Ralph Breaks the Internetalmost had aGolden Girlscameo. Stan Lee, Gal Gadot, and all of the Disney Princesses weren’t enough when the sequel was in the early stages of production, according to co-directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston. In the sequel, Vanellope’s Sugar Rush video game needs to be repaired with a hard to find steering wheel, so she and Ralph head into the internet in search of the new part. Vanellope ends up at the real-life website, Oh My Disney, where she comes into contact with a whole bunch of characters from all walks of life.
As it turns out, Vanellope was going to have a run-in withThe Golden Girlswhen she arrived at Oh My Disney. Rich Moore and Phil Johnston studied the Disney website obsessively when putting togetherWreck-It Ralph 2. In addition to all of the normal Disney characters, quizzes, and lists, the site also had an odd amount of stuff dedicated toBlanche Devereaux, Rose Nylund, Dorothy Zbornak, and Sophia Petrillo. Johnston had this to say.
“As we were studying the OhMy.Disney website…The Golden Girlswere weirdly prominent throughout. They really lean in on that website toThe Golden Girls. A lot of quizzes, a lot of lists…”
After realizing that there was room forThe Golden GirlsinWreck-It Ralph 2,Rich Moore and Phil Johnstonset out to make it happen. The cameo was written and delivered to the animators, who seemed a little confused. Johnston says, “We threw it in the movie animatic and people were like, What?!” Moore went on to elaborate, noting that the inclusion of Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia might have gone over too many people’s heads. He says, “If you were not familiar with the website, it was a bit confusing.”
Stormtroopers, Stan Lee, Sonic the Hedgehog, and all of theDisney Princessesare pretty awesome inWreck-Ralph 2, but seeingThe Golden Girlsincluded would have been a pretty neat treat, even if they left them in as Easter Eggs. However, when working on such a labor-intensive project like the computer animated sequel, there’s not a whole lot of room for extra stuff, which means that everything has to have a purpose and be well-thought out way ahead of time. Even going back to fix little details can take a lot of time and require multiple animators.
Phil Johnston admits that leavingThe Golden Girlsout ofWreck-It Ralph 2might have been a mistake. When asked if he had any regrets about making the making of the sequel, Johnston said that he had one.
“You’re asking my regrets when I’m on my deathbed? It’s that - thatThe Golden Girlsare not in this movie.”
Wreck-It Ralph 2is doing just fine without anextra cameo or two. The sequel is now the second highest grossing animated Thanksgiving release, just behindFrozen, and is currently dominating this weekend’s box office. You can check out the original interview with Rich Moore and Phil Johnston over atYahoo.
