Ralph Breaks the Internet

It's no secret or surprise that I loved the first Wreck-it Ralph. 

It earned a perfect score from me and was right up my alley in terms of gaming references and cleverness of how the gaming world was represented on screen.

Disney Animation Studios (does not include Pixar) has been having a lot of success lately and the first Wreck-it Ralph was no different; ultimately being successful enough to spawn a sequel 6 years later. 

You could easily count me as one of the most pumped to see Ralph Breaks the Internet, especially after a string of really strong trailers that were full of hearty laughs. 

Somewhat unsurprisingly, this sequel doesn't quite live up to the original and by tackling the massive scope of the internet, it probably bit off a little more than it could chew. Equally unsurprising is that this is still a wonderful little sequel that has more than enough to enjoy to not only warrant its existence but proves there are a lot of areas future installments, however likely or unlikely, could go. 

Ralph Breaks the Internet is set in "real-time" 6 years after the events of the first film. Ralph and Vanellope are content living in their game worlds in the new, more together community that was established after the original. Ralph takes pleasure in doing the same thing day-in and day-out, but Vanellope wants something more. Coincidentally, the arcade owner is getting a WiFi unit to hook them up to the internet and the rest is for you to discover at the film. The story itself hinges on the insecurities of Ralph as Vanellope's best friend and is probably one of the aspects that I viewed as the largest step down from the original. At times the Ralph we see in this film doesn't really feel like the Ralph we know from the original and his "insecurities" (both a play on internet lingo and actual insecurities) seem dialed up for the sake of moving the story along. It all ends up exactly where you predict that it will and while it doles out equal measures of being sweet and sharing endearing messages, it felt far less clever than the original's. 

Inside Out cameo? Nope. Sorry.

Even as a cartoon, Gal Gadot is stunning...

The use of the internet is an area where I expected Ralph to excel in how clever it could think of ways to display the everyday norms of being an internet-using (read: controlled!) society. The movie doesn't necessarily fall short here, but it doesn't impress all that much either. Whereas the first I touted often as the most imaginative display of "normal things" since Toy Story, the internet is less impressive here. There are a handful of moments that will put a smile on your face as you see how your mannerisms or favorite sites are displayed throughout the film, but more often than not it felt like there was less effort into imagining the internet. What the internet does allow for is a ton of fun IP that's not necessarily related to gaming. While it all but destroys any "Gaming Characters we Want to See in the Next Wreck-it Ralph Film" articles, it does open up the door - similar to the approach of The Lego Movie - to a lot of Disney-related IP. Shockingly, but for the betterment of the film, they were allowed (?) to use the real names and logos of sites so Instagram, eBay, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. are all in there and represented as their actual selves. It's very cool and adds an unspoken element to the film that would have been severely cheapened with "look-a-like" sites. From an IP perspective, Disney has some fun with things like Star Wars, Marvel, and Winnie the Pooh - though all are for but the briefest of moments. On a side tangent, I feel like an incredible plot of this film would have been for Ralph and Venllope to travel to the Disney website and see themselves as branded IP and then had to internalize how to deal with that, but alas, maybe a sequel.

Obviously the scene or characters that everyone is excited for are all the Disney princesses together and they don't disappoint. As the trailers indicate, Vanellope stumbles into them eventually and the results between them (typical princesses) and her (very different) are pretty funny and the creators get to have a lot of fun with the female movement of late. Not at its expense, but more so some additional commentary on how Disney has played into it. Plus each princess gets to have some sort of laugh so those who are seeking out these scenes in specific should know they're good fun. 

OMG! Slumber PARTAYYY!

Where Ralph Breaks the Internet continues to succeed is where so many animated films either live or die: the characters. I've ranted on this before so I'll go light here, but if you love the characters, it often bolsters the film around it considerably. Much like the first, this film isn't consistently hilarious - or at least not on the scale that The Lego Movie was - but it's the characters that are highly endearing and memorable. For the most part in this sequel, the film is largely just Ralph and Vanellope. John C. Reilly is still pitch perfect for Ralph as is Sarah Silverman for Vanellope. They have good chemistry and are a cute pairing that seem to effortlessly create an emotional bond. Shank, played by Gal Gadot, is the most significant other cast member AND new addition in this film and she's another wonderful add-on. Vanellope is inspired by her and her racing career so the "motherly" (or "sisterly" I suppose) advice that she gives helps her to fit right in and never feel like the villain that you may expect.

Perhaps I won't end up holding Ralph Breaks the Internet in the same regard that I do the original, but that doesn't mean any less that I'm completely happy we got these characters in the first place. They're outside of Disney's "norm" but yet it allows them to play creatively so much that I sincerely hope we still get more stories from this world and universe, especially if they're going to be as delightful as this one.  

CONS

• The story is about as predictable as they come
• Some of Ralph's "insecurities" feel out of character or overly-dialed up
• Not quite as inventive or original as the first film; the internet was a pretty big bite to try and chew
• Would have been fun to have a little more Disney IP sprinkled throughout

PROS

• Still a great cast and group of characters. Worth following on more adventures
• Gal Gadot's Shank fits right in
• Lots of fun to see the approach they took to the internet and still plenty of inventiveness to be found
• The use of real sites adds a lot to the film and it was surprising to see they were able to get permission to
• Disney princesses don't disappoint and have some of the best scenes
• Handful of really good laughs throughout
• Impressive animation, particularly given all that's going on at any given point
• Fun expansion of this world that literally creates infinite possibilities

Rath's Review Score | 8/10