“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the sequel to the hit 2012 animated comedy “Wreck-It Ralph,” will be released in theaters on Nov. 21, 2018.
Rich Moore returns to produce the movie along with Phil Johnston (who had a hand in the screenplay). The producer is Clark Spencer and, in a tag team with Johnston, the screenplay is written by Pamela Ribon.
The film will see the return of five voice talents that were present in the original movie. Those being John C. Reilly as Ralph, Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz, Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix Jr., Jane Lynch as Tamora Jean Calhoun, Ed O’Neill as Mr. Litwak. Alan Tudyk will also be a returning voice, but will not reprise his role as King Candy and will instead be a character known as KnowsMore.
Some new voices that will be on the cast are Taraji P. Henson, Gal Gadot, Bill Hader, and Alfred Molina.
Originally, in October 2012, there were already talks of the sequel prior to “Wreck-It Ralph” being released for public viewing. Moore, at the time, thought about bringing the characters more into modern times by allowing them to explore online and console gaming. In 2014, the composer Henry Jackman stated that the story was being written already for the sequel followed by Reilly in July 2015 signing on to reprise his role.
March 2017 was the announcement of the title “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.” The original release of the movie was supposed to be a year later on March 9, 2018, though “A Wrinkle in Time” ended up in its place, something noted in April 2017, pushing the sequel to the current release date.
In July, Disney decided to shorten the title and cut out the original’s name, leaving the title at its final stage.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” begins six years after the end of the first movie and starts with an incident that involves the steering wheel console on Sugar Rush to break. Due to this, Mr. Litwak must unplug the machine, sending the world of Sugar Rush into chaos as Ralph and Vanellope work to 
save all the people inside and get them to another game. From there, the duo discovers a way to the internet and go in order to find a replacement steering wheel to bring Sugar Rush back into an operable state.
In need of money for the purchase, they hop into a free-to-play game known as Slaughter Race where they meet a driver named Shank. Vanellope winds up developing a sibling relationship with her, leading to Ralph worrying about whether she admires him anymore and, more importantly, if she will want to return to Sugar Rush in the end.
Per the last film, the sequel will also contain various pop culture references and cameos as the cast travels around the internet. This includes all the Disney Princesses to date, Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, Grumpy, Eeyore, Tinker Bell, Nick Wilde, Buzz Lightyear, Baymax, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, First Order Stormtroopers, and even Iron Man. Along with this colorful cameo cast, would be video game character cameos such as Sonic the Hedgehog.
“Wreck-It Ralph” itself was a critical and commercial success and ended up gross an estimate of $471 million worldwide with only a $165 million budget for the project.
The film was nominated for several accolades and won a handful, including Best Animated Feature along with Best Directing, Music, Voice Acting, and Writing in the Annie Awards. Along with this, they received nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
With anticipation high for the sequel, here’s to hoping that it will turn out as beloved as its predecessor.
Erika Brandenburg
Arts and Entertainment Editor