Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet does not live up to Disney standards

Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet does not live up to Disney standards

As another in the increasing number of Disney movie sequels, Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet had a high bar to reach if it was to stand out among the masses. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to the standard set by its predecessor, the original Wreck-It Ralph. This film was mediocre at best.

The premise of the movie is that arcade game characters Vanellope and Wreck-It Ralph, the protagonists, accidentally damage Vanellope’s game Sugar Rush, and the pair must journey to the Internet to try to buy a new part for it on ebay. They find it, but then must raise the money to pay for it online. During this, Vanellope — who had been longing for something more unpredictable than her typical life of racing the same courses over and over — discovers an online game she loves, and wants to stay there. When Ralph discovers this, he overreacts and causes a catastrophe.

There were definitely good things about this movie. For one, the animation was beautiful. It created a vivid, bustling world populated with a wide array of characters. It also had some very humorous moments, like its satirization of the Disney princesses.

Personally, my favorite part of the movie was probably its message. So many Disney movies seem to focus on romantic relationships, or sometimes friendships. But this one took a look at the difficulties of a parental relationship. It showed Ralph’s struggle to let go of Vanellope as she grew more independent.

This would have been great — except the relationship between the two of them was very inconsistent and confusing.

Sometimes Ralph was characterized as a goofy, childish character and Vanellope as a more reasonable and mature friend who watched out for him, and other times Ralph acted affectionate and protective of her while she was portrayed as being similar to his daughter. Either of these depictions alone would have made sense, but including both was not only strange, but contradictory.

This unsteadiness was, to an extent, present in the plot as well. The haphazard nature of the movie did help to keep it interesting and allowed several different aspects of the internet to be seen. However, it was clear that the movie was trying too hard to create plot twists; there were one or two parts which were so spontaneous as to be illogical or bizarre.

On the whole, Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet could have been better. It is good as a bright and uplifting animated movie, but don’t expect much more than that.