Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

The sequel to the 2012 hit Wreck-It Ralph, this film takes Ralph and Vanellope on a whole-new adventure into the Internet itself.

Ever since the end of Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) have spent every night together (after the arcade closes). Ralph is thrilled to finally have a friend, someone to make his monotonous life inside the game a little more exciting.

But Vanellope is tired of doing the same thing every day, driving around the same tracks day after day, and living a life with no surprises.

Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman).

Ralph tries to surprise her by 'building' a new track in her game, but things don't go entirely as planned, and the steering wheel - on the actual arcade machine - breaks off.

The arcade owner, Mr. Litwak (Ed O'Neill) turns off the machine, hoping to sell it for spare parts by the end of the week. There is a replacement steering wheel available on Ebay, but it's just a little out of his price range, especially at short notice.

Hearing this, Ralph decides to fix his mistake by venturing into the Internet - newly installed in the arcade - to find Ebay, find the replacement steering wheel, and make everything okay again.

Of course, Vanellope goes with him. It isn't long before Ralph has caused more problems than he's fixed, and his actions even threaten to bring down the entire Internet - from the inside.

Shank (Gal Gadot).

The screenplay, by Phil Johnston & Pamela Ribon, is very clever, with plenty of in-jokes and pop-culture references that will appeal to older viewers, and plenty of recognisable characters and situations that will appeal to younger viewers (and probably older viewers, too). The characters have plenty of internal and external conflicts to deal with, and there are some very good messages just under the surface, that can and will lead to plenty of opportunities for discussions about self-esteem, friendship, value and love.

Henry Jackman's score is well-suited to the film, and matches the on-screen action perfectly. As this is an animated film, the music tends to reflect merely the physical actions on-screen, but it works well nonetheless.

The performances of the voice cast are wonderful, and all of your favourite characters from the first movie are back again. Reilly and Silverman have great on-screen chemistry, and they convey incredible emotional range through nothing more than the use of their voice.

There are some new characters joining the cast for this film, too. A couple of notable additions are Gal Gadot as a driver from an Internet-based game (picture something like Grand Theft Auto, but at a much higher speed) and Alan Tudyk as the search assistant KnowsMore.

All the greatest Disney princesses lend a hand to help Ralph and Vanellope.

If you're into Disney films at all, there is plenty to love about this film, with so many on-screen references and Disney-themed in-jokes, it is impossible to notice them all even after multiple viewings, giving you plenty to enjoy and experience for years to come.

Directors Phil Johnston & Rich Moore have made a thoroughly enjoyable film, that I will most certainly be watching many more times (hoping to spot as many of these Disney-themed Easter eggs as I can). If you enjoyed the first one, you should definitely check this out. If you haven't seen the first one, watch that first, and then you should definitely check this out.

9 out of 10.

Big Hero 6 (2014)

Hiro (Ryan Potter) is a thirteen year old robotics genius, who lives with his older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) and their Aunt Cass (Maya Rudolph) in the city of San Fransokyo, since their parents died when Hiro was only three.

Encouraged by his older brother, Hiro applies to university to study robotics, having completed his secondary education the previous year. He meets Tadashi’s classmates, Fred (T. J. Miller), Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez).

He also meets Baymax (Scott Adsit), Tadashi’s robotics project: a healthcare robot who looks a little like a marshmallow with limbs.

While presenting his work to the faculty, including Professor Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell), Hiro is accepted into the course, to start immediately. Another tech giant, Alistair Krei (Alan Tudyk) wishes to purchase the nanotechnology Hiro has developed, but Hiro refuses.

Later that night, after the entire building is engulfed in flames, Tadashi runs back inside to save the professor, and both of them tragically perish.

Hiro becomes increasingly isolated and depressed, until Baymax is reawakened and helps Hiro on an adventure to come out of his shell. It seems someone has stolen Hiro’s mini-robots, and is using them to wreak havoc on the city.

Now it is up to Hiro, Baymax and Tadashi’s classmates to come together and save the day.

The screenplay, by Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird & Daniel Gerson is fantastic. I particularly love the character of Baymax, whose innocence and naivete provides much of the film’s humour, and certainly all of its heart. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the film, which provide plenty of enjoyment and a fair amount of surprises for the audience.

Henry Jackman’s score is also fantastic, serving the visuals of the animation perfectly, and balancing the high-intensity action sequences with the slower, more tender moments with just the right amount of subtlety.

I know I say this a lot when reviewing animated films, but the voice cast are so well matched to their respective roles here. Again, I want to make particular mention of Scott Adsit, who voices the loveable robot Baymax; his delivery of the lines is just right throughout.

There is also a great cameo from the great Stan Lee, though you will have to sit through the end credits to see it (as it is from a post-credits scene). But it is definitely worth the wait, particularly given all that has happened in the film before it.

Directors Don Hill and Chris Williams have made a beautiful and funny film here, that has plenty of heart, and an important message about what truly makes a family (and it isn’t just DNA or genetics). I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who hasn’t seen it. But even if you have seen it, would it really be so bad to watch it again?

8 out of 10.