First Take: Ralph Breaks The Internet- what the Emoji Movie could have been

SYNOPSIS: 

Six years after the events of “Wreck-It Ralph,” Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.

So the first Wreck-it Ralph film was pretty damn fantastic. And of course, Disney knew that it would make a good franchise, so here we are with the obligatory sequel. And while the much ranted about Emoji Movie attempted to execute a similar plot last year, once again Rich Moore and his team have made a really enjoyable film.

Moore and Phil Johnston direct this one, and coming in at 1 hour 52 minutes, this film is paced incredibly well, with enough time to give us character development, some brilliantly thought out plot points (thanks to a great script from Johnston and Pamela Ribon), a very self referential narrative, and a lot of humour for both audiences young and old. I don’t really need to say much about the quality of the animation, this is a Disney film after all, but with the Henry Jackman score, this film really does feel alive.

Then, the performances. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman return and absolutely kill it in this film, and joining them for the ride are Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, new cast members Gal Gadot, Taraj P. Henson, Bill Hader, internet personalities GloZell Green and Colleen Ballinger, and, oh yes, the return of EVERY DISNEY PRINCESS EVER in a scene that quite literally broke the internet. It’s a film that will keep on giving on multiple viewings, and my advice to you all- stay right until the end. There’s a little teaser that may make die-hard fans of Frozen very happy indeed (purely because of a song that’s about as catchy as Let It Go).

THE VERDICT

The second film is even better than the first. Words I can’t say that often. This is one of Disney Animation’s finest works of the last few years, and considering the niche nature of the film’s narrative, everybody thought it wouldn’t work, but it did. Go out and see this film, folks, because it’s ideal viewing for cinemagoers who want something a little lighter this Christmas.

RATING: 5/5