Whether animated or live-action, great movies are made by great characters that audiences want to watch. The same is doubly true for pictures that get sequels because if you didn’t like it the first time around, you’re probably not going to give round two a shot. The one studio(s) that’s never seemed to have a problem in this department is Disney*Pixar, who knock it out of the park every time by creating endearing personalities that live on well beyond their theatrical life expectancy. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 is only Disney’s third animated sequel in its history, but they’ve certainly made the right call with this one.
It’s been six years since the hijinks of the first film, and Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) are still the best of friends. They spend each night hanging out together, sharing root beer, and at sunrise everyone goes back to their respective games until the arcade closes and they restart their routine. But when Mr. Litwak (Ed O’Neill) installs WiFi, the world becomes their oyster, which is convenient because Vanellope’s game is suddenly in need of a part that can only be found on eBay. Venturing into the literal world of the internet, the pair meet all sorts of strange new people, including KnowsMore (Alan Tudyk), whose autocomplete is a tad aggressive, Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), queen of the viral video, and Shank (Gal Gadot), who shows Vanellope a world of high-speed, no track racing the young driver isn’t sure she can live without.
Much like Vanellope, viewers may find the pair’s daily routine at the beginning of the film a bit dry. But have no fear, it gets exponentially better from there after they put an end to the tedium and slide into the internet. Possibly taking a page from Hackers, which imagined the world of the web as a series of buildings, this movie envisions an infinite city in which major websites are housed in branded skyscrapers and users are transported from site to site in little flying cars. It’s vibrant and everything moves very quickly, which is great for Vanellope but really discombobulates Ralph. The personification of eBay and a YouTube-esqe website are a couple of the most amusing imaginings, while “Slaughter Race’s” PG-rated Grand Theft Auto undertones won’t be lost on even non-gamers.
But par for the course, there’s a lot of story going on in front of all these dazzling visuals. Where Vanellope feels like a big fish in a little bowl, Ralph is perfectly content and can’t understand why his bestie doesn’t feel the same way. It’s not until she tries to spread her wings that Vanellope realizes she’s in a co-dependent relationship and “leaving” Ralph in any manner will put him in a tailspin. It’s that turmoil that manifests into the movie’s main villain, which takes on a fitting form considering the events and actions that lead to its appearance. Back at home, there’s a periphery storyline centred on Fix-it Felix (Jack McBrayer), Calhoun (Jane Lynch) and their sudden parenthood, which delivers its share of laughs and drama.
Nonetheless, the duo’s venture into the internet is incredibly entertaining and highlights include an eBay auction gone terribly wrong, the liberation of the Disney princesses and passersby consisting of a number of characters from other properties. However, one of the most anticipated scenes in the film appears to have been forgotten… until it’s cleverly incorporated into the credits. And there’s also a post-credit sequence that’s pointless but hilarious and totally worth sitting through the seemingly endless scroll.
#RalphBreaksTheInternet is now playing in theatres! Pro tip: Stay through the credits. pic.twitter.com/t8M1gOxpTv
— Ralph Breaks the Internet (@wreckitralph) November 21, 2018
Directors: Phil Johnston and Rich Moore
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Gal Gadot
