Ralph Breaks the Internet is finally in theaters and, if you’ve watched even one TV spot from the film, you already know that it’s chock full of cameos from various Disney franchises. From princesses to Stormtroopers, the never-ending expanse of the World Wide Web allows the Wreck-It Ralph sequel to include all sorts of different characters. However, despite all of the fun additions you’ll find in the movie, there was one character that the filmmakers were disappointed they didn’t get to use.
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While speaking to ComicBook.com at the Ralph Breaks the Internet press junket, director Rich Moore said that he was really pulling to have Herbie the Love Bug in the movie, but things weren’t able to work out.
“Like he’s gotta be their butler, he’s gotta be the guy that comes in and interrupts,” Moore said of C-3PO’s cameo in the Disney Princess scene. “I wanted so bad to have Herbie the Love Bug to be in the scene, and we built a Volkswagen and it turns out that Disney doesn’t own that character, it’s owned by someone else. So that was heartbreaking. I loved those movies.”
It sounds like the animation team was already hard at work bringing a Volkswagen to life to life when the ruling came that Herbie couldn’t be involved. However, there were still a ton of characters from other franchises that were able to make the jump, including several Marvel-inspired cameos.
Producer Clark Spencer said that working with the folks at Marvel on getting those cameos was actually pretty easy, and the company was all for what Ralph Breaks the Internet was trying to accomplish.
“Yeah the guys at Marvel, I think we did the same thing in the first film where as long as we went to people and said ‘This is what the intent is and here’s how it sits in the body of the film we want to work with you so you’re getting to look at every aspect of what we’re going to be doing,” Spencer explained. “You can see the pages and animation coming through so we’re being true to your character because you created them.’ Then people are all willing to come in and do them, they would, of course as you’re developing it they might say ‘Well a little bit more in this direction or that direction.’ In terms of whatever a character might say or be doing. Or the way they would act in terms of choices they make in terms of voice recording that you’re using for them.”
Herbie the Love Bug would’ve been an incredibly fun addition to the Ralph Breaks the Internet roster, there’s no doubt about it. But not to worry, there is no shortage of fun Disney cameos and Easter eggs throughout the movie for everyone to enjoy.
Ralph Breaks the Internet is now playing in theaters.
