion,is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.1 Peter 5:8

King Candy did the same! Remember when he found Ralph when he and Vanellope were about to leave for the race?

He was roaming around looking for them.

And what did he do when he found them?

Did he tell them the truth?

NO!

Did he help them?

NO!

What did he do when he found Ralph?

He LIED to him and tricked him!

He blinded Ralph to the truth by telling him a bunch of lies. He sounded like he wanted to help Vanellope but really wanted to hurt her.

Just like the Devil.

Among whom the god of this age (the Devil) has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

King Candy did not want Vanellope to find out that she was a Princess!

In the same way, the Devil does not want you to find out that you are – or can be – a Prince or Princess! (More on that shortly.)

Ralph longs for a community so goes on a hero’s journey.

Along the way he finds a fallen world, Sugar Rush, controlled by a fallen character, King Candy.

In this fallen world he meets Vanellope and discovers his purpose. He even finds the community he longed for.

We will look at that next time.

Check out this better kind of Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph!

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

 

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

Posted on

Wreck-it Ralph Christian Movie Review – Counterfeits

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph

This Reel Parable has major spoilers, and I mean major. Major like “did you know that Darth Vader was Luke’s dad?” major. This movie bible study assumes that you have seen Wreck-it Ralph or don’t care if we spoil it for you. We warned you…

This is part 2 of a 6 part Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph. You can find all of our Wreck-it Ralph content here.

Sharing God’s story with Wreck-it Ralph

Sugar Rush is a child’s dream! And why wouldn’t it be? After all it is a land made up of sugar and candy and sweets and treats and all kinds of yummy goodness.

When my 10-year-old daughter saw it for the first time she actually told me she wanted to live there! My 12-year-old son agreed and added so he could eat everything!

Sugar Rush looks amazing. But, as we soon find out, Sugar Rush is not what it seems.

It may look good on the outside, but inside is it all messed up. It may look like a confectioners dream, but it is really a counterfeit.

Counterfeit

Sugar Rush is a pink candied paradise. But it also a bad copy of what it once was.

We will talk about King Candy later, but as Ralph finds out he has done something terrible to Sugar Rush. In his desire to be King (Isaiah 14:14 anyone?) he has hacked the world of Sugar Rush so that no one remembers how great it once was or how bad it is now. King Candy is a liar and a deceiver, but more on him later.

In his desire to be King he corrupted Sugar Rush. It is now a fallen world.

It looks good. But it is not good. Ask yourself or your kids these questions:

  • What did King Candy do to be King?
  • What was his sin?
  • Why is this bad?
  • What did it do to Sugar Rush?
  • What did it do to the characters in Sugar Rush?
  • How did the girls treat each other?
  • How did the girls treat Vanellope Von Schweetz?

Because of King Candy’s sin (hacking the game to be King) the entire “world” of Sugar Rush became a cheap counterfeit. Sugar Rush became “fallen.”

It looked good. But it was not great.

It looked good. But it was far from perfect.

This story is not new. In Genesis 3 we see the fall of man. And this fall didn’t just affect man, but it also affected the world.

Cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:17b–19

Sugar Rush is fallen. It was once a child’s sweet-toothed paradise. Now it is a bad knockoff, a bad counterfeit.

The same is true for our world. It was once a paradise where God and man had perfect fellowship and lived in a perfect community. Now it is a world full of ugly. I don’t know how old your kids are and I don’t know how much of our world they understand. My older kids (21 and 18) are starting to see just how ugly the world can be. And so are my little kids. Even as we try to protect their childhood and innocence they still hear about so much hate, violence, and junk.

The BIG questions are still the BIG questions. Why so much fear? Why so much anger? Why so much hate?

Just like in Wreck-it Ralph the answer is sin. Because King Candy sinned the whole world of Sugar Rush is now full of sin. I know it sounds silly, but how else would you explain King Candy and the way the other girls treat Vanellope?

Again, this story is not new.

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned. Romans 5:12

Contradictions

Like the world of Sugar Rush, our world is swirling with contradictions.

Parts of our world are beautiful. The birth of a child. The fresh blossoms of Spring. A first kiss. A first love.

But parts of our world are also ugly. The child that dies. The gray death of Winter. A broken heart.

At times our world is amazingly beautiful. It is, after all, God’s creation.

But at times it is also very ugly. It is, after all, tainted by sin.

Like the world of Sugar Rush, our world looks good and is tempting, like an all you can eat candy buffet.

But like the world of Sugar Rush, our world is also under the control/influence of a Deceiver.

Vanellope knew she was made for “something better.”

We know we were made for “something better.”

My guess is our kids know they were made for “something better.”

Sugar Rush was not without hope and neither is our world!

Remember what C.S. Lewis said.

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

Before we look at what Wreck-it Ralph can teach us about “another world,” next time we will look at what King Candy can teach us about our adversary, the “devil.”

Tell your kids that someday, when God’s story unfolds, our fear will turn into joy, our anger will turn into happiness and our hate will turn into joy!

What can do this week to encourage your kids that someday our fear will turn into joy, our anger will turn into happiness and our hate will turn into joy?

Check out this better kind of Christian movie review of Wreck-it Ralph!

Click To Tweet

Get my free e-book, How to See God’s Story in Movies. This free download will help you share God’s story with your kids and students by showing you how to see God’s story in movies.

Not only will this guarantee that you get the latest Reel Parables posts, but you will also get my most popular downloads, including “How to Time Travel.”

And be sure to check out my About page for more info on what I do around here at Reel Parables.

Until next time, God bless.

Simon L Smith

Sharing God’s Story with Wreck-it Ralph