MOVIE THEATER REVIEW: “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is voiced by John C. Reilly (Guardians of the Galaxy, Chicago), Sarah Silverman (School of Rock, Bob’s Burgers [TV series]), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman [2017], Furious 7), Taraji P. Henson (No Good Deed, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock [TV series], Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Jane Lynch (Glee [TV series], Role Models), Alan Tudyk (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I Robot), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, Frida), Ed O’Neill (Wayne’s World, Finding Dory), and Bill Hader (Inside Out, Tropic Thunder). It is directed by Phil Johnston (Flightless Birds [Short], A Thousand Words [Short]) and Rich Moore (Zootopia, Futurama [TV series]), who both also wrote it with Pamela Ribon (Moana, Samantha Who? [TV series]), Jim Reardon (Wall-E, Tiny Toon Adventures [TV series]), and Josie Trinidad (Zootopia). Ralph (Reilly) and his friends are back, as their arcade home sees new life with a WiFi box being installed. Feeling tired of her mundane life, Penelope (Silverman) grabs Ralph and throws them into this internet world, looking to explore something different and exciting.

“Wreck-It Ralph” is my favorite Disney film from this new-renaissance period they’re going through (if that’s what you call it). Period. It’s concept, atmosphere, and story propel it to a great piece of entertainment that I always look back on with a smile on my face. So, you could only imagine my thoughts when the house of mouse decided to bring forth a sequel. For the most part, I was crossing my fingers, hoping it won’t suck (the same thing I’m doing now for “Toy Story 4”). It’s always expected that a sequel won’t top the original, but it should at least be good enough to warrant an existence. Did I think “Wreck-It Ralph” sung its song? Yes, but I guess there’s room to explore, as there should be if Disney wants to make anything remotely promising. “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” while not as good as its predecessor, entertains, dazzles, and gives way to several laughs, making for a fun experience worth having. Who knew you could have a film centered around the Internet and not have it be cringey? (Honestly, any movie where social media or millennial humor is a focus turns me off completely). Almost every aspect about this feature makes the landing, even if it isn’t perfect. I loved the animation, use of the internet world (more so a backdrop and living organism than a use for product placement), and reuniting of characters we’ve come to know and love. It’s a film for catching up and seeing what new conflict is next to face. What’s in store? Well, similar to the first, this movie focuses on a self-reflection of sorts. There really isn’t a bad guy, but more so what’s within our main heroes themselves. It was touching, though I will say it felt a bit too familiar. In fact, there were quite a few climaxes that gave way to a familiar theme; to the point where I got confused as to where the plot was taking us (and not in a good way). When you’ve got a story trying to be too sentimental, it can lead to several moments that want to make you cry, and while I bit into some of them, others were a tad nauseating. You don’t have to make me cry to make the movie good, just make the story flow right! It’s not like this is a big jab into the film. The fact of the matter is, the story was fine the way it was executed. There was solid action, good character-building moments, and enough characters (old and new) to make things lively. It’s certainly one of Disney’s best sequels in a while, which is a big compliment for the powerhouse that’s being known for churning out only sequels nowadays. The best thing I can say about “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is how funny it is. I laughed my butt off multiple times, as the writers were attuned to my humor and capitalized on it, even in small details (like C-3P0’s movement in one scene). I had a good time by the jokes alone, and thankfully the story held up to make an all-around solid experience. Other things to mention would be the phenomenal voice acting (Bill Hader being my favorite of them all), beautiful score, and make-up for the internet world. Seeing how various sites are represented in a fictional way was interesting, and I think the art department really knocked it out of the park with formulating it. Overall, if you’re looking for a fun adventure filled with laughs and a cool design, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is the movie for you (that’s in theaters currently). While it hits familiar notes from the first feature and tends to get messy with how emotional it tries to be, it’s still an entertaining watch that I enjoyed. FINAL SCORE: 89%= Juicy Popcorn

Here is the trailer: