In 2012, Disney released their 52nd animated film called, “Wreck-It-Ralph” starring John C. Reilly & Sarah Silverman. It received positive reviews from critics and movies alike. Plus, it managed to recoup money at the box office. The film went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for “Best Animated Film.” Unfortunately, it lost to Pixar’s “Brave.”
Former Simpsons/Futurama director turned Disney collaborator, Rich Moore (Zootopia) confirmed he was working on a sequel to Wreck-It-Ralph that would bring the characters crossing over to online games. John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman & the rest of the cast from the first movie signed on for the sequel. It took Rich four years to brainstorm a cohesive narrative. After writing a Three Act Structure, Disney instructed their animators to bring the characters, animation & world to life. Cast Members newcomers such as Gal Gadot recorded their lines. After a six year gap, “Ralph Breaks The Internet” finally distributed worldwide.
Ralph Breaks The Internet is now officially out in theaters. Like its predecessor, the sequel earned positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. So far, it is currently making money at the box office.
Today’s review doesn’t contain any crucial SPOILERS. If you have not seen Wreck-It-Ralph & it’s sequel. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article. Is it as good as the first film? Well let’s find out shall we?
Unbreakable & Breakable Aspects
Unbreakable: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer & Ed O’Neill reprise their roles from the previous film and they all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Alan Tudyk who voiced King Candy in the last film, voices a different character named, “KnowsMore,” a search engine similar to Google.
Newcomers to Wreck-It-Ralph such as Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Bill Hader & Alfred Molina all did a great job for their respective performances.
Rich Moore returns to direct the sequel. He did an amazing job for directing.
Phil Johnson co-wrote & co-directed the sequel.
Animation looked legit showcasing character models, environmental detail, lighting & production value.
Funny Moments weren’t stupid at all. They managed to give me a couple of laughs.
Chemistry between Ralph & Vanellope, continues to flesh out adding more emotional depth. Their friendship plays off like a brother and sister, cousins and a platonic relationship. Kinda similar to Lilo & Stitch.
Character Development involving Ralph & Vanellope. I can’t tell you about their story arc, you’ll need to see for yourself.
I’m shocked (in a good way) to see who the true antagonist really is. I have to give it Bonus Points.
My favorite part is when Ralph accidentally insults a man fused with a little head on his neck. A reference to the original Total Recall, when a deformed man has a head fused on his stomach.
Jodi Benson, Paige O’Hara, Ming-Na Wen, Mandy Moore, Kelly MacDonald, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel & many others reprise their roles as Disney Princesses. I’ll have you know that Mulan technically isn’t a princess. She’s more of an honorary princess.
Ralph said his catchphrase, “I’m gonna wreck it!”
If you remember Vanellope meeting the princesses, the movie did a bunch of jabs at cliches present in many Disney Princesses related entries. It’s as if this movie is self-aware! Did Ryan Reynolds/Wade Wilson/Deadpool wrote uncredited meta humor for Disney? If so, I demand answers!
Gal Gadot’s character Shank, is based on her role as Gisele from The Fast & The Furious series.
Like its predecessor alongside Ready Player One, several video game characters show up.
Besides video game characters, many characters from Disney’s intellectual properties are displayed most notably Marvel, Star Wars, The Muppets & last but not least, Disney Princesses. If you couldn’t spot any familiar face, I suggest a rewatch.
Longtime Disney composer Alan Menken, penned a song titled, “A Place Called Slaughter Race.”
Rock band, Imagine Dragons wrote and performed a song for the movie called, “Zero.” It’s played during the end credits.
There’s a blink and you’ll miss moment with “A113” plastered on a wall. A113 is an Easter Egg from former students turner directors who used to attend a classroom located at The California Institute Of The Arts. (CalArts for short) Notable students including Tom Burton, Brad Bird, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton just to name a few.
An iconic figure who recently passed away, makes a cameo appearance. I’m giving this heartwarming moment an Extra Point.
A mid-credits scene is shown so don’t forget to check it out.
Breakable: Product Placement is all over the place with many brands such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, eBay, Skype, Spotify, Cisco, MySpace, (is that still relevant) Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, IMDb, (my favorite website) Fandango & YouTube. I’ll give it a pass, because the film takes place in The Internet. It’s not shoving everything in your face as in Michael Bay’s Transformers series or anything produced by Happy Madison.
Death Scenes occur in a kids movie. Don’t worry, when someone dies in their world, they respawn. I’ll let it slide. Because in video games, the playable character has an extra life.
Without giving too much away, a Deus-Ex Machina happened during a Climatic Moment.
The Final Verdict: A-
In my opinion, Ralph Breaks The Internet is on the same level as Ready Player One which managing to keep me distracted without looking at my phone. I have to admit, it’s 100 times better than Foodfight & The Emoji Movie. To be honest, I never got bored at all. If you’re eager to see Ralph Breaks The Internet, I highly recommend it for you and your family.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 