When trailers for “Wreck-It Ralph’s” new sequel popped up, it was not hard to draw comparisons to last year’s animated corporate sell-out “Emoji Movie.”  “Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet” had a lot of very similar features shown in it’s trailers: the main characters going on a mission across the vast world of the internet to achieve some kind of goal, popular social media and TV/movie properties cropping up here and there, etc.

Emoji Movie was panned by critics and fans alike as a cash grab, but does “Wreck-It Ralph 2” do the same?

Yes, “Wreck-It Ralph 2” does share some similarities, but traveling the internet in search of something is where that ends. The story centers around two friends from two different arcade games (Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz) going on a journey to find a replacement part for Candy Rush, Vanellope’s game recently put out of commission due to a broken steering wheel.

There are some elements of their travels across the internet that will get an eye roll from those that are tired of pop culture references prevalently showing up in much of modern media. However, the focus is taken off those references quickly enough so that they do not become overbearing, and allows the film to stand on its own without relying too heavily on them for support.

The overall story, although set up as a grandiose adventure across new territory, is more-so a character study. Ralph and Vanellope start off in one place in their friendship (previously established in the first film), and have that relationship evolve over the course of the movie. It seems like they will play the usual beats for this kind of storyline, but as it continues to play out to the conclusion of the film, it develops in a rather more satisfying fashion than expected.

Overall, although “Wreck-It Ralph 2” plays with themes that have been done before, it uses those elements in a somewhat different way to make the movie unpredictable and entertaining. It might not be the most original idea, but it’s at least worth a watch.

Also – remember to stick around to the end credits. You won’t regret it.