RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET – A Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
In 2012, Wreck-It Ralph introduced us to the characters behind the screens in the video store. Ralph Breaks the Internet takes us back to that world behind the screens. Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) are still the best of friends, spending their “off-duty” hours together.
First the arcade gets Wi-Fi. Our friends don’t know anything about the internet but they will soon have a reason to find out. In response to Vanellope’s desire for something new, Ralph makes a new section of track in her racing game, Sugar Rush. When Vanellope takes control of the game to run the new piece of track the human girl playing the game fights back causing the steering wheel to come off in her hands!
The steering wheel breaks in half when the arcade owner, Mr. Litwak (Ed O’Neill), attempts to put it back on the steering shaft. The girls playing the game ask if he can get a new steering wheel. He tells them that the company who built the game went out of business years ago and the parts are non-existent. It looks like he will have to sell the gamer for parts!
The girls immediately get on their phones and find one for sale on eBay but at $200.00 the part costs more than he makes on the machine in a year! Ralph decides that he will go to eBay, get the steering wheel, and save Sugar Rush from being scrapped. Vanellope decides she is going with him, overriding his objections.
The road to saving the game is filled with action, thrills, and more “Easter Eggs” than you can swing a basket at! In fact, one of the bonus featurettes deals strictly with these Easter Eggs and shows you a lot of them while alluding to more!
The film has something I never expected to see, even in a Disney film, ALL of the Disney Princesses (Irene Bedard, Pocahontas; Kristen Bell, Anna; Jodi Benson, Ariel; Auli’i Cravalho, Moana; Jennifer Hale, Cinderella; Kate Higgins, Aurora; Linda Larkin, Jasmine; Kelly Macdonald, Merida; Idina Menzel, Elsa; Mandy Moore, Rapunzel; Paige O’Hara, Belle; Pamela Ribon, Snow White; Anika Noni Rose, Tiana; and Ming-Na Wen, Mulan)! The Princesses are even better than I expected. They are portrayed as multi-dimensional heroines capable of so much more than their stories led us to believe! And they take to Princess Vanellope (after a few moments of earnest questioning) like a force of nature!
Surprises in the film are connected to Shank (Gal Gadot) and her game, Slaughter Race, and to Yesss (Taraji P. Henson) and her site, BuzzTube. Shank turns out to be the type of character who deserves her own movie, she is just that cool. Sadly, she proves to be too good for the team and she prevents them from making money off her prized possession, her car.
Yesss steps in to help them reach their goal using her video site. These scenes are a fun and, I think, perfect jab at viral videos in our society today. I think that they are spot-on with their portrayal and what goes through the mind of some of the folks who make those videos.
The filmmakers took a wild idea and ran with it giving us a scene that rivals the Sta-Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters by making use using Ralph’s insecurity. Ralph Breaks the Internet is filled to the brim with imaginative plays on films using various Disney characters both in the forefront and background of many scenes as they propel the story forward.
Overall I had a great time watching this film! But the film is only a part of why we buy the multi-screen edition (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD). The extras or bonus featurettes for this disc include some fun ones like the featurette I spoke of earlier about the Easter Eggs.
The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet talks about the music used in the film. This bonus is one of those that makes you want to re-watch the film immediately because you now understand the songs, and the singers, who helped shape your feelings while watching key scenes. There are also two music videos from the film. These are excellent!
The deleted scene featurette is better than usual as the directors have great conversations about each deleted scene. My favorite was the scene about the young gamer’s Granny who agrees to help fight the viruses! Pity it didn’t make it into the final cut of the film (it came close)!
The last piece is a montage of the cat videos from BuzzTube! If you love cat videos on Facebook and YouTube this one is for you! I can whole-heartedly rate this disc as BRAND NEW on our rating scale!
Directed By:
- Phil Johnston, Rich Moore
Cast:
- John C. Reilly as Ralph, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope, Gal Gadot as Shank, Taraji P. Henson as Yesss, Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix Jr., Jane Lynch as Sergeant Calhoun, and Alan Tudyk as KnowsMore
Extras:
- Blu-ray & Digital:
- How We Broke the Internet–Go behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios to get an in-depth look at how the filmmakers brought a world to life that billions of people visit every day but never actually see – the internet. Take a front-row seat as the team reveals the inspirations for the story and what it took to bring it to the screen. Discover all that went into developing the characters of the film including netizens like KnowsMore as well as characters like Double Dan. See the lengths the team took to create the car chase scenes in Slaughter Race and much, much more.
- Surfing for Easter Eggs– Surf the web for the near-countless Easter Eggs, inside jokes and references hidden throughout the movie.
- The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet– Take a look at the music of Ralph Breaks the Internet with appearances by Imagine Dragons, Julia Michaels, Alan Menken, Sarah Silverman and more.
- Deleted Scenes– Five deleted scenes with intros from directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston. Scenes include Into the Internet, Opposites, Domestic Hell, Bubble of One & Recruiting “Grandma.”
- BuzzzTube Cats– Many videos were created by the animators to fill the screens of the Internet world…and lots of them are of cats! Check out the BuzzzTube to watch this hilarious cat compilation.
- Music Videos– “Zero” by Imagine Dragons and “In This Place” by Julia Michaels.
- Digital Exclusive:
- Baby Drivers – Slaughter Racing School– Take a spin behind the wheel with the artists behind Ralph Breaks the Internet as they go to race car driving school.
- DVD:
- Music Videos– “Zero” by Imagine Dragons and “In This Place” by Julia Michaels.
Specifications:
Runtime:
- 112 Minutes
Studio:
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
Release Date:
- Digital HD: 02/12/19
- Blu-ray/DVD: 02/26/19
Region:
- A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Languages/Subtitles:
- 4K Ultra HD: English SDH, Spanish & French
- Blu-ray: English SDH & ESL, Spanish & French; DVD: English SDH & ESL & Spanish
- Digital: English SDH, French Canadian, Latin Spanish
- Digital & DVD Captions: English
Website:
MPAA Rating:
- PG
Selig Rating:
- BRAND NEW
Selig Rating Scale:
BRAND NEW: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
SALE ITEM: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
SECOND HAND: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
RENTAL: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
COASTER: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
PULL!: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
