(PG, 112 mins)
When it comes to a sequel, go bigger or go home.
Rich Moore and Phil Johnston’s imaginative and deeply satisfying follow-up to the 2013 feel-good computer animation Wreck-It Ralph achieves the former without straying far from the latter by propelling its coin-operated arcade game characters into the mind-boggling realms of the World Wide Web.
Ralph Breaks The Internet expands its bewildering array of visual targets to include social media behemoths, video sharing portals and online shopping brands plus those irritating advertising pop-ups which multiply like a virulent fungus.
The naivete of candy-coloured characters in their new home is mined for a steady stream of laughs. “We know where to go if we need a pair of goggles,” chirps Ralph (voiced by John C Reilly) as he misreads the name of one search engine and an inaugural visit to an auction website leads to Ralph and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) merrily bidding against one another.
Ralph Breaks The Internet warms the cockles of our hearts then breaks them in tiny pieces with a sob-inducing finale that cleverly nods to the 1980s arcade classic Donkey Kong.
A wealth of visual gags demands a second viewing and a protracted interlude in the Oh My Disney! fan site, populated by a bevy of animated princesses and characters from the Marvel and Star Wars stables, is a self-referential hoot.
Reilly and Silverman beautifully convey the central friendship through various trials and tribulations. We emerge from the cinema with similarly broad grins and tear-glistened cheeks.
Damon Smith
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