Disney Officially Announces ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ Sequel

Disney announced this morning via Facebook Live that it will produce a Wreck-It Ralph sequel for release on March 9, 2018. In the yet-to-be-titled film, Ralph will move out of the arcade and wreck the Internet instead (concept art is posted above).

One of the film’s original directors, Rich Moore, who more recently co-directed Zootopia, will direct the sequel. Phil Johnston, who did story and screenplay on both Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia, joins Moore as a co-director.

“From the moment we started working on the first Wreck-It Ralph, we knew there were so many possibilities with these characters,” said Moore in a statement this morning. “This time, Ralph’s wrecking wreaks havoc on the Web—as only he can do.”

“The world of the internet is the perfect place to send Ralph and Vanellope,” Johnston added. “The scope and scale are so vast and the possibilities for comedy are endless.”

The announcement of the film is not a big surprise. Ralph’s voice John C. Reilly confirmed that he was working on the sequel nearly a year ago. In addition to Reilly, Sarah Silverman will return as the voice of Vanellope von Schweetz.

Traditionally, Disney’s theatrical animation division has not often created theatrical sequels to its animated features, having made just two in the company’s nearly 80-year theatrical history: The Rescuers Down Under and Fantasia 2000. The company has relegated film sequels in the past to less prestigious tiers like the direct-to-video market. That approach seems to have shifted as Disney has honed a strategy based upon building franchises and brands. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the studio announce further theatrical sequels derived from its successful animation films like Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

As a result of today’s announcement, Disney’s Gigantic, directed by Nathan Greno and originally scheduled for a March 2018 release, has now been pushed back to November 21, 2018.