Parent’s Guide to ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’

“Ralph Breaks the Internet: A Kid’s Movie and Parental Nightmare”

In the world of parenting, there exists a moment of profound realization when your child joyfully utters the word “YouTube.” It’s a word that can send shivers down the spine of any parent, especially when accompanied by a gleeful squeal. I found myself in this situation when my youngest child, aged 5, enthusiastically proclaimed, “YOUTUBE!” while watching the blockbuster Disney movie, Ralph Breaks the Internet. This seemingly innocent encounter with the familiar red logo, which once symbolized harmless cartoon videos of Peppa Pig, Mickey Mouse, and Mario Party boss battles, had now become a source of trepidation.

My unease stemmed from reading a chilling Medium article entitled “Something is wrong on the internet.” It detailed how malevolent forces, including sadists and Russian bots, managed to sneak violent and disturbing content past YouTube’s safety filters. After learning of these alarming revelations, I decided to take swift action and informed my children that YouTube had been permanently shut down. As any parent knows, children are remarkably resourceful, and my kids were not entirely convinced by my hastily crafted explanation. Nonetheless, they knew enough to keep their curiosity at bay, at least for the time being.

The relief I felt when Ralph Breaks the Internet shifted its focus from the digital abyss of the World Wide Web to a virtual Disney theme park was palpable. My 5-year-old began excitedly blurting out less controversial brand names like “TSUM TSUMS!” and “ELSA!” Tsum Tsums, for those uninitiated in the world of Disney merchandise, are adorable miniature toy replicas of beloved Disney characters. Incidentally, my children had first encountered these collectibles on—you guessed it—YouTube.

Ralph Breaks the Internet walks a fine line between being a solid kids’ movie and a parental nightmare of epic proportions. Serving as the sequel to the 2012 hit Wreck-It Ralph, the film reunites us with John C. Reilly’s character, Ralph, the hulking but lovable “bad guy” from an ’80s arcade game who aspires to become a hero. This time, Ralph embarks on a series of zany adventures in the digital realm of the Internet, alongside his improbable friend, Vanellope von Schweetz, a race car driver with a candy-coated exterior and voiced by the irreverent Sarah Silverman. In true 21st-century fashion, the film douses itself in nostalgia for things like video arcades that today’s children have only read about in history books, or rather, heard about from their parents.

Ralph Breaks the Internet raked in nearly half a billion dollars globally, setting the stage for a sequel that plunges Ralph into a new frontier of chaos—the Internet. From its cheeky title to its digital plotline, the movie serves as a double-edged sword: a shiny object of fascination for kids that simultaneously triggers distress signals for adults. The storyline unfolds as the arcade gets Wi-Fi, leading to a quest by Ralph and Vanellope to purchase a replacement steering wheel for Vanellope’s racing game from the sprawling online marketplace, eBay. Their journey propels them into a whimsical digital landscape, a bustling city adorned with Google, Snapchat, Fandango, and other familiar online giants. Amid these digital adventures, Vanellope becomes enamored with a gritty, Grand Theft Auto-inspired online game called Slaughter Race, while Ralph ascends to online stardom on BuzzzTube, an eerie yet eerily recognizable social network governed by Yesss, a sentient algorithm voiced by Taraji P. Henson. And let’s not forget the perilous detour through the comments section.

Essentially, Ralph earns money by starring in viral videos, mirroring the benign-to-sinister transformation described in that infamous Medium article. He participates in unboxing sessions, makeup tutorials, spicy pepper-eating antics, Joy of Painting parodies, and even close-up shots of his lip-smacking face. In response, the Internet denizens chant “heart, heart, heart, heart, heart” while flinging hearts at him, which are then vacuumed up and converted into digital currency. Meanwhile, Vanellope finds herself on a Disney website, pursued by Star Wars stormtroopers for engaging in “unauthorized clickbait.” She takes refuge in a dressing room teeming with Disney princesses in pajamas—an encounter that, while disturbing, mercifully wipes the “heart, heart, heart” chant from my consciousness.

Ralph Breaks the Internet astutely recognizes children’s fascination with the Internet and the simultaneous terror it instills in parents. The film doesn’t feature a traditional villain; instead, it presents a ghostly virus that wreaks havoc by finding and exploiting weaknesses in online code, echoing the notion of malicious online behavior. Ralph fights back with a Pinterest pin wielded like a colossal club—a metaphorical representation of the chaos that ensues when the digital world amplifies our neediness, clinginess, and self-destructive tendencies.

The film ultimately conveys the message that the Internet is not a realm of good versus evil but a domain where the good can be tainted and the tainted can be redeemed. The credits roll to the tune of an Imagine Dragons song, a seemingly fitting choice.

As parents in 2018, we face a formidable challenge: how to prepare our children for the predominantly perilous online world they will inevitably inhabit for a significant portion of their lives. We stand at two extremes—either futilely attempting to convince our kids that YouTube has ceased to exist or embracing the role of the wayward Instagram mommy blogger who celebrates her son’s birthday by obsessing over his online popularity statistics. Ralph Breaks the Internet provides little concrete advice, but it underscores the Internet’s allure and perils. In a world of animated wonder, it reminds us of the importance of open conversations about online safety, ensuring our children can navigate this brave new digital realm with both curiosity and caution.

However, the impact of these themes may not be as profound on our children as we might assume. Kids’ movies often contain elements that fly over their heads, from humor to morality. For instance, despite the potential influence of Ralph Breaks the Internet, my 7-year-old’s immediate post-movie verdict was simple: the first movie was better. In many ways, it’s a perspective that could find a comfortable home in the uncharted territory of a movie comments section—had they not been permanently shut down, immediately, forever.

We bring out some of the most well-known Disney collection, all of which are available at reasonable costs. Visit our link now if you are interested in the Disney collection

Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Roo, Hercules