Disney's Wreck-It Ralph was a smash hit at the box office, a hit with critics, and a real contender for the Academy Awards' Best Animated Feature honor. With so much success, a sequel seemed a very likely possibility. By December, Disney announced Wreck-It Ralph 2 was on its way to becoming a reality.
With such an expansive world inspired by video games, the filmmakers are spoiled for choice in where the story might go. Previously, director Rich Moore publically pondered including games like Angry Birds and Words With Friends into the Wreck-It Ralph fold. And with the DVD release coming next week, a new round of interviews has divulged even more possibilities! Speaking with Hypable, Moore admitted he and John C. Reilly, who voiced the titular anti-hero, were kicking around some ways to expand Ralph's world. He explains:
"Are there other Ralphs that are more contemporary? Is there another version of the game that was made for mobile? Are there those kind of Super Smash Brothers type games where all the characters are gathered in a fighting game? What would that be like for Ralph to come face to face with those different iterations of himself? And it’s created some really cool conversations…it’s something we’re playing around with right now.”
Seeing different versions of Ralph would definitely be an energizing way to keep this potential franchise fresh. Consider how much fun Pixar had with rebooted Buzz Lightyear and Spanish Buzz in Toy Story 3. The idea of Ralph having to potentially face off against alternate versions of himself is not just an intriguing plot device, but also another way gaming culture can fuel this film. What if other Wreck-It Ralphs haven't had that moment of self-realization that their job as a bad guy doesn't define who they are? A different Wreck-It Ralph could be a villain in the sequel! Or else there could be an army of Ralphs, teaming up against an even more formidable foe than the ravenous aliens from the first film.
Obviously, I'm really pumped about where the story could go from here, but for now Moore and company are still working out a plotline. Disney hasn't even greenlit the project, which is actually a good sign as it suggests the studio wants a solid story on the table before barreling into production. So for now, we'll just have to let Moore process his thoughts on the world of Wreck-It Ralph as we savor the movie's lushly realized characters and settings, and revisit its wild adventure again and again on DVD and Blu-ray.
