Taking place six years following the events of the first film, the story will center on Ralph's adventures in the Internet data space when a Wi-Fi router gets plugged into the arcade as he must fin...
Ralph Breaks The Internet wrecks its way into the 21st Century. Gone are the days of retro 8-bit arcade games, Ralph has catapulted himself into the Internet. It's rare for a sequel to surpass the original, so I'm starting off bold by saying this is unexpectedly better than its predecessor (only just...). Ralph and Vanellope explore the endless possibilities of the Internet, which inadvertently tests their friendship. The arcade's router has subsequently improved nearly every aspect in this sequel. The narrative flows more fluidly, integrating various famous websites such as eBay, Google and BuzzzTube (a knockoff YouTube) into a coherent story. However it's the intent focus on Ralph and Vanellope's friendship that gives the story a plethora of hearts, and surprisingly delivers some emotional moments towards its conclusion. The script manages to build on the foundations that the original created, and evolves with its online technology. Sure, the frequent use of humour will appeal to younger audiences (and made me laugh also!), yet it's the tangible bond between these two characters that adults can really feel. The obvious sentimentality during the third act is somewhat, well, obvious. But it's assured enough to bypass this popular virus that plagues many mediocre family animations. The animation itself was stunning, creatively portraying a physical representation of the Internet. The voice acting remains consistently decent, with even an ironic musical number for Silverman. I found the "Oh My Disney!" segment to be a lazy effort for self-promotion, and consumed slightly too much of the runtime (particularly the array of princesses), even if it is jokingly commenting on coincidental patterns from Disney classics. Never knew so many songs were sung from staring at water! However, the narrative avoids plenty of product placement pitfalls and captures the endless trends of its environment, whilst still building investable character development between two loveable individuals. That, to me, is a resounding success and I hope Ralph returns to break something else once more.
