How do you top 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph? The story of an 8-bit video game “villain,” who found himself jumping from game to game in an arcade, won over hearts and minds of animation fans to the tune of $471.2 million in box office receipts. The avenue that directors Phil Johnston and Rich Moore took for their sequel was nothing short of inspired. Ralph (and his BFF Vanellope) pack their bags and head off to … the internet!
Ralph Breaks the Internet is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats. As is frequently the case with a Disney Animation home video release, the bonus features are a bevy of brilliant insight and wholehearted entertainment.
John C. Reilly is back voicing Ralph, a role he was born to play. His chemistry with Vanellope is still priceless and that casting was brilliant as well. Sarah Silverman gets a wider role this time around as the pint-sized sugary race car driver. This time out, the crux of the story truly centers on her hopes and dreams and how that plays into the fantastical friendship she has forged with the big lug.
Vanellope’s game, Sugar Rush, suffers a fatal blow. Its all-important steering wheel breaks. It’s a devastating blow to a beloved game and as the arcade’s owner puts an “out of service” sign on the console, hope is in scant supply for our duo. Learning that this thing called “the internet” has one of those rare steering wheels, Ralph comes up with the most enlightened of ideas—head to that bustling world and find his friend the steering wheel she needs so she can remain at the arcade and their fateful friendship can continue.
Sending our protagonists onto the internet, what with its exponentially vast storytelling opportunities (and marketing synergy for the studio behind the film… wink, wink, nudge, nudge) is a chance for some seriously fun antics for Ralph and Vanellope, but also some majorly eye-popping visuals.
Like Toy Story and other films from the Disney family, this flick is not simply about the challenge our hero and heroine must overcome. Ralph Breaks the Internet is about figuring out what your dreams are and then experiencing the gut check that is pursuing them or letting them remain simple aspirations. There are costs to be paid, friendships that can be altered and above all else—fears to topple.
Some have criticized the film as using a storyline of the duo visiting the internet as a way to promote other elements in the Disney universe. Sure, we meet Storm Troopers from Star Wars and of course all the Disney princesses, but it is done in such a way that it comes off as intelligent, extremely self-aware and most importantly … it is integral to the sequel’s plot itself. From an entertainment standpoint, being self-aware is one of my favorite tropes in film. When it works well, it is bloody brilliant.
While in the internet, Vanellope discovers a kindred spirit in Shank (Gal Gadot). The Wonder Woman actress slays it as a fellow racecar driver, albeit in a wickedly different game. Shank is one of the top characters in Slaughter Race and it is as decadently divine as it sounds. Turns out, once Vanellope straps herself into a racecar in Shank’s game, she discovers joy that she never dreamed was possible. This aspect of the plot allows the movie magicians at Disney Animation to provide a priceless lesson to kids about life choices and how no effort worth pursuing is free of costs. Friendships will be tested, and then some.
Ralph Breaks the Internet does a dazzling job of lampooning and triumphing the internet, while simultaneously bringing to life corners of the world-wide-web that are cherished and notorious. For example, as shown in the Ralph Breaks the Internet trailer, the entity that is the search engine and its predictive text tendencies is brilliantly lampooned and illustrates how the Mouse House does things that are simultaneously subtle and seismic.
Although it would lose out the Best Animated Feature Oscar to Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, the latest from Disney Animation is undoubtedly one of the best animated movies of the year. It should be a must-own for any animation fan, particularly if you have an affinity for the house that Walt built. Don’t want to say too much, and thus spoiling the unadulterated joy that is the Disney princess and how they are used in Ralph Breaks the Internet, but their scenes in the film are delightfully divine.
The bonus features are vast, in subject and scope. Many take you behind-the-scenes at Disney Animation and others reveal some of those so-called Easter eggs that fans treasure. Surfing for Easter Eggs is a three-and-a-half-minute journey revealing all those tie-ins to other Disney properties and more that are sure to entertain while enlightening.
The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet is the rare featurette that shines the spotlight on those creative geniuses who give our films their emotional tone sonically. From composer Henry Jackman’s score, to the pop songs that were chosen and why, this featurette spotlights how each musical element was employed to enhance and elevate the Ralph Breaks the Internet experience.
One of the best animated behind-the-scenes featurettes we have experienced in a while arrives in How We Broke the Internet. From its sensationally self-aware moniker to the details the 30-minute-plus bonus feature provides, it mirrors a film school lesson in the awesomeness of animation. It also is another moment where it becomes clear that those wielding the art, Disney animators, have titanic talent. How something that billions of us use everyday is brought to life is stunningly explored. Aspects of the film, specifically, that are highlighted are looks at the making of BuzzzTube, eBay, Knowsmore (that pesky search engine), Slaughter Race, Ralphzilla (who we love!) and The Goodbye.
What look at the internet would be complete without cat videos?! The featurette BuzzzTube Cats gives us a front-row seat to a collection of feline film shorts that were used to indulge our internet fandom for the kitties. This bonus feature left us wanting more!
There are several deleted scenes that fans should find fascinating and a couple of music videos—Imagine Dragon’s Zero and Julia Michaels’ In this Place.
As everyone knows who has purchased a home video release in the last few years, there is an inclusion of a digital code to witness the brilliance of this film online wherever you may be. I can not recommend doing just that so you can enjoy the digital exclusive bonus feature. Baby Drivers—Slaughter Racing School is a racy look at how the artists behind the movie magic that is Ralph Breaks the Internet got in the driver’s seat (literally) to experience car racing at its most fiercely fast. Disney always strives for realistic art to match its storytelling savvy with “field trips” for animators and the latest Ralph journey is no different. One can see how this fun ride for the Disney Animation gang added layers of truth to every frame of the film.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A+