It’s been 6 years since the events of Wreck-It Ralph, and things haven’t really changed much for the video game characters. Best friends Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) spend their days in their respective games, and their evenings either hanging out in Game Central Station, or grabbing a root beer after work in Tapper. The only exciting thing to happen at the arcade is the recent addition of WiFi and the internet—the video game characters are unfamiliar with this new technology, but are excited by it nonetheless.

Vanellope has been growing bored of her Sugar Rush game—she knows all the race tracks by heart, and there aren’t really any surprises or challenges anymore. With good intentions, Ralph tries to make the game more exciting for Vanellope, but inadvertently causes the Sugar Rush machine to get damaged. Arcade owner Mr. Litwak can’t afford to fix the game, and plans to sell it for parts the next day. However, Ralph overhears some of the children in the arcade mention that a replacement steering wheel can be obtained from eBay, so he and Vanellope make their way into the internet to find eBay and save Sugar Rush. Meanwhile, Felix (Jack McBrayer) and Calhoun (Jane Lynch) get a crash course in parenting when they take in the 15 other young Sugar Rush racers, who managed to flee the machine before it was unplugged.

Vanellope and Ralph soon discover that the internet is a huge, amazing place that can be both scary and exciting. During their online adventure they cross paths with many interesting Netizens—including pop-up ad man J.P. Spamley (Bill Hader), search engine KnowsMore (Alan Tudyk), BuzzzTube algorithm guru Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), and the entire lineup of Disney Princesses—as they try to steal, go viral, and do just about anything to get the money they need to pay for the replacement steering wheel. However, when the duo end up in the mature, dangerous Slaughter Race game, Vanellope discovers a whole new world of racing she never even dreamed of. And Ralph becomes worried that the wild, tough racer Shank (Gal Gadot) is going to come in between the relationship he had with Vanellope.

I really enjoyed this follow-up to Wreck-It Ralph. It brings back all of your favorite characters from the original—at least for small cameo roles. The sequel primarily focuses on Vanellope and Ralph, and the speed bump they hit their relationship, which forces them to deal with change and the evolution of their friendship. The first film found a unique way to depict the life of a video game character, and this follow-up does an excellent job of turning an abstract concept like the internet into a fun, colorful, fully-realized world filled with the Netizens who work there, and the Net Users who interact with the games and web sites. It is a lot of fun to see these more innocent video game characters thrust into a Grand Theft Auto-like world—while Vanellope seems to thrive on it, Ralph just wants to get back to the comfort of his own video game. Shank—when she’s not being a complete bad-ass on the track—is like the mother that Vanellope never had, encouraging her to follow her heart and her dreams. The result is a film that is hilarious, full of action and adventure, but also quite heartwarming and emotional.

One wonderful thing about Disney owning pretty much every pop culture property out there in that there are so many fun Easter Eggs and cameos in this film. The highlight for me is when Princess Vanellope makes her way to Oh My Disney, and interacts with her fellow Disney Princesses—nearly all of whom are voiced by the original actresses! The filmmakers have so much fun with these characters—I could watch a movie just with the Disney princesses teaming up, and using their powers to save the day!

Disney’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds excellent. Whether it’s the darker muted tones of Slaughter Race and the Dark Web, or the brighter world of eBay, BuzzzTube and the other web sites, the picture is always crisp, clean, and detailed. The immersive soundtrack makes the fast moving world of Slaughter Race really come to life, and captures the film’s beautiful score nicely. The soundtrack also includes some catchy pop songs, and a hilarious-but-beautiful new Disney Princess song written by Alan Menken.

Disney’s Blu-ray release comes packed in a standard HD keepcase along with a cardboard slipcover. Inside is the digital copy redemption instructions, along with the Blu-ray and DVD discs. The release includes over 80 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers, deleted scenes and music videos. If I had one complaint about the release, it’s that there is no 3D option this time around. This film looked amazing in 3D in the theater, and there was always this feeling that some of that experience was missing while watching in 2D the second time around. I wish Disney had made this format available somewhere in the world for the 3D fans—past films that didn’t get a U.S. 3D release at least received one abroad for those who wanted to import it.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:52:30)

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English Descriptive Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Spanish

Digital:

• Digital Copy
  HD Movies Anywhere compatible digital copy of the film.

