Premiere - Ralph Breaks the internet World Premiere Los Angeles

By Mulder, Los Angeles, Hollywood, El Capitan, 05 november 2018

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the internet!” —Vanellope von Schweetz

Ralph Breaks the Internet welcomes back to the big screen video-game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellopevon Schweetz. This time, they leave Litwak’s video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and fast-paced world of the internet—which can be both incredibly exciting and overwhelming, depending on who you ask. The follow-up to 2012’s Wreck-It Ralph marks the first feature-length theatrical sequel from Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2000’s “Fantasia 2000,” which was a sequel to 1940’s Fantasia. The only other sequel in the Disney Animati on canon is 1990’s “The Rescuers Down Under.” “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is WDAS’ firstever sequel to be created by the original film’s writing/directing team. What is it about the characters of Ralph and Vanellope that called for an encore?

Ralph and Vanellope are imperfect characters says Academy Award-winning director Rich Moore (“Zootopia”), who directed the original fi lm. “But we love them because of their flaws. Their friendship is so genuine—the chemistry between them so engaging—that I think we were all anxious to know more about these characters.” Phil Johnston (co-writer “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Zootopia,” writer “Cedar Rapids”) was one of the screenwriters on “Wreck-It Ralph” and is back as a writer and also a director. “Ralph and Vanellope had only known each other for a short time, yet they became best friends and we love them for that,” says Johnston. “But it didn’t feel like their story was over—there were more adventures to be had. And Vanellope, in particular, was starting to come into her own.”

When “Wreck-It Ralph” opened on Nov. 2, 2012, it turned in the highest opening weekend ever for a Walt Disney Animati on Studios film at the time. Producer Clark Spencer (“Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Bolt,” “Lilo & Sti tch”) won the PGA Award for outstanding producer of an animated theatrical motion picture, and the fi lm won five Annie Awards, including best animated feature, director, screenplay and actor. It was also nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for best animated feature. Says Spencer, “I think people really responded to the fact that it didn’t sit within the typical Disney canon—people liked that we were pushing the boundaries and loved that we were going into a world that, though set in a retro arcade, felt completely modern for a Disney animated film.” After wrapping “Wreck-It Ralph,” Moore, Johnston and Spencer all switched gears, creating “Zootopia,” 2016’s Oscar-winning animated feature fi lm that introduced moviegoers to a vast modern mammal metropolis and its animal inhabitants. Moore helmed the fi lm with fellow director Byron Howard; Johnston was co-writer (with Jared Bush) and Spencer produced. Says Johnston, “‘Zootopia’ really showed us that you can push the tone and the emotional depth of a story pre???? y far with a family audience and it will resonate as long as it’s truthful.

While Ralph Breaks the Internet’ will make people laugh, I think some of the emotional struggles that Ralph and Vanellope go through in this movie are pretty intense and complicated,” continues Johnston. “We’re exploring the reality of all relationships, which come with ups and downs. Friendships are tested from time to time, and Ralph and Vanellope have to navigate the complexity of theirs—while a???? empting to navigate the vast and often intimidating internet. And the internet, says Moore, is massive. “We came away from ‘Zootopia’ with the ability to build a world as big as that city—with its distinct districts that were all fully realized and uniquely populated on a scale that was mind-blowing,” he says. “The technology here has taken a huge step forward in the last few years and we wanted to keep that going with ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ since we are dealing with the world of the internet. It’s not only big, it’s dense with characters and places to go. This is the most complex animated film we’ve ever made in terms of locations, characters, heavy design and assets.”

Directed by Moore and Johnston, and produced by Spencer, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” welcomes back favorite cast and characters introduced six years ago, including John C. Reilly, who provides the voice of Ralph, and Sarah Silverman, who returns as the voice of Vanellope. Lending a virtual hand to Ralph and Vanellope is Shank, voiced by Gal Gadot, a tough-as-nails driver from a gritty online auto-racing game called Slaughter Race, a place Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces—so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he’s ever had. Yesss, voiced by Taraji P. Henson, the head algorithm and the heart and soul of the trend-making site BuzzzTube, makes Ralph a viral sensati on. Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch return as the voices of Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun, respecti vely, and Alan Tudyk was called on to voice a search engine named KnowsMore—literally a know-it-all—who runs a search bar and helps Ralph and Vanellope on their quest.

The film features a screenplay by Phil Johnston and Pamela Ribon, and story by Moore, Johnston, Jim Reardon, Ribon and Josie Trinidad. The soundtrack includes original songs “Zero,” written and performed by Imagine Dragons; “A Place Called Slaughter Race,” performed by Silverman and Gadot with music by Disney Legend Alan Menken and lyrics by Johnston and Tom MacDougall, and a score by composer Henry Jackman. Julia Michaels performs a pop-version of “A Place Called Slaughter Race” called “In This Place,” which is the second end-credits song.

Ralph Breaks the Internet takes Ralph and Vanellope to a vast, unfamiliar world with endless possibilities. When filmmakers put themselves in the characters’ shoes, they realized Ralph and Vanellope would have completely different points of view when it came to the internet. Says director Rich Moore, “They’re like a couple of smalltown kids who venture into the big city. One falls in love with the city, while the other one can’t wait to go home.” Ralph is in love with the life that he has,” adds director Phil Johnston. “But Vanellope is ready for a change—she wants to spread her wings a little. That creates conflict within their friendship, which becomes the heart of the story.”

