Six years after "Wreck it Ralph" Disney has released a sequel. Barb Bretz has your Friday Film Review.
I’ve been eager to see Disney films in the past but “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was not at the top of my must-see list or even on my list but Ava and Ella, my 8 and 12-year-old companions selected it. (Ella has this thing about seeing Christmas movies before Thanksgiving which eliminated my first choice of "The Nutckracker and the Four Realms."
It's a sequel so the girls filled me in on who the characters were and the general premise of the first movie. Ella said, “There’s a bunch of video game characters living inside their games and after the arcade closes, they hang out together and are friends.”
In the new plot a catastrophe takes place forcing Ralph and his friend Venellope to leave the safety of their video games and travel through the internet overcoming obstacles and performing tasks to save the day.
The writers and artists conception of how to visually create the internet and its processes was unique. Imagine a space-age city like Dubai and colorful skyscrapers emblazoned with iconic logos like eBay, Amazon, Facebook and clients with monitor-shaped heads, going in and out 24-7.
I chuckled at the innuendos aimed at the older audience and enjoyed the scenes involving the Disney princesses. I'm not totally up-to-date on the female royalty but recognized the classic ones from my youth. They were taking a break from the “Which Disney Princess Are You” quiz popping up on everyone's Facebook feed when Venellope ducks into their dressing room. The gowned girls admire her comfy leggings and hoody and have a gripe session about the obstacles in their lives; poison apples, sleeping for years yada yada and the frustration of always having to be rescued by the big, strong man. They make a return appearance later, decked out in chic casual clothes and use their collective talents to rescue big, strong Ralph.
I won't get all metaphysical on you over-analyzing this particular Disney animation but there are lessons to be learned about friendship, working together, caring for one another and collateral damage for thoughtless or selfish actions.
My young companions didn't seem invested in the characters or overly engaged in the story. According to Ava the film was “OK…...just so-so” and Ella said “It wasn't as bad as the Emoji movie” so it's got that going for it.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” is rated PG and runs 1hr and 52 animated minutes. Thanks to Ava and Ella Parry who assisted me. This is Barb Bretz with your Friday Film Review sponsored by the Park City Film Series.
