Ralph Breaks the Internet Parent Guide

Six years after the conclusion of Wreck-It-Ralph, arcade game characters Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) have established a routine: they work in their games all day and hang out and grab a root beer at “Tapper” (a classic arcade game). While this suits Ralph just fine, Vanellope finds herself wishing for a life with more a few more unexpected turns in the road. Even her racing game has become too predictable! But when Ralph tries to help her by modifying the track, a frustrated player breaks the arcade cabinet for Vanellope’s game, and the arcade owner can’t afford to replace the part. The only place the part is available is on the internet, and it looks like Ralph and Vanellope will be able to sneak in to the worldwide web…but how will they find it once they’re there? And will they be able to pay for it?

Now, despite some notable issues which I will address later, this cash-grab of a sequel actually manages to churn out some positive messages. The theme of the film is focused around the changing nature of the protagonists’ friendships as they move into a larger world. By contrasting the consequences of codependence and jealousy with what is a (surprisingly) sweet relationship, the film manages to provide a good life lesson for kids: friendship does not mean constant contact, and people can have more than one friend without diminishing their affection for the others.

The movie’s main problem is excessive and blatant product and corporate logo placement, which is made more disturbing by the youthfulness of this production’s target audience. By my count, there are no fewer than 24 instances of major product placement, from companies like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, eBay, and Google, along with massive plugs for every Disney franchise. In fact, there are hardly any scenes in the movie where you can’t see the logo of one of these mega corporations. This kind of saturation marketing is more than a little irritating. Apart from the fact that shamelessly self-promoting your other highly successful film products is more than a little tacky, doing so in a kids’ movie is irresponsible. By inuring children to the prevalent advertisements we see, we allow marketing to become the kind of background noise that people absorb without analyzing. Children growing up in the digital age are especially vulnerable to this kind of near-subliminal marketing. Advertisers are aware of this: they don’t need to give you a strong positive association with their product, they just want you to think of them first when you think of their product class.

Cynical and all-consuming advertising aside, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” has a nice message about the values of friendship and the importance of maintaining healthy relationships. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman both do a good job of pouring character into their digital models, and the writers manage to avoid being too gratingly annoying. There’s not a lot in it for parents, but children between about 8 and 15 will probably have a decent time. Whether or not the saturation marketing is a deal breaker for you, however, will determine whether or not Ralph breaks your patience as well as the Internet.