Ralph Breaks the Internet 4K Blu-ray Review

• Review Summary
• Review Specs

Ralph Breaks the Internet Summary

Directed by Rich Moore (Academy Award-winning “Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) and Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia,” writer, “Cedar Rapids”), and produced by Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt,” “Lilo & Stitch”), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” welcomes back favorite cast and characters introduced six years ago, including Reilly, who provides the voice of Ralph, and Silverman, who returns as the voice of Vanellope. Lending a virtual hand to Ralph and Vanellope is Shank, voiced by Gal Gadot, a tough-as-nails driver from a gritty online auto-racing game called Slaughter Race, a place Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces — so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he’s ever had. Yesss, voiced by Taraji P. Henson, the head algorithm and the heart and soul of the trend-making site BuzzzTube, makes Ralph a viral sensation. Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch return as the voices of Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun, respectively, and Disney Animation’s good luck charm, actor Alan Tudyk was called on to voice a search engine named KnowsMore — literally a know-it-all — who runs a search bar and helps Ralph and Vanellope on their quest. Lots of exciting cameos are also featured in the film including a scene that reunites all of the original (living) Disney Princess voice cast.

Ralph Breaks the Internet Movie Review

I never saw the first Ralph film, despite friends telling me it was great, so I went into this at the theater with no idea what to expect. Thankfully it is one of the better animated films in recent memory. While filled with jokes and humor that kids will highly enjoy (mine certainly did), it also has a lot to offer parents and other more mature viewers. The themes of friendship and being secure in yourself are well done and will hold up over time—even if some pop-culture reference might not—and it was just as enjoyable on disc the second time as in theaters. Ralph comes away highly recommended, and kids will enjoy it as much as their parents do.

Ralph Breaks the Internet Technical Review

Ralph Breaks the Internet is all computer animated and made at 2K resolution, which is what this release is based on. After thinking about this for a bit, I’ve decided it’s no longer appropriate to downgrade a computer-animated film for having a 2K source. We don’t knock films that were shot at 2.8K or 3.4K resolution on ARRI cameras and given a 4K digital intermediate, even though they don’t use every pixel, so a movie that is rendered at 2K shouldn’t be punished for having a 2K master. And in that view, the image in Ralph Breaks the Internet comes across perfectly. Colors are bold and rich, HDR is used quite often throughout, and there isn’t a trace of banding, aliasing, or other artifacts to distract from the image. Unlike the last animated film I reviewed, there is no shadow crush here and the image never feels dark. While it can’t show the incredible sharpness that a film like MI: Fallout (in the IMAX scenes) can due to the 2K rendering, it looks as good as is likely possible based on the original sources.

The Atmos soundtrack for Ralph Breaks the Internet requires no considerations for the original sources as it sounds just fantastic. The low-end frequency impact here is good, as this has been an area of concern in some Disney releases. The Internet provides an environment where objects move all around you and the Atmos channels do a good job of placing you into that environment and the environmental effects are top-notch when they are used. At the end of the film where the soundtrack kicks in you feel even more impact than before. This actually causes me to knock the overall soundtrack a bit, as the closing credit provide a bit more impact than some parts of the film do, so the mix could be a bit more dynamic. It is still a very good mix but just could have a bit more “oomph” to it at points.

Ralph Breaks the Internet Special Features

Blu-ray & Digital:

• How We Broke the Internet –Go behind the scenes at Walt Disney Animation Studios to get an in-depth look at how the filmmakers brought a world to life that billions of people visit every day but never actually see – the internet. Take a front-row seat as the team reveals the inspirations for the story and what it took to bring it to the screen. Discover all that went into developing the characters of the film including netizens like KnowsMore as well as characters like Double Dan. See the lengths the team took to create the car chase scenes in Slaughter Race and much, much more.
• Surfing for Easter Eggs – Surf the web for the near-countless Easter Eggs, inside jokes and references hidden throughout the movie.
• The Music of Ralph Breaks the Internet – Take a look at the music of Ralph Breaks the Internet with appearances by Imagine Dragons, Julia Michaels, Alan Menken, Sarah Silverman and more.
• Deleted Scenes – Five deleted scenes with intros from directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston. Scenes include Into the Internet, Opposites, Domestic Hell, Bubble of One & Recruiting “Grandma.”
• BuzzzTube Cats – Many videos were created by the animators to fill the screens of the Internet world…and lots of them are of cats! Check out the BuzzzTube to watch this hilarious cat compilation.
• Music Videos – “Zero” by Imagine Dragons and “In This Place” by Julia Michaels.

Digital Exclusive:

• Baby Drivers – Slaughter Racing School – Take a spin behind the wheel with the artists behind Ralph Breaks the Internet as they go to race car driving school.

Ralph Breaks the Internet Review System

Sony A1E OLED, Vizio PQ LCD, Panasonic UB820 UltraHD Blu-ray Player, KEF Ci5160RL-THX Fronts, Ci3160RL-THX Center, 2x Ci200RR-THX Surrounds, 4x CI200RR-THX Atmos Speakers, Anthem MRX 1120 Receiver, SVS PB-3000 subwoofer.