Extras:

• Baby Drivers — Slaughter Racing School (2:14)
  In this digital-only bonus feature, 11 Walt Disney Animation artists head to a racetrack for a research trip, to get some first-hand experience behind the wheel.
• The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet (10:18)
  The filmmakers talk about combining classical orchestra score with more modern music to create the sound of the internet. They also discuss the original Disney princess song “A Place Called Slaughter Race” by Alan Menken, the pop version “In This Place” by Julia Michaels, and the happy pop closing credits song “Zero” by Imagine Dragons. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Clark Spencer, executive music producer Tom MacDougall, composer Henry Jackman, directors Rich Moore & Phil Johnston, songwriter Alan Menken, musicians Julia Michaels & Imagine Dragons, and stars Sarah Silverman (“Venellope”) & Gal Gadot (“Shank”).
• BuzzzTube Cats (1:48)
  Series of animated cat videos created by Disney artists while doing their internet research for the film.
• Surfing for Easter Eggs (3:38)
  A narrated look at just some of the many hidden and not-so-hidden Easter Eggs in the film.
• How We Broke the Internet (32:56)
  Extensive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and how the filmmakers brought the internet to life. Includes interviews with directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston, heads of animation Kira Lehtomaki & Renato dos Anjos, technical supervisor Ernest Petti, visual effects supervisor Scott Kersavage, crowd supervisor Moe El-Ali, head of characters & technical animation Dave Komorowski, producer Clark Spencer, writer Pamela Ribon, head of story Josie Trinidad, story artists Jason Hand & Natalie Nourigat, production designer Cory Loftis, technical director of character rigging Joy Johnson, and head of effects Cesr Velazquez. Plus, go into the recording studio with stars Alan Tudyk (“KnowsMore”), auctioneer Brian Curless, Alfred Molina (“Double Dan”), Gal Gadot (“Shank”) and Taraji P. Henson (“Yesss”). Play All, or select from:
  • Introduction (1:44)
    A quick discussion about the characters’ journey in this film.
  • Netizens, Net Users (3:03)
    The filmmakers compare the two different types of internet inhabitants—the Net Users who are the avatar representations of the real-world human users, and the Netizens who live and work at the web sites.
  • KnowsMore (2:31)
    The filmmakers talk about the search engine character KnowsMore, and how Alan Tudyk brought him to life.
  • eBay (1:11)
    The filmmakers talk about creating the world of eBay.
  • Older Net (1:27)
    The filmmakers talk about the evolution of Double Dan and the Dark Web.
  • Slaughter Race (4:47)
    The filmmakers talk about researching and creating the realistic driving for the world of Slaughter Race, and the evolution of the Shank character.
  • BuzzzTube (3:50)
    The filmmakers talk about the iterations of the BuzzTube videos and Yesss, and shining a light on the uglier side of the internet.
  • Oh My Disney (3:16)
    The filmmakers talk about their favorite cameos and Easter Eggs in the Oh My Disney world, and bringing together all of the Disney Princesses and updating their looks.
  • Ralphzilla (4:11)
    The filmmakers talk about creating the massive Ralph villain, and show off some early animation tests and concept artwork.
  • The Goodbye (2:59)
    The filmmakers talk about Vanellope and Ralph saying goodbye to one another.
• Deleted Scenes (19:20)
  Directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston provide an introduction to five deleted scenes from the film. Most of the scenes are in storyboard format. Play All, or select from:
  • Into the Internet (4:57)
    Early version of the router being plugged in, with Felix, Calhoun, Q*bert, Sonic and Grandma joining Ralph and Vanellope as they make their first venture into the Internet.
  • Opposites (3:20)
    Spurred on by Yesss splitting them into opposite meme bubbles, Ralph and Vanellope talk about how different they are from one another.
  • Domestic Hell (2:47)
    Felix and Calhun deal with domestic life with their 15 adopted Sugar Rush children.
  • Bubble of One (5:58)
    In a different version of the story, Ralph and Vanellope go their own separate ways, trying to create viral memes. Ralph, feeling lonely, creates a clone of himself to keep him company.
  • Recruiting Grandma (2:10)
    Almost fully animated scene of Jimmy’s grandma responding to Shank’s call for real-world recruits to help combat the Ralphzilla.
• Music Videos (7:16)
  Collection of two music videos. Play All, or select from:
  • “Zero”—Performed by Imagine Dragons (3:52)
  • “In This Place”—Performed by Julia Michaels (3:25)
• Character Gallery
  Explore sketches and other artwork for your favorite characters from the film, including “Calhoun”, “Double Dan”, “Felix”, “Gord”, “KnowsMore”, “Ralph”, “Shank”, “Spamley”, “Vanellope”, and “Yesss”.
• Trivia Challenge
  22 trivia questions/clips to test your knowledge about the events of the film.

Final Thoughts:

Ralph Breaks the Internet is a worthy and entertaining follow-up to Wreck-It Ralph, recapturing a lot of the humor and heart that made the first film so much fun. It expands the the franchise into the internet, finding a unique and creative way to depict this larger world. There are some really fun new characters, and also revisits a lot of the characters from the first film. Disney’s Blu-ray release provides solid picture and sound as well as a great selection of bonus material. This release comes highly recommended.