PHIL JOHNSTON, RICH MOORE
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.5.
USA, 2018. Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures. Story by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon, Pamela Ribon, Josie Trinidad, Screenplay by Phil Johnston, Pamela Ribon. Cinematography by Nathan Warner. Produced by Clark Spencer. Music by Henry Jackman. Production Design by Cory Loftis. Film Editing by Jeremy Milton, Fabienne Rawley. Academy Awards 2018. Boston Film Critics 2018. Golden Globe Awards 2018. Washington Film Critics Awards 2018.
Having survived the multiple worlds of arcade games in their first adventure, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) now enjoy a happy friendship in the virtual waiting room that keeps video game characters occupied when kids aren’t throwing a coin in the machine slot. Ralph decides to give Vanellope’s Sugar Rush game a boost but, in doing so, overloads the system and the kid playing the game in real life breaks the console steering wheel. The owner of the arcade decides that the game isn’t worth repairing since it brings in less revenue than it would cost to fix it, so our pixellated heroes take the task on for themselves: seeing that a steering wheel is available for purchase on E-bay, they figure their way into the internet in order to bid on the item, then have to figure out how to raise capital in order to pay for it. This takes them into a series of curious confrontations and adventures, including having Vanellope get her dream job, racing cars in a meaner, tougher game led by a badass girl in leather (voiced by Gal Gadot). The story here is as flimsy as it was the last time around, featuring a familiar message about being open to change, but it’s not as tiresome as the first film, this one seems to one know how unimportant it is so, overlong running time notwithstanding, it moves from one turn of the plot to the next quickly. The state of animation seems to improve in leaps and bounds every time Pixar makes a movie, and here they show off some of their most dazzling work yet, the film is a pleasure for the senses and it suits the frothy substance of the story well.
