essay 1 or compare & contrast

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
THE DESIGN SCHOOL
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT
NAME: POH WENG CHUAN
STUDENT ID NO: 0319951
FILMS SELECTED: DESPICABLE ME AND WRECK-IT RALPH
WORD COUNT: (817 WORDS)
ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION DATE: 1st OCTOBER 2015

2. Like many children do, I have started to like animated films since I was child. I always admired how the
protagonist overwhelmed the antagonist at the end of the day. The protagonists are always the main
attention in the film. They represent heroism. But have you seen any film that shows the antagonist
takes the spotlight of the film? Well, movies like these don’t come often and believe me, there are only
handful of movies like these, whereby the antagonist plays the lead character in the film. Which I am
about to compare their differences. The films are Despicable me and Wreck-it Ralph.
To understand why both of these movies don’t share the similarity, despite the lead characters from
their own movie are the villain to begin with. They both share a dissimilar story. In the movie Despicable
Me, tells a story of a potential villain name Gru who initially adopts the three little girls as part of his
scheme to steal the moon. Over time the girls and him have bonded, which later, he come to realize
that loved ones are more important than his mission. On the contrary, have you met a character that
goes against the typical villain-type? Well, in this movie called Wreck-it Ralph does. In the game world,
nobody loves the bad guys and only heroes get to be praised. Unfortunately, for Ralph he plays a villain
in the game. He decided to abandon his game and venture outside in order to seek a way to prove
himself as the hero. Later, when he meets and befriend with a girl name Vanellope who was previously
a main character in her game and soon as he learnt about her past. He decided to help her to save her
game.
In addition, another fact to consider for the dissimilar of the two movies is that both of the animated
movies clearly distinguish on how the characters treat their role as villain. Gru from Despicable Me
treats his role like any other villains do. He likes things to be wicked, causes disruption to the world and
most importantly, plans the greatest heist of all time. Unlike Gru who enjoys being a villain, Ralph from
Wreck-it Ralph sees no value in his role as a villain. In the game world bad guys don’t get the attention.
And he acknowledges that, which is why he treats his role differently. By rebel against it and seek for
ways to turn over a new leaf.

3. Villains are always well-known for causing destruction, with the help of their assets. But without it they
can be defeated easily. And it isn’t easy for the villains to live up to their reputation, especially a potential
villain like Gru. When times of danger, what will he do to battle against his opponents? Of course, his
trusty companions Minions are always there to help him along with all his deadly weapons. Which is
invented by his henchman Dr. Nerfario. In contrast, although Ralph is supported by his partner Felix
but does he has a henchman or possesses any deadly weapon to aid him in battles? No, he doesn’t.
However, he does has an incredibly strong, pair of abnormal giant fists, which can aid him during battle.
To summarize up the final point, I would like to show the differences of how both characters changed
at the end. In the ending of Despicable Me, after he defeated his arch-nemesis Vector and rescued the
girls. Gru changed from a wicked villain to a heartwarming father because he realized that nothing was
more important compared to the girls that had shown so much love and compassion throughout these
times. That made him realized how important of a father figure he is towards his girls. On the other
hand, Ralph’s ending is more like a plot twist. Ralph managed to help Vanellope and defeated Turbo.
Because of the good deeds that he have done, he became a hero and at the end, after all the
experiences that he have been through, Ralph proudly accepted his role as the villain and were praised
by his people.
In conclusion, behind every great ending of an animated film contains an important element that is
deserved to be shared to the public, which that important element is moral lesson. It teaches the correct
behavior that one should follow and I believe that both of this animated films do contain that element.
In the movie Despicable Me shows a strong sign of a family love between Gru and the girls, which I
learnt that one must appreciate his or her loved ones because they only exist once in our life. In Wreck-
it Ralph, as Ralph risks his life to save Vanellope’s game from being destroyed. It demonstrated a value
of heroism. In which it means that a hero is someone that puts his or her life at risk to save someone
from danger.