Our Thoughts On Disney's Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet! ⋆ Brite and Bubbly

Our Thoughts On Disney’s Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet!

By: Vanessa Diaz | 0 comments

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Wreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet is of course the sequel to the 2012 hit Wreck it Ralph. Returning from the original film are the cast including John C Reilly as Ralph, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope, Jack McBrayer as Fix It Felix, and Jane Lynch as Commander Calhoun. New cast include Taraji P. Henson (Empire) as social media program Yesss, and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) as a game street racer named Shank. Rich Moore returns as director as he is joined by one of the writers from the first film and now co-director Phil Johnston. Pamela Ribbon joins Johnston as co-writer for this sequel.

The film’s title is Ralph Destroys the Internet, but I think this is really Vanellope’s movie. It’s Vanellope’s motivation which catapults the film, it’s her character which develops the more interesting relationships in the film, and its her character who is in the best scenes in the film.

Ralph and Vanellope, after six years, are still best friends and have a set routine. While Ralph is satisfied with this routine, Vanellope longs for more. This difference puts their friendship to the test when Vanellope’s game breaks and they must travel into the internet to find a replacement for the broken part. In their quest, Vanellope is shown a larger “world” and while it frightens Ralph, it excites Vanellope. This is best illustrated when they venture to the online game Splatter Race. Splatter Race is an online chaotic urban racing game which may best be related to the Grand Theft Auto series of games. Part of their quest involves stealing the car of the gang leader of the game Shank. This eventually leads to a race of Shank’s gang chasing Vanellope and Ralph. Vanellope really holds her own against the whole crew; so much so that even when they don’t manage to escape, Shank and Vanellope express to one another their mutual admiration and professional respect. Too often are female rivals portrayed in a way that reflects animosity towards one another. It is always a delight to see competition between females resulting in them elevating one another.

Carrying on the idea this film’s main protagonist is Vanellope, the most memorable scenes from this film come from her interaction with the Disney Princesses. At one point Vanellope makes her way to the site Oh My Disney! There Princess Vanellope von Schweetz (for those of you who don’t recall that’s right she was revealed as a princess in the first Wreck it Ralph), makes friends with the Disney Princesses. Vanellope even gets her own “Disney Princess Reflection” song: A Place Called Splatter Race. Composed by Academy Award Winner Alan Menken the song is just the perfect blend of humor and introspection which no one does better than Alan Menken. In the scene with the princesses, the real joy is how Disney pokes fun at itself as each Princess shares their many idiosyncrasies and horrific backstories to a very concerned Vanellope. Easily the funniest scene in the film. And in the third act we get to see every Disney geek’s dream which I cannot spoil, but it involves the princesses again having some truly iconic moments.

These are just a few great things about Ralph Breaks the Internet. The film’s introduction and exploration into the world of how the internet works is the same mix of fun and examination that Disney’s quality always delivers. The fun of exploring twitter birds and eBay auctions is also met with an equal amount of examination into the dregs of internet trolling and reading comment boards. Additionally, Ralph Breaks the Internet continues the overall emotional arc regarding friendship (the loyalty we feel to our friends despite our differences) as well as sacrifice (letting our friends go to let them pursue their dreams). Both themes explored from the first and continued in the second making Ralph Breaks the Internet a worthy inclusion in the ongoing story.