- Actors: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch
- Disc Format: NTSC, Subtitled
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (Dolby Digital 7.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Rated: Parental Guidance SuggestedPG
- Studio: WALT DISNEY ANIMATION
- Release Date: February 26, 2019
- Run Time: 112 minutes
Wreck it Ralph was a unique concept, but
I wasn’t all that impressed with the film itself. While it had a colorful
design and a helpful message for younger audience members, it didn’t have
enough originality or cleverness to keep my mind occupied for the entire
running time. Not only is Ralph Breaks
the Internet a better film in nearly every regard other than the title, but
I actually found myself appreciating it more with additional analysis. In
short, Ralph Breaks the Internet may
be filled with shameless Disney self-promotion and is clearly another
cash-grabbing sequel, but it also happens to be a pretty great film.
After the
conclusion of the first film, everything in the arcade has gone back to normal.
Glitch (voiced by Sarah Silverman) has learned to use her glitches to win races
in the game Sugar Rush, while she and Ralph (John C. Reilly) spend every night
game hopping once the arcade has closed for the day. Ralph is content with this
routine, while Glitch longs for excitement. After Ralph attempts to make a new
track in Sugar Rush to feed this desire, it accidentally results in the game’s
steering wheel breaking. Without a replacement available, the arcade’s owner
discovers one being sold on eBay (Disney must have had a field day selling
product placement for this film, because there is a lot of it). In an effort to
save her game, Glitch and Ralph enter the new Wi-Fi station in the arcade, so
that they can travel to the internet and retrieve the wheel.
Bringing Ralph
to the internet opens up his world, as well as the narrative. There are
seemingly endless ways for the film to comment on modern internet use,
providing additional layers for adults to enjoy, along with the colorful
spectacle for younger audience members. After bidding on the steering wheel at
eBay, Ralph and Glitch are shocked to discover that they need actual money to
pay for it. In danger of losing the item that they bid on, Ralph and Glitch are
forced to seek out ways to make money quickly on the internet. At first they
try a clickbait advertisement for making money playing video games, which takes
them to the online community for a game that is clearly designed to look like
Grand Theft Auto. This high-intensity free-form game-play proves too much
temptation for Glitch, and driving a wedge between her and Ralph.
The film also
dives into various social media sites as Ralph becomes something of an internet
phenomenon. His popularity on a YouTube-type site named BuzzzTube is tied to
people’s interest in nostalgia, along with the randomness of a ‘80s video game
villain appearing all over the internet. In an effort to spam internet users,
Glitch is sent to the Disney website so that this movie can cram in as many of
the characters and properties that the company owns as possible. A lot of
attention was given to the fact that the original voice actors returned to
reprise their roles as the Disney princesses, and while that must have been a
nice moment for the studio, it mostly just feels like a gimmicky detour in the
context of the narrative.
Even shameless
self-promotion is not enough to ruin this movie, however, and even a few
not-so-brief distractions from the cult of Disney can’t detract from the
overall quality. Mostly what makes the movie work is the speed with which is
moves from one gag/scenario to the next, but the ending is only effective
because we care about the characters and their friendship. Speaking of which, Ralph Breaks the Internet deals with
issues of separation with friendships that many children forced to move or
change schools are likely to relate to, so that the film has layers of meaning
for children, as well as their parents.
The Multi-Screen
Edition of Ralph Breaks the Internet
includes a Blu-ray disc, a DVD, and a code for a digital copy of the movie. There
are also a handful of extras, though not all are included on the DVD and it is
surprisingly sparse for a film as popular as this. There are five deleted
scenes, along with a collection of cat videos used in the film. There are also
two featurettes that are more specifically directed at the production side of
the film, including a 30-minute making-of extra and a 10-minute one about the
music in the movie.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7.5/10
Special Features: 6.5/10
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