Meet the Cast of Ralph Breaks the Internet

By Erin

I attended the press junket for Ralph Breaks the Internet for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own

“Ralph Breaks the Internet” welcomes back to the big screen, video-game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and best friend Vanellope (voice of Sarah Silverman) as they leave the comforts of Litwak’s arcade in an attempt to save her game. Their adventure takes them to the vast world of the internet, a world Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces—so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he’s ever had. 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. You will have to see the film when it comes out this Wednesday, November 21st to see what happens, but first meet the cast and what they had to share with us!

The press conference took place on Saturday, November 3rd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The talent in attendance included:

John C. Reilly (voice of “Ralph”)
Sarah Silverman (voice of “Vanellope”)
Taraji P. Henson (voice of “Yesss”)
Jack McBrayer (voice of “Felix”)
Director Rich Moore
Director Phil Johnston
Producer Clark Spencer
Co-Writer Pamela Ribon
Moderator: Dani Fernandez

Dani Fernandez started things off by asking a question we all had. “Wreck It Ralph took place six years ago. And at the end, it seemed like things were going pretty good for Ralph and Vanellope. I thought it was going pretty good. Why did you feel that you needed to revisit them?”

The filmmakers Rich Moore and Phil Johnston shared with us that they also thought the characters were on a good lace but then they took a look at the very last line of the first movie. “We looked at the very last line of the first movie where Ralph says, after going friendless for the whole movie and then finally making a friend, he’s back home and says, if that little kid likes me, how bad can I be? And it seemed at the time, it’s so sweet. It’s a wonderful sentiment. But then as we continued to kind of pick at it, we said, that’s really, really dysfunctional. That this guy is defining himself by what his best friend thinks. And it’s a great best friend. But what if she were not to like him someday? What would that lead to? Knowing that he still had quite a bit of insecurity, he still had farther to go in his journey. Then we had only known Vanellope for like 35 minutes or 40 minutes. So she has a whole other story. We had to keep going with these characters.”

What about the famous princess scene? We all wanted to know the favorite moments from the princess scene and how that kind of changes with Vanellope being added.

Pamela Ribon told us, ” It was amazing to be able to work with all the original voice actresses to come back and add everything that they bring to the characters. And what a dream come true to have Vanellope Von Schweetz now officially part of the Canon, which was the whole point the whole time. The hoody princess reigns supreme.”Then Sarah was asked, “Every little girl’s dream is to have their own Disney princess song. What was it like to finally get your own Disney princess song?”

Sarah Silverman enthusiastically told us, “It was a dream come true. I couldn’t believe it. When you guys told me I was going to have a song, we had already been recording for a while. I couldn’t believe it. And the music was written by Alan Menken and I got to meet him and work with him and rehearse with him. And he played somewhere that’s green for me to sing from my favorite. He wrote Little Shop of Horrors, my favorite. And of course it’s like this Disney icon of iconic songs. It was incredible. Then we recorded with a whole orchestra. Like you see in old timely movies. He was crazy. It was really the thrill of a lifetime.”

SELFIE! In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Vanellope von Schweetz hits the internet where she encounters and then befriends the Disney princesses. Filmmakers invited the original voice talent to return to the studio to help bring their characters to life, including Sarah Silverman (Vanellope in Ralph Breaks the Internet), Aulii Cravalho (Moana), Kristen Bell (Anna in Frozen), Idina Menzel (Elsa in Frozen), Kelly MacDonald (Merida in Brave), Mandy Moore (Rapunzel in Tangled), Anika Noni Rose (Tiana in The Princess and the Frog), Ming-Na Wen (Mulan), Irene Bedard (Pocahontas), Linda Larkin (Jasmine in Aladdin), Paige OHara (Belle in Beauty and the Beast), and Jodi Benson (Ariel in The Little Mermaid). ©2018 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

The conversation ended with this last one. There is one last scene in the movie where Felix and his wife talk about what the secrets of being a good parent are. The cast was asked, “What is the secret to being a good parent?”

Tara started with sharing, “I’ll just say honesty and truth. Now with the Internet, you can’t shelter them much. You just have to be as honest as you can. Just tell them the facts and guide them. And hope they don’t run into a wall. John C. Reilly then added, “I think the secret, I mean, there’s many secrets that you can only know through your own personal experience with a child. But I would say the most important thing for me is seeing who the child is as opposed to who you want them to be or who you think they will become. But who are they? And that includes what kind of school does this kid need to go to? Not what kind of school does our family go to? What kind of school does this kid need to go to? And if you have more than one kid, it’s different for each one. So basically, recognizing the humanity of that person, the distinct identity apart from you. And accepting it.

Rich Moore thoughtfully stated, “Never talking down to my kids. Always talking to them as human beings. And not trying to aim them towards things. But really kind of responding to what they wanted very much like what John was saying. Phil Johnston said, “I won’t top any of those. I was not a terribly exceptional kid. I am not worried that my kids aren’t geniuses and aren’t… it’s what John is saying. I’m not going to shove them into something that they don’t want. I don’t care that they’re not the best at math right now. That I love them and I’ll help them. And they’re going to be fine. I will do my best to keep them safe and let them know that. They have enough pressure in the world. They don’t need it from me. So I think it’s all sort of saying the same things. Pamela Ribon ended it with this, “My mom very similarly, you’re not the most special one in any room. No. It worked out. Look at what room I’m in. It’s a great room. But you just try. I try to listen which I think really comes into that, too. So that you find out what kind of kid they are. You listen to the kid that they’re telling you they are. And listen because sometimes the first thing they’re saying to you isn’t the thing they really mean. There’s something in there that they’re struggling with because they’re new at saying it.”

Afterwards we had a chance to check out a lot of the awesome merchandise you will want to have for your own from Ralph Breaks the Internet!