Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Movie · 2018 · Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Science Fiction · 1h 52m · PG · English

Curator score: 2.4/10 (872.5K ratings)

Who broke the internet?

Overview

Video game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz must risk it all by traveling to the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope's video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet — the netizens — to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss, who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site BuzzzTube.

Ratings

Director

Rich Moore, Phil Johnston

Production

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Cast

John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Timothy Simons, Phil Johnston, Mandy Moore, Anika Noni Rose, Irene Bedard, Kristen Bell, Ali Wong, Alan Tudyk, Idina Menzel, Glozell Green, Hamish Blake, Jane Lynch, Flula Borg, Auliʻi Cravalho

Where to watch

Disney Plus

Curator Review

Verdict

A loud, glossy sequel that’s at its best when it treats the internet as a chaotic playground for visual gags and friendship drama, and at its worst when it turns into a self-aware corporate parade. The emotional core between Ralph and Vanellope still works, but the movie’s brand-saturated satire can feel both clever and exhausting at the same time.

Best for

  • families looking for a colorful animated adventure
  • viewers who enjoy fast pop-culture jokes and internet satire
  • fans of buddy-comedy stories with a sentimental streak
  • kids and parents who want a mainstream Disney sequel with energy

Skip if

  • you’re allergic to overt product placement and corporate self-reference
  • you want the sharper, more original first film
  • internet humor and meme culture already feel overdone to you
  • you prefer animation with a less frantic, more timeless style

Overview

Ralph Breaks the Internet is a sequel that understands the internet as both a playground and a trap. Its best stretches are genuinely inventive: the visual design of web spaces, the speed of the gags, and the way it translates online behavior into animation all give it a lively, contemporary charge. Ralph and Vanellope still have an easy, appealing chemistry, and the movie knows how to land a sincere emotional beat when it slows down long enough to do so.

Worth noting

But the film is also aggressively eager to be relevant, and that eagerness can curdle into brand worship. The satire of virality, trends, and online validation is funny in bursts, yet the movie often feels like it’s advertising the very culture it’s poking at. That tension is part of the experience, for better and worse: it’s clever enough to notice the absurdity, but not always brave enough to fully commit to the joke.

Bottom line

As family entertainment, it’s polished and energetic, with enough visual invention to keep younger viewers engaged and enough emotional friction to give adults something to chew on. As a sequel, it’s less cleanly satisfying than the original, but still entertaining if you’re in the mood for a noisy, self-aware, very modern Disney ride.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Tessa (3★) · 3233 likes

vanellope von schweetz is a baby lesbian experiencing her first crush on a woman in this essay I will ✨ comments turned off bc some straight people don’t know how to act ✨ y’all are annoying 😌✨

stevie (2.5★) · 3165 likes

Ralph makes an asmr video and gets cyberbullied.

Alex IHE (1★) · 2787 likes

Astonishingly bad

James (Schaffrillas) (1.5★) · 2185 likes

I can't decide if I hate the movie itself more or I hate what it represents more but suffice to say I hate both of them pretty significantly

COBRARocky (1★) · 1930 likes

Disney furiously sucks its own dick for 2 hours to remind you that they own everything. Ralph is there too.

Recommended similar titles

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

2021 · Animation, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 54m · PG · Curator 8.0/10 (741.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

A more inventive and emotionally generous family comedy about technology, chaos, and connection.

Zootopia

2016 · Animation, Adventure, Family · 1h 49m · PG · Curator 7.2/10 (2.4M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus

Bright, joke-dense Disney animation with a strong sense of worldbuilding and social satire.

Big Hero 6

2014 · Adventure, Family, Animation · 1h 42m · PG · Curator 7.2/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus, fuboTV

Warm, accessible, and tech-inflected with a similar mix of action, comedy, and heart.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2009 · Animation, Comedy, Family · 1h 30m · PG · Curator 4.5/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential

A playful, high-energy animated comedy that turns absurd concepts into visual invention.

The Lego Movie

2014 · Animation, Family, Adventure · 1h 40m · PG · Curator 7.9/10 (1.7M ratings)

Fast, self-aware, and commercially savvy in a way that still feels genuinely creative.

Monsters, Inc.

2001 · Animation, Comedy, Family · 1h 32m · G · Curator 8.7/10 (3.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus

A classic buddy-driven Pixar story that balances humor, warmth, and imaginative design.

Toy Story 4

2019 · Family, Comedy, Animation · 1h 40m · G · Curator 4.8/10 (1.6M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus, fuboTV

Another mainstream animated sequel that mixes adventure with questions about purpose and change.

Ratatouille

2007 · Animation, Comedy, Family · 1h 51m · G · Curator 9.6/10 (4.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus, Hulu

A crowd-pleasing animated film about ambition, identity, and finding your place in a system.

Wreck-It Ralph

2012 · Family, Animation, Comedy · 1h 41m · PG · Curator 5.8/10 (1.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus

The original has the cleaner emotional arc and a more focused sense of arcade-world charm.

The Incredibles

2004 · Action, Adventure, Animation · 1h 55m · PG · Curator 8.9/10 (3.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus

Stylish, funny, and family-friendly with strong character dynamics and superhero spectacle.

Inside Out

2015 · Animation, Family, Adventure · 1h 35m · PG · Curator 8.4/10 (3.8M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus

Emotionally smart animation that turns abstract systems into vivid, accessible storytelling.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

2023 · Animation, Action, Adventure · 2h 20m · PG · Curator 9.7/10 (3.9M ratings) · Where to watch: Disney Plus, fuboTV, Max

A visually daring sequel that also wrestles with identity, performance, and belonging.

Topics

animated adventure, family comedy, internet satire, buddy comedy, digital culture, corporate self-awareness, sentimental, fast-paced, 2010s animation, pop-culture humor

Open Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) on Curator TV