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In 2012, Disney ventured into the world of video games with a lonely villain in .nightsandweekends.com/articles/12/NW1200354.php>Wreck-It Ralph. But for the sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Ralph doesn’t just travel into different video games; he leaves the comfort of his arcade behind and gets caught in the World Wide Web.
Ralph Breaks the Internet catches up with the lovable video game villain (voiced by John C. Reilly) six years after his first adventure. Since then, he’s settled quite nicely into a comfortable routine: work all day, hang out with his best friend, Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), all night. But when Ralph’s best intentions result in a broken steering wheel on the Sugar Rush console, leaving all of the game’s inhabitants without a home, Ralph and Vanellope set off into the unknown land of the Internet to find the part that will save Vanellope’s game.
Just as the original Wreck-It Ralph took audiences on a fun-filled adventure through the world of arcade games, Ralph Breaks the Internet offers a clever and imaginative rendering of the Internet and how it works. It translates the 1s and 0s into a booming metropolis that’s crowded with businesses and games and tweets and annoying pop-ups and cat videos—with little cartoon avatars of people speeding from one place to another. It’s silly but also strangely, amusingly perceptive, touching on everything from the hottest trends to Internet trolls.
It seems appropriate, then, that the story feels rather random and haphazard. Instead of one cohesive adventure, it feels more like a bunch of short episodes—each of which seems to end up distracted by the next. Along the way, the unlikely pals overbid on eBay and attempt to steal from a vicious online game. Ralph becomes a viral video sensation, while Vanellope spends some quality time hanging out with her fellow Disney princesses. Somehow, they end up accomplishing some of their tasks, and they learn more about themselves and their dreams along the way, but they do so in a kooky, choppy, road-trip-comedy kind of style.
Fortunately, though, this new adventure is still as fun as the first. Though the new characters aren’t quite as memorable as the original ones, lovably bumbling Ralph and plucky Vanellope are as adorable as ever—and fans and gamers alike will enjoy this new digital mission.
If you loved the clever storytelling and creative design of Wreck-It Ralph, you won’t be disappointed by the sequel. It may be quirky—and the story may ramble a bit—but the lovable characters and eye-catching animation will have you coming back for multiple viewings.
Blu-ray Review:
Ralph Breaks the Internet is an Internet adventure filled with music and laughter and sneaky little references—and the Blu-ray’s special features take a look at it all. The 10-part making-of feature, How We Broke the Internet explores every aspect of the story, the insights, and the different areas found in Ralph’s Internet, while The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet takes a look at Henry Jackman’s score—and Alan Menken’s unconventional princess song. And for those who like to explore the evolution of the film, there are five deleted scenes, too.
There’s plenty of fun in the features menu, too—like music videos and Buzz Cats, which is just a series of cute cat videos created for the film. And if you want to explore the multitude of Disney references, be sure to check out Surfing for Easter Eggs, which shows just a few of the quick references sprinkled throughout the film.
Fans of Ralph, Vanelope, and their adventures will definitely want to take the time to check out the film’s extras. But if you’ve got just a few minutes to spare after rewatching the movie, be sure to start with Surfing for Easter Eggs—because it’ll give you a whole new perspective on this fun-filled film and give you all new things to look for the next time you watch it.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
