FIRST of all, this movie takes things up one notch after the wonderfully heartwarming Wreck-It Ralph (2012) that was set in the world of video arcade games.
Things seem wonderful for best pals Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz, who spend all their time together after Litwak’s Family Fun Centre & Arcade closes for the night.
They also learn that Litwark is now plugged into the internet, but the arcade characters are forbidden to enter this realm.
Vanellope wishes there is more excitement in her video game Sugar Rush where she wins each race easily. Ralph tries to help by building an extra track in the game, but this causes the young girl playing the game at the time to accidentally break the game console.
When Litwark realises that replacing the console will cost too much, he decides to pull the plug on Sugar Rush, causing all the denizens to to leave the game and end up homeless.
Ralph overhears the conversation between some humans about the console being sold on eBay. In order to help Vanellope, he decides that they should enter the internet, find eBay and buy the console themselves.
As the two friends enter this new unfamiliar world, they meet some interesting Netizens, such as search engine KnowsMore (Alan Tudyk), algorithm Yess that determines the trending videos for BuzzTube, and Shank (Gal Gadot), the lead character of violent game Slaughter House.
The friendship between Ralph and Vanellope is tested when Vanellope realises that Slaughter House and Shank are offering her what she has been yearning for. This drives an insecure Ralph to do the unthinkable.
Among the highlights of this film are the appearance of Disney Princesses, some popular Disney characters, characters from the Star Wars franchise, as well as a cameo by the late Stan Lee.
However, the main story is about Ralph and Vanellope and how their new environment tests their special friendship. The filmmakers convey their message well and, at the same time, make you laugh out loud at the antics of the key characters.
Malaysian and Indonesian audiences will also be privy to an original song, Sebuah Lagu, by Indonesian band Payung Teduh, which is specially composed for these two markets and appears at the end credits.
Stream Sebuah Lagu here: https://umm.lnk.to/SebuahLaguPR
