There’s Only One Character ‘Wreck-It Ralph 2’ Couldn’t Get The Rights To

DISNEY

The Wreck-It Ralph sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet, is stuffed with cameos. There’s the much-discussed Disney Princess scenes, as well as returning video game favorites from the first film, including Sonic, Q*bert, and Pac-Man and his many ghosts. (Be on the lookout for a Marvel-ous icon, too.) But there’s one character that co-director Rich Moore that Disney couldn’t secure the rights to.

Moore wanted to make Herbie the Love Bug, from 1968’s The Love Bug (or, uh, 2005’s Herbie: Fully Loaded starring Lindsay Lohan), the butler in the Disney princess scene as “the guy that comes in and interrupts. I wanted so bad to have Herbie the Love Bug to be in the scene, and we built a Volkswagen. But, Moore explained, “it turns out that Disney doesn’t own that character, it’s owned by someone else. So that was heartbreaking. I loved those movies.” The role instead went to fussy droid C-3PO, who is not the love bug you’re looking for.

[Minor Wreck-It Ralph 2 spoilers]

Can we expect Herbie to show up in Wreck-It Ralph 3? It’s unlikely, because there’s probably not going to be a Wreck-It Ralph 3. “I don’t know because I feel good about where they’re at,” co-director Phil Johnston said about a third movie. “I mean you could envision like plot things where something gets screwed up and they have to reconnect to fix it. But in terms of it being a story of maturation for Ralph? The internet represents the sort of adult phase of their life. And I think Ralph [has] matured where he is comfortable in his skin and he will make friends and he and Vanellope will still hang out. And Vanellope is just coming of age, she’s just finding that thing that makes her passionate.”

Johnston’s right: it’s time to give the franchise to Gene.

(Via Comic Book)

×