Reflections of/on Contemporary Disney Animation: Ralph Breaks the Internet

This concluding chapter uses Ralph Breaks the Internet to map the book’s main discoveries regarding Disney’s re-envisioning of its contemporary animation, enlightening intersections between Disney animation and Hollywood, as well as live-action cinema and animation. It also considers this film as an entry point for possible avenues of research in relation to Disney’s animated output, which evolves within and engages with an ever-expanding cinematic universe. The first part of this chapter analyses the ways in which Ralph Breaks the Internet revisits the portrayal of the Disney Princess, pointing to distinct generic shifts emerging from Disney’s contemporary cycle of animated fairy tales and musicals. The second part focuses on the remobilisation of Disney’s musical tropes, and the merging of action and musical, a recurring generic combination throughout the studio’s contemporary output. The third part of this chapter explores how Ralph Breaks the Internet maps Disney’s shifts within and overall move towards the action mode. In parallel, the development of multiple buddy relationships and the reconfiguration of gendered dynamics within the film point to subtle convergences with romantically influenced animated features.