I love that the film is about change says producer Clark Spencer. “Two best friends are about to realize that the world won’t always be the same. The internet is the perfect seeing, really, because it’s all about change—things change by the second.” The story kicks off in the arcade, where Ralph and Vanellope have been living harmoniously—fulfi lling their duties in their games during the day and hanging out together in their neighboring arcade games at night. “Vanellope is lamenting the fact that her game is getting a little boring,” says Johnston. “So, Ralph takes it upon himself to amplify the excitement in Sugar Rush. And Ralph being Ralph—it doesn’t go exactly as planned.” Ralph’s shenanigans trigger a chain of events that culminate with a player in the arcade accidentally breaking the steering wheel off Vanellope’s game. When Litwak learns that a replacement part would cost more than the game makes in a year, he has no choice but to unplug Sugar Rush and sell it for parts. “The part they need to fix the game is at a place on the internet called eBay,” says Pamela Ribon, who co-wrote the screenplay with Johnston. “Ralph and Vanellope have never heard of the internet, much less eBay, but Litwak has installed a router, so the arcade is actually online for the fi rst ti me. They decide to take the leap into this unknown world and travel to the internet in order to find the steering wheel and save Vanellope’s game.

The internet strikes them as loud, fast, crazy and completely unpredictable,” conti nues Ribon. “Ralph is nervous and uncomfortable, and Vanellope is smitten, of course.” Ralph wasn’t the only one who was overwhelmed at the idea of exploring the internet from the inside out. According to director of story Jim Reardon, the process of seiing the story in the World Wide Web was intimidating at first. “It’s still intimidating,” he laughs. “It never stopped being intimidating. We looked at how we could make the internet relatable on a human level—like how Game Central Station aka the power strip mirrored a train station in the first movie. In ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet,’ any person who uses the internet has a little avatar version of themselves that does their business for them. It’s like an old Tex Avery joke about the light in the refrigerator—how does it go off when I shut the door? A little door opens and a ti ny man comes out and turns the switch off .“But we didn’t want to make the movie about the internet,” conti nues Reardon. “It’s the place where the movie takes place, but the story is about the relati onship between Ralph and Vanellope.”

Head of story Josie Trinidad adds, “The first movie ends with the idea that these two misfits are kindred spirits— they have the same sense of humor. We didn’t want to just give the audience more of that friendship—we have to see that relationship grow.” Ralph Breaks the Internet features both fresh and familiar faces with an extraordinary voice cast that brings humor and emotional depth to the all-new story. According to producer Clark Spencer, recording this cast was unique, particularly because one of the actors preferred to liven up his recording sessions. “John C. Reilly likes to record with the other actors,” says Spencer. Most actors record by themselves in animation, but John feels that he performs better if he’s acting off of someone. He likes to riff , so he and Sarah [Silverman] recorded together every single time.”Adds director Rich Moore, “John and Sarah have such great chemistry between them and it really comes across in their performances. Ralph and Vanellope inherited that chemistry.” Director Phil Johnston says their rapport extends beyond the funny scenes. “When they were asked to do a more emotional scene, it was raw. The tears were genuine. They found the emotion just standing across from each other. That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of in this movie: the emotional depth and complexity that Ralph and Vanellope experience.”

Ralph Breaks the Internet had its premiere in Los Angeles El Capitan Theatre few hours ago. The directors Phil Johnston (and screenwriter) and Rich Moore, the producer Clark Spencer, the screenwriter Pamela Ribon , the main casting voices John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack Mc Braye, Jane Lynch, Taraji P Henson, Alan Tudyk, Mandy Moore, the rock band Imagine Dragons and Aulii Cravalho, Jennifer Hale, Jennifer Lee, Jodi Benson, Kate Higgins, Ming Na Wenand, Linda Larkin, Paige OHara and Tom Mac Dougall were among the guests present to this World Premiere.

Here are the official interviews videos :

Itw Alan Tudyk

Itw Aulii Cravalho

Itw Clark Spencer

Itw Imagine Dragons

Itw Jack Mc Brayer

Itw Jane Lynch

Itw Jennifer Hale

Itw Jennifer Lee

Itw Jodi Benson

Itw John C Reilly

Itw Kate Higgins

Itw Mandy Moore

Itw Ming Na Wenand and Linda Larkin

Itw Paige OHara

Itw Pamela Ribon

Itw Phil Johnston and Rich Moore

Itw Sarah Silverman

Itw Taraji P Henson

Itw Tom Mac Dougall

Synopsis :
Six years after the events of the first film, the steering wheel controller on the Sugar Rush game console breaks, forcing Mr. Litwak to unplug the machine. Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz evacuate all of the Sugar Rush residents to other games before it is shut down, placing the racers in the care of Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun. Ralph and Vanellope then use the arcade's new connection to the Internet to go looking for a replacement steering wheel. While they find a source for a replacement wheel, they need money, leading them to join a free-to-play violent racing game Slaughter Race where they meet Shank, one of the game's drivers. Vanellope is taken in by what Slaughter Race has to offer over Sugar Rush and Shank becomes a big sister figure for Vanellope, making Ralph concerned that Vanellope no longer looks up to him nor will return to her game. Along the way, the two encounter new customs, worlds, and characters, such as trendy algorithms and the Disney Princess lineup with The Muppets, Star Wars, Disney Animation, Marvel Comics and Pixar characters.

Ralph Breaks the Internet
Directed by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston
Produced by Clark Spencer
Screenplay by Phil Johnston, Pamela Ribon
Story by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon, Pamela Ribon, Josie Trinidad
Based on Characters by Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon
Starring John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Alfred Molina, Alan Tudyk, Ed O'Neill
Music by Henry Jackman
Cinematography : Nathan Warner, Brian Leach
Edited by Jeremy Milton
Production companies : Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date : November 21, 2018 (USA), February 13, 2019 (France)
Running time : 112 minutes

Videos and photos: ©DISNEY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

(Source: press release)