Speeding its way into theaters worldwide on November 5, 2018, the Oscar nominated movie starring video game baddie Ralph (John C. Reilly) and race car driving sweetie Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET raced to No. 1 opening weekend, winning the top spot at the domestic box office for three consistent weeks and grossing more than $435.1 million to date. The sequel to Disney's 2012 WRECK-IT RALPH, the animated film shows besties Ralph and Vanellope venturing out of the arcade to trek into brand new territory — the internet.
Although Vanellope is clearly spellbound with the feverishly fast-paced and thrilling new world she and her friend have stumbled upon, Ralph isn't quite so enthused. A creature of habit, Ralph sees no point in seeking out new adventures when the same nightly pub and the same comraderie has served him so well over the past six years. Misunderstanding Vanellope's wanderlust for betrayal, Ralphs fears he may lose the best friend he's ever had. This time around, it may not just be the duo's friendship that perishes in the face of Ralph's wrecking — this gentle giant's insecurity puts the entire world wide web is at risk.
One of the most exciting aspects of RALPHS BREAKS THE INTERNET is an auto racing game called Slaughter Race. It's here that Vanellope finds a driving companion in the tough-as-nails Shank, voiced by WONDER WOMAN's Gal Gadot. The pair's introduction consists of flying through streets via high speed cars, zipping in and out of freeway lanes, underpasses, and any other surface that can double as a race track.
It was extremely important to Disney that both the race cars and the racing itself felt real to the audience, so that they, too, could feel what's it's like to be put in the driver's seat. Almost as if they were playing the game themselves. That's when Head of Animation's Renato Dos Anjos decided to bring in renowned Stunt Consultant Jeremy Fry, the man who not only gained a reputation for his work on THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, BLACK PANTHER and JOHN WICK, but also recently aided director Edgar Wright in bringing BABY DRIVER to life. Together, the team successfully places the viewer behind the wheel, giving both Vanellope's character and the film itself an extra edge.
I was lucky enough to visit the Willow Springs International Raceway on behalf of JoBlo, where I learned firsthand from experts like Danny McKeever what it's like to corner a turn at 90 mph, and how to properly drift without flipping your car. We were given the same experience the crew gave the animators when they were in the process of researching for the film, riding alongside experts and getting a top notch education in how a real racer shifts his feet and moves his hand when operating a high speed vehicle. I also had the pleasure of chatting with the animator Anjos himself, as well as stuntman Fry, to discuss how exactly the gang used locomotion to mimic the movement of both the cars and the characters driving them in order to make RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET as realistic as possible.
Check out the full interview and all of the race track footage via the video above, and make sure to pick up a copy of RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET for yourself, out now on Digital, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD.