Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

It might be six years after the fact but Wreck-It Ralph has finally been granted its thoroughly deserved sequel by Disney.

The first film felt like an attempt by the Mouse House to take a pinch of Pixar's post-modernism and was a fresh and delightful take on videogames, a sorta arcade-based Toy Story if you will. Because it didn't come from Pixar (who released the distinctly Disney-esque Brave the same year, ironically) it's generally sneaked under the radar but with videogame culture at an all-time high, and also 80's nostalgia (hello Ready Player One) it seems they felt it the right time to launch this sequel.

Despite this, and as its title implies, the second film finds Ralph and Vanellope launched into the internet when the need arises for the pair to find a racing wheel for Sugar Rush.

Whilst it's a shame not to further explore the arcade setting of the first, the internet obviously gives this sequel infinite possibilities for reference and you'll take great delight in the ingenious ways that Disney bring various websites and franchises to life. The online avatars, internet pop ups and comments are delightfully explored and realised (much like Pixar's all time great Inside Out). Tweets being real life birds settling in a tree being one such example.

The plot features the standard array of ‘fetch item’, ‘get side-tracked’, ‘get more side-tracked’, ‘get waylaid and lost’, ‘everything works out in the end’ but, as is often the case with Disney, the drama here feels logical, unpredictable and suitably tense.

The first film was genuinely funny for the sheer number of meta-references and geekdom and I’m delighted to say that this also delivers on this front. Particularly rib-tickling is Disney’s own self-mockery with Vanellope’s diversion into ‘Oh My Disney’ where she is chased by Stormtroopers, interrupts a Groot-led press conference and finds a kinship with the Disney Princesses. It’s utterly glorious and genuinely a ‘scene of the year’ contender.

Ralph Breaks The Internet is a bundle of joy, a blast of fresh air and a worthy successor. It’s funny, visually stunning and an utter hoot for little ‘uns and big ‘uns alike.

4 stars ****