Out of all the Disney movies to get a sequel, Wreck-it Ralph is possibly the one movie from the animation studio that honestly deserves it. When it was announced, I was curious as to how it would turn out. The world of Wreck-It Ralph is very creative and it leaves many opportunities for world-building that could be explored with new arcade games and different adventures. Even though the first movie’s small but well-written narrative was great, I always believed there was more to be shown in the arcade world and I felt like this sequel would do just that. Then when I heard that Ralph and Vanellope’s next adventure was going to be traveling to the internet, I was admittedly concerned. I knew that Disney wouldn’t do a worse job than Sony’s The Emoji Movie but I just didn’t think that traveling to the internet was the best thing for this sequel.Still, I kept an optimistic outlook hoping the movie would be better than the advertising suggests. I admit that when I saw it in the theaters for the first time, I enjoyed it. Sadly, the second time I watched it, I noticed many flaws that make this movie not bad but not as good as I remembered it.
Taking Place six years after the events of the last movie Ralph (John C Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) have settled into their new roles in their respective games. However, Vanellope despite having Ralph as a friend is tired and bored of her game as she knows all the ins and outs of Sugar Rush. One day, Ralph tries to make things interesting by creating a secret track but it backfires when the player tries to maneuver out of the track but ends up breaking the wheel on the console which leaves the game unplugged and the citizens of Sugar Rush homeless. To fix Vanellope’s game, Ralph and Vanellope go to the newly plugged internet and head to eBay to get a new steering wheel part for Sugar Rush. However, the two accidentally overbid and now have to get money to pay for the wheel. So now it’s up to the two to traverse the internet and get the money before time runs out. While searching, Vanellope discovers an online game called Slaughter Race and takes a liking toward the character of the violent but fun game. Ralph does not like the idea of Vanellope not being a part of his life and eventually goes to internet-breaking lengths to make sure she stays with him at the arcade.
I should point out that I'm not really a fan of Internet references and smart technology being inserted into animated productions. It's not to say that it's totally a bad thing, because there are movies such as Cars and Zootopia that have those kinds of said internet references, but in those movies, the story and characters are the main focus. One thing that could have made this movie better is if they actually gave some insightful commentary about the joys and dangers of having the internet taking a hold of your life. That would have made the worldbuilding so much more than just random references and Disney products being shoved into your face. The one thing I will give this movie credit for is that the heart was in the right place as there are still signs of character development, funny jokes, interesting character relationships, and well-meaning morals but they are unfortunately muddled down in corporate pandering without having a sign of smartness in the writing. It is by no means a bad movie, but it pales in comparison to the first movie.
The Characters are unfortunately not as likable as they were in the first movie and their pesonallities can range from being okay to very annoying. Ralph is the worst of the bunch because his whole arc is not wanting to lose Vanellope or his life will be ruined. It could be an interesting character journey if Ralph wasn’t so winey and dependant throughout the entire movie. Vanellope isn't too different as they give her interesting character arcs such as finding her game boring and wanting something different and again it could work if the writing for her character was executed better. It’s also good to mention that her relationship with ralph is okay but it's not as satisfying as it was in the last movie. The movie also sets up a subplot with Felix and Calhoun becoming a family by adopting the Sugar Rush racers but it never happens. I don’t know if it was a time issue or what but we never get to see that subplot ever happen. Also, they barely use Felix and Calhoun in this movie which is weird seeing that they were in a good chunk of the last movie. As for the new characters, none of them really stick out except maybe the Slaughter Race characters but don’t expect to be as memorable as the characters in the original.
The Animation is honestly not as mediocre as the story and characters, but it isn’t as impressive as before. The world of the internet can be creative sometimes but nothing truly sticks out about how it’s different from the many other interpretations of how the world of the internet and social media functions. I remember how unique each world was in the original Wreck-It Ralph. With the exception of Slaughter Race, almost every place we visit in the internet feels the same as the locations sort of blend together after a while. Even though it wasn’t the true intention of the movie, I felt like the random product placement all over the place dosn’t make the movie any what timeless but more of a dated time capsule that feels shallow and meaningless. I give Disney kudos for trying their hardest, but the animation feels rather standard than creative.
Henry Jackman Returns as the composer for this movie and much like the animation and story, I give kudos that he is trying, but the music feels less inspired and more corporate. It doesn’t have the same passion and energy and there are many tracks in the movie that don’t stick out as memorable to me. That is except for one sequence which is an out-of-context musical number from Vanellope that was written by composer legend Alan Meken and I will confess that it was the best bit of the entire movie because it was fun, funny, and totally passionate. Other than that, the music was unfortunately weak by Disney standards.
I won’t say this is the worst thing Disney has ever done because unlike The Emoji Movie there were some clever ideas and good intentions, but that is the keyword, some. It is unfortunate that a sequel to Wreck-It Ralph would turn out to be so lackluster with its mediocre story and characters and good but mostly standard Animation and Music. If this movie has done anything for me it has made me appreciate the first movie even more. I wanted a Wreck-It Ralph sequel but this is not the way I pictured it would turn out. Still, the movie did get a good critical reception and it made a lot of money at the box office so maybe there must be something I’m missing. I’ll stick to watching Ralph and Vanellope’s original adventure but if you do like this movie then all power to ya. I just think that coming from the storytelling giants at Disney, it should have been so much better.
(Final Grade: C)