Ralph Breaks the Internet

Directed by Rich Moore and Phil JohnstonRalph Breaks the Internet

Starring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O’Neill, and Taraji P. Henson

Backstory

I was pleasantly surprised by the first Wreck-It Ralph.  Not being much of a gamer, I originally dismissed it as “Video Game Nostalgia: The Movie.”  But, exceedingly positive reviews won me over, I went to see it, and I genuinely liked it.  So when it’s sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, came along, I was mildly optimistic that it would be more than “Internet Company Product Placement: The Movie.”  And besides, I’m still a sucker for Disney animation.

Plot

At the outset, things are lookin’ pretty sweet for Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz.  While Ralph loves the day-to-day routine in the arcade, in true Disney princess fashion, Vanellope is starting to yearn for something more.  But then, disaster strikes, when Vanellope’s game Sugar Rush is damaged, and it looks like it’ll be scrapped, leaving Vanellope and the rest of the Sugar Rush residents homeless.  But Ralph and Vanellope learn that they might be able to get a replacement part from some place on the Internet called “eBay,” and wouldn’t you know it, the arcade just got WiFi!  So Ralph and Vanellope head to the Internet.  Their quest soon leads them to an online game called Slaughter Race, and to a racer like Vanellope, it’s heaven.  But as Vanellope begins striking up a friendship with Slaughter Race‘s star racer Shank, Ralph starts feeling threatened.  Will Ralph be able to let go of Vanellope so she can find what she’s yearning for on the Internet?

What I Liked

Once again, what seems like a shameless tie-in turns out to be a pretty solid story about how friendships grow and evolve.  And, just like the first film, it’s all sold through some great performance by Reilly and Silverman.  It’s also funny as hell.  The Disney Princess scene, which we have now seen all over the trailers, borders on a Riverdale-level of cringe, so of course, I liked it.  It all eventually leads to a wonderfully weird musical number.  And I’m still wondering exactly how brilliant that mid-credits stinger is.

What I Didn’t Like

Felt like it was just a little too long.  I mean, as much as I loved the Disney Princess scene, it was pretty gratuitous.  And I felt like it had just one too many endings.

Final Verdict

Loved it.  Easily as good as the first film, providing just the same amount of feels.

3 Nibs

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