“Ralph Breaks the Internet”

Buena Vista Films

Directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore

Starring John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Jack McBrayer, Alan Tudyk and Taraji P. Henson

Rated PG

3 Stars

Disney Animation is known primarily for making highbrow family movies, so expectations were low when the studio released “Wreck-It Ralph” six years ago. Nobody expected this strange little story about mismatched video arcade characters to cause much of a stir at the movie theater.

“Ralph” would go on to demolish much of the 2012 holiday box office, so expectations are considerably higher for the sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” which arrives in theaters just in time to tempt families looking for a Turkey Day diversion.

This time out, the lovable lunk of a videogame villain, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and the spunky race car driver, Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) are forced to travel into the internet in search of a broken component. They are overwhelmed as they travel into an online world filled with social media and e-commerce, and their friendship is tested as Vanellope tries her hand at one of the more grown-up games that fill this new world.

The animators have a lot of fun turning the internet into a physical reality. As you might guess, it is a very busy environment with all manner of things to see. Just like the internet, the creative possibilities are endless. There is so much in this landscape that you’ll probably need repeated viewings of the film if you want to catch all the references.

Much of this is very self-referential, and the filmmakers have a lot of fun poking fun at Disney’s vast library of characters. My favorite sequence finds Vanellope dealing with the entire group of Disney princesses in their off-camera moments. It’s a very funny sequence and it’s nice to know that the Mouse House has a healthy sense of humor regarding their keystone characters.

Of course, it can also be argued that this new world is so busy that it threatens to overwhelm the story with a non-stop barrage of sights and sounds. This does happen occasionally, but fortunately the story and central characters are strong enough to shine through the clutter.

“Ralph Wrecks the Internet” is still a story about an unlikely friendship, and this sequel explores what happens when the characters start growing apart. This is a Disney movie, so they won’t ever stray too far, but it is a tender examination of a problem we all face as we get older. It’s a difficult issue that the filmmakers handle with simple eloquence in this movie.

Mix in some very expressive voice acting and you have a very good family film. It’s a lot of fun and so fast-paced that it’s the perfect antidote to any tryptophan-induced lethargy you may be dealing with after gorging on all that turkey. What’s more, it really is a sweet-natured and gently rambunctious treat that should put a smile on your family’s face all throughout the holidays.

 

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are each week in “The Port Arthur News” and seen weekly on KFDM and KBTV. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@sbgtv.com.