Six years after the events of Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph (Reilly) and Vanellope von Schweetz (Silverman) are now best friends, and are inseparable from one another. However, Vanellope is now growing extremely tired with her own game, Sugar Rush. She now knows how to win every single race, and nothing in the game is a challenge for her anymore. When trying to race through a new track one day that Ralph builds for her, Vanellope crashes her car, and in the real world, the wheel on the Sugar Rush arcade cabinet breaks. This causes Mr. Litwak (O’Neill) to get ready to unplug the machine. After much panic and worry, Ralph and Vanellope discover something known as the ‘Internet’ in Game Central Station, and embark on a mission to find Vanellope a new steering wheel so her game can be saved.
Something that the movie’s predecessor did such a great job with was delivering the heart and emotion while also sprinkling fun tidbits of nostalgia throughout. That same balance is present in Ralph Breaks the Internet. Directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston have made sure that audiences of all ages can enjoy the film; there really is something for everybody here.
Easily the strongest aspect of this sequel is how it handles its main protagonists and the way it challenges their relationship. Ralph and Vanellope are two peas in a pod – they share all the same interests and they do everything together. This is why it’s so interesting when the pair eventually do disagree and get into arguments; they’re not simply the kind of one-note characters you’d find in ordinary animated fare, these both have arcs that drastically alter them.
Much like many other Disney animations, Ralph Breaks the Internet can be quite the emotional rollercoaster. There are a couple of scenes in particular in the third act that are extremely powerful, and will most certainly impact most viewers. Conversely, other scenes can sadly slow the pace down and pull you out of the story. For instance, when Vanellope finds a new game in the internet called Slaughter Race (which she loves because it has a ton of adrenaline and adventure, unlike her own video game), it feels like too much of a departure from the actual narrative. But with an emotionally compelling story at its core, interesting character dynamics and lots of humour, Ralph Breaks the Internet is a rare sequel that actually improves upon the original.
DIRECTOR: RICH MOORE, PHIL JOHNSTON / SCREENPLAY: PHIL JOHNSTON, PAMELA RIBON / STARRING: JOHN C. REILLY, SARAH SILVERMAN, GAL GADOT, TARAJI P. HENSON, JACK MCBRAYER, JANE LYNCH, ALAN TUDYK, ALFRED MOLINA, ED O’NEILL / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 30TH
