This film actually prompted me to ask something... Would most modern animated movies be better off without some ticking timebomb?

What do I mean by that? Well, in a lot of mainstream animated movies, there's this tendency to throw in something that gives the characters a reason to race against time and undo something before it all goes completely south. The first WRECK-IT RALPH had this, and so does its web-set sequel.

I kinda think... What if there was no "We have to get the Sugar Rush steering wheel before it gets cancelled out" device? You may say "Well there go the stakes!" But I think, what if they won the wheel and the shipping takes about, say, 3 days... So in those 3 days, Ralph and Vanellope explore the Internet, and then all the Slaughter Race stuff happens and then the rest of the movie. Yes, you would lose the whole "Ralph and Vanellope go viral!" subplot, but I almost think the movie would flow nicer, it wouldn't always be in such a damn hurry. And the various plot points and developments wouldn't feel so rushed.

RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET is scattershot, but lofty in its ambitions and is about something pretty important. Ralph is, at his core, a rather naive character. The world to him is Litwak's Arcade, while Vanellope - more existential - wonders about the bigger world. What's beyond the arcade? What's beyond the Solar System? They get that answer in the form of the Internet, and Vanellope's desire to live in another game world and start a new phase in her life wrecks Ralph. (See what I did there?) Soon, Ralph becomes desperate, then later self-serving, as he takes some very drastic measures to keep his best friend at his side. And you kinda get why he'd do that! Years of being treated like dirt in his home game and Vanellope being his first true friend and all, he became clingy. This would hurt and drive him to do some pretty stupid, self-destructive things.

I almost don't care about the uneven structure or even the occasional heavy-handed moments in the script, I admire that a modern animated film even went this far, let alone settle on such a bittersweet ending. Yeah, the Internet and all that synergy stuff and all the satire is just the backdrop, really. I even like that the film wryly pokes at modern Internet culture, rather than just using familiar web things just for cheap laughs. The art direction in the movie is great, too, making for a unique spin on the digital frontier. Mixes TRON, 60s aesthetics, and sci-fi to make a gorgeous - and sometimes seedy - Internet. There's clever little references and details EVERYWHERE.

However, I just wish that it had more time to just take a walk, not just RUN RUN RUN through its plot. Hard to believe that it's 12 minutes shorter than the original cut of FANTASIA, and yet feels so quick and kinda rushed. This all aside, Disney Animation crafted a fine and thoughtful sequel to their thrilling video game adventure, and another strong entry in its current line-up.