DVDizzy Forum

Q: In the clips you showed at D23 Expo 2017, Ralph and Vanellope meet a whole bunch of Disney Princesses. How did that idea come about and what was it like assembling that group for the voice-over sessions?

Rich Moore: I’m trying to think back on how it all started. I think we were pitching ideas of, ‘What are some places that [Ralph and Vanellope] could go [in the internet]?’ We knew about this Oh My Disney fan site, and a couple of us– our heads of story Jim Reardon and Josie Trinidad, and our co-writer Pam Ribbon– we were just talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if they went to Oh My Disney?’

This place has lots of listicles and quizzes. If Ralph took a quiz, like ‘Are you an Anna or an Elsa?’ And Ralph going, ‘Whoa, I’m an Elsa!’ and [that] turned into, ‘What if we personify that place? What if it felt like Comic-Con or D23 [Expo] mixed with Disneyland?’ And it just started to snowball from there.

Phil Johnston: You know what I’m remembering? The actual germ of the idea came from, ‘What if they went to the Disney Infinity website?’ which was not there anymore, and what if the characters that were in Infinity were just still hanging out there? And then from that idea, we went, ‘No, it would be better if it’s an existing site.’ So these ideas sort of grow on top of each other and build and build and build.

Rich Moore: Then as it became a real thing, you go into the practical process of, ‘Okay, now we’ve got to storyboard it. Now we have to record the dialogue. Now we have to see if the actresses are interested in coming back.’ And that was a huge piece of it. Overwhelmingly, everyone was like ‘Yes, I would love to do it.’ So we were able to get the voices of those Princesses, those who are still with us from the old days, the official voices, and everyone from the modern age to come in.

About halfway through, I had to say to myself, ‘Wow, I never thought I would be directing a movie where I would be meeting each and every one of the actresses that voiced one of the Princesses. It was like, ‘Wow, this is really happening. This is a real thing.’ And I think, gauging by the response it got at D23 [Expo], it’s a scene we’re really proud of. We’re having some fun at our own expense, but in a respectful, loving way.

Q: You mentioned Disneyland, and I was wondering if you could talk a bit more about how the park helped shape the Oh My Disney scene, and the influence of Disney theme parks on ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ in general.

Rich Moore: I think definitely the entrance to Oh My Disney is [inspired by Disneyland].

Phil Johnston: Yeah, as they’re approaching, you see the iconic castle, but as you look closely, you can see in the design it’s sort of holographic and there are floating elements to it. But the entrance to that website is without question inspired by the park.

Once you’re on the floor of the site, inside the site, it is almost more like D23 [Expo] in a way, in that there are different booths and vendors, where the quizzes and stuff are happening. But it has the feel of a D23 or a Comic-Con with elements of Disneyland or Disney World, for sure. And obviously all the Disney-owned brands are represented under that roof, so it’s a big mash-up. That website has Marvel and Star Wars and Disney Animation and Pixar and everything, so we kind of wanted to incorporate all of those things into the site.

[...] We don’t want it to feel like a Disney advertisement or anything like that, so we made sure that it’s integral to the story and natural for the characters to be there. And then we have a little fun making fun of ourselves. That’s the balance we strike of satire, and we’re trying to say something without being mean about it. I think the internet really opens the door for that kind of thing.

disneyprincess11 wrote:I am worried about how cool they're trying to be (Ralph's line of 'It's staring at my soul' for example), but it's so far, so good. But, how will this hold up to the original, which feels timeless? That's my main concern.

Mayhem wrote:Steve Markowski may have been watching Monty Python... it's just a wafer thin pancake... bon appetit!

Jules wrote:Whereas I am immensely looking forward to this film (really!), I can understand why users like Sotiris and Disney's Divinity feel underwhelmed, disappointed or even apathetic towards it.

Jules wrote:I suspect your disapproval stems from the fact that the movie is at the opposite end of what you guys consider a "worthy, epic and prestigious Disney animated motion picture."

Sotiris wrote:How did you know? Movies like WIR are not my cup of tea. They're fine but they just don't get me excited.My ideal WDAS movie would be a soaring, grand, lyrical, epic tale with big scope and high stakes that has timeless Broadway-style music and stunning hand-drawn animation.

DisneyFan09 wrote:Just wondering, Sotiris, which Disney animated feature is your very favorite?

Sotiris wrote:Oh, I can never pick just one!

DisneyFan09 wrote:But if you could pick a few?