Ralph and Vanellope are back this time with a new mission to find the part for her game before the arcade owner decides to scrap Sugar Rush for good. The problem is they must venture into unfamiliar territory to do so, that of the internet. Things deepen as the two go through the door of the world wide web and soon we see that Vanellope’s real problem is much deeper that that of a broken wheel.
Ralph Breaks the Internet features the vocal talents of John C. Reilly returning as Ralph and Sarah Silverman as the racing Vanellope as well as Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot as Shank, Taraji P. Henson as Yesss and Ed O’Neill as Mr. Litwak. Ultimately the voices match the characters personalities perfectly. One who knows the actors voices will instantly see them as if they were physically acting on screen. The voices ultimately brought light and emotions to the lovable characters we remembered from the previous Wreck It Ralph while allowing people to rediscover the power and mystery of the internet.
As far as the story is concerned, one must give props to the director and writer as they managed to take the classic 80’s video games and see what happens when the internet that never sleeps comes onto the screen. Instantly the audience is launched from the retro arcade scene to that of the mobile screen as we watch how both Vanellope and Ralph react to the newness that is called the internet. Through this we learn a little bit more about why Vanellope is so troubled by the predictability of her game, that caused the wheel to come off. Additionally we learn more about the two best friends and the idea of Ralph being “stuck in the 80s” shines through, as his younger sidekick is instantly drawn to an internet racing game Slaughter Race.
The writer went all out in nearly every internet reference that we all know and love for those who are addicted to the internet, from the visual tweets, to EBAY which is first introduced by one of the teens trying to find the part for the owner and finally the site OMG Disney, which is where we see several lovable characters including eeyore, Stormtroopers, and ultimately the Disney Princesses (voiced by the original talents and who of which actually help Vanellope the most out of all on the web.)
The Princesses, who show up in the trailer for Ralph Breaks The Internet, actually bring light to an important piece of information and that is that Vanellope is in fact a Princess and the iconic “Princess” song concept is introduced as a way of helping Vanellope discover what she truly wants to do. Of course because we are talking Disney Princesses, one can not have music with out the lyrics of Alan Menken which allowed Vanellope’s Song, “A Place Called Slaughter Race”. The song, though it came as some what of a surprise, added to the climax of what was predetermined to happen, though without giving too much away, it brought light to Disney’s newest princess of a retro form.
Ralph Breaks The Internet is a great movie for all ages. Kids will marvel over the colors and action of video games for a new audience and might in turn get them intrigued to set foot into a classic arcade. Adults, on the other hand, will be intrigued by nostalgia flooded by new technology as is traditional with the age old conflict of what is better classic games or new age technology. In the end, the question of whether both can survive will be answered. See Ralph Breaks the Internet for the answer.
Ralph Breaks The Internet came out in theaters Thanksgiving weekend and is currently playing in one near you.