The story of an arcade-game bad guy who embarks on a quest to prove he’s really a good guy, “Wreck-It Ralph” journeys through wildly diverse arcade-game worlds, including the ‘80s-era, 8-bit video-game world of Fix-It Felix, Jr., the ultra-modern first-person shooter game Hero’s Duty and the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush. Helping to differentiate these worlds from one another are unique cinematography, animation, effects and music. “Music is another way to set the stage and make these worlds completely different,” said producer Clark Spencer.

But not just any music. Filmmakers tapped diverse and unexpected artists to help tell the story. Composer Henry Jackman created the film’s score, which is complemented by original songs and music from Skrillex, AKB48, Owl City and Buckner & Garcia. Directed by Rich Moore, produced by Spencer and featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, “Wreck-It Ralph” crashes into theatres on Nov. 2, 2012. The film’s soundtrack from Walt Disney Records will be available Oct. 30, 2012.

“When it came to the music of ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ said Moore, “we wanted to work with some really talented artists and I love that they aren’t necessarily the people audiences expect to hear in a Disney animated movie. But when they hear the music and how it supports the story and drives the emotion, they’ll say, ‘This is perfect.’”

Moore said he took his lead from the original director of animated movies. “Walt Disney was a pioneer when it came to music. What sounds like classics to us now—Ukulele Ike in ‘Pinocchio,’ Peggy Lee in ‘Lady and the Tramp’—were very unexpected choices.”

THE SCORE

Classically trained composer Henry Jackman (“Winnie the Pooh,” “X-Men: First Class”) was called on to write the score for “Wreck-It Ralph,” helping to shape the diverse worlds with music. Jackman researched arcade games and incorporated their classic sounds into the score, bringing the arcade and its individual games to life. “The music transports you,” said Moore. “It channels each era perfectly. [Henry Jackman] is fantastic.”

According to Jackman, the score was driven by the story, which allowed him to tap his classical roots, too. “When something emotional is developing, it actually opens the door to the orchestral score without it feeling imposed,” he said.

ORIGINAL SONGS

Ralph’s quest leads him to the intense, cy-bug-infested world of Hero’s Duty, where he hopes to land a medal. Underscoring the chaos and excitement of the first-person shooter game, GRAMMY®-winning artist Skrillex wrote the game-play music, “Bug Hunt,” hand-picking Netherlands’ producers/DJs/videogame soundtrack composers Noisia to remix the track for the album. “The mood of that game world is high-energy and futuristic. I make music with many different colors of the emotional spectrum—this reflects a more aggressive side of my music.”

Japan’s pop phenomenon AKB48 accompanies Ralph to the land of sweets with the aptly named theme song “Sugar Rush.” “We’ve always thought of Sugar Rush—with its nod to anime—as a game that may have originated in Japan,” said Spencer. “So we went to Japan and got the hottest J-pop group to perform the song that really sets the tone for this ’90s-era cart-racing game: young and hip.”

Owl City (“Fireflies,” “Good Time”) provides an upbeat and story-driven cap to the film with “When Can I See You Again?” According to singer/songwriter/instrumentalist Adam Young, the song offers a bit of an emotional tug-of-war. “It’s a very bouncy, happy, uplifting song, but there’s a bittersweet part of it, leaving a key relationship in the film open-ended.”

Also contributing to the end credits are Buckner & Garcia, the team behind the 1982 Top-10 hit “Pac-Man Fever.” Jerry Buckner of Buckner & Garcia co-produced the song “Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph” with hit songwriter/producer Jamie Houston (Steven Tyler, Macy Gray). “It was great to be invited to contribute a song to the movie and soundtrack,” said Buckner. “The song has an ‘80s pop flavor with a contemporary twist—we’re really happy with how it turned out.”

An all-star musical cast led by multi-platinum artist will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, Jamie Foxx, Bebel Gilberto, Taio Cruz, Ester Dean, Siedah Garrett, Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords), and Brazilian sensation Carlinhos Brown, along with film composer John Powell join together under the guidance of Brazilian music legend and executive music producer, Sergio Mendes, for the original motion picture soundtrack of RIO, a 3D animated motion picture event from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, opening April 15th. The soundtrack album will arrive in stores April 5th on Fox Music/Interscope Records.

From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series comes RIO , a comedy adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda (Leslie Mann) in the small town of Moose Lake , Minnesota . Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro , they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel (Anne Hathaway), Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.

Leading the musical contributions is “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party),” an original song by will.i.am (as the redheaded bird, Pedro) that he sings with his ‘sidekick’ Jamie Foxx (as the yellow canary, Nico). R&B/Pop star Taio Cruz contributes a new, original song, “Telling the World”, that captures the heart of the film. Sergio Mendes adds a brand new recording of his classic bossa nova hit with Brasil ’66, “Mas Que Nada.” Mendes, who also serves as executive music producer of RIO , brought in Carlinhos Brown to further shape the film’s music and sound. The album is the latest in Fox Music’s deep catalog of distinguished soundtracks, responsible for over 60 million units in worldwide sales.

In addition to Eisenberg, Hathaway, Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx, characters in RIO are also voiced by Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro, and Jane Lynch. RIO was directed by Carlos Saldanha, whose box office hits include Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009).

RIO: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK – full track listing:

1. Real In Rio– The Rio Singers
2. Let Me Take You To Rio (Blu’s Arrival) – Ester Dean & Carlinhos Brown

3. Mas Que Nada (2011 Rio Version) – Sergio Mendes featuring Gracinha Leporace

4. Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) – will.i.am & Jamie Foxx

5. Pretty Bird – Jemaine Clement

6. Fly Love – Jamie Foxx

7. Telling The World – Taio Cruz

8. Funky Monkey –Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Mikael Mutti, and Davi Vieira

9. Let Me Take You To Rio (Remix) – Ester Dean featuring Ivete Sangalo

10. Balanco Carioca – Mikael Mutti

11. Sapo Cai – Carlinhos Brown & Mikael Mutti

12. Samba De Orly – Bebel Gilberto

13. Valsa Carioca – Sergio Mendes

Digital version includes bonus