Apparently postponed when co-director Rich Moore was drafted in to help with Zootopia, this sequel to the Disney Animation instant classic Wreck-It Ralph arrives a full six years after the original. So although it's been a while, and other, lesser movies (like The Emoji Movie) have since trodden a similar path, it's clear within moments that the appeal of Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) and his best pal Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) has not diminished one iota.
The film hits as many kid-friendly entertaining notes as you could hope for, but the central theme of the plot is surprisingly mature for a family movie. As we rejoin our favourite video game characters, we find Ralph content with life and Vanellope yearning for something more. When a modem is installed in their video game arcade, infinite new avenues suddenly present themselves, and it challenges Ralph and Vanellope's friendship. Ralph's unwillingness to let go, sees him seeking viral internet fame, and he must endure all the downsides that come with such an ignoble pursuit
There are major new characters voiced by Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, and Taraji P. Henson (Empire), plus a prominently-featured sequence in which Vanellope visits a Disney website and is anointed into the sisterhood of Disney Princesses, all of whom show up, many animated in 3D for the first time.
The visualisation of the internet is dazzling to look at, but its conception emphasises reference over wit. Luckily the stellar character comedy more than makes up for this, and the film is overall undeniably beautiful to behold.
