Stormtroopers from Star Wars chase Vanellope for advertising "unauthorized clickbait" of Ralph's videos, before she escapes with the help of the entire Disney Princess Line. Ralph, afraid of change in this wired new world and worried that his friendship with Vanellope is in danger because she wants to move from the arcade to an online game, enlists a virus that escapes his control. … Ralph, the surrogate for the film's older audience and their inability to understand their children's online lifestyle, accepts that Vanellope deserves her independence. He also accepts the branded triviality that her independence entails. Again the ideology is clear. Spot the reference. Buy the merchandise. Bring your kids, but don't be overbearing. Let them grow up unaccompanied in this toxic, branded world. "Let her go," Ralph tells the horde, fixing his insecurity and instructing parents everywhere.

XREF: Connects to broader critiques of children's media as corporate ideology, echoing similar readings of animated film product placements and licensing. SEED: An essay angle: how 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' frames corporate online spaces as inevitability that parents should accept rather than question.

Andrew deWaard, Derivative Media, loc. 438