Why 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' cut 'The Golden Girls' from the film's funniest scene

Much has been made of the unprecedented gathering of Disney princesses in Ralph Breaks the Internet, but did you know the movie originally planned to feature some queens? That’s right, very early versions of the Wreck-It Ralph sequel were going to feature The Golden Girls. We’ll explain.

As Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) adventure across the internet in an attempt to purchase a new part for her broken video game, Vanellope makes a pit stop at the real-life website OhMy.Disney.com.

The Disney online destination has features like news, quizzes and clips for Disney fanatics. But the content goes beyond traditional animated fare. The site plumbs the studio’s vast catalogue, and one piece of intellectual property really stuck out to Ralph Breaks the Internet co-directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston.

The stars of <i>The Golden Girls</i>, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. (Photo: Touchstone Television/Courtesy of Everett Collection)
The stars of The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. (Photo: Touchstone Television/Courtesy of Everett Collection)

“As we were studying the OhMy.Disney website … The Golden Girls were weirdly prominent throughout,” Johnston tells Yahoo Entertainment. “They really lean in on that website to The Golden Girls. A lot of quizzes, a lot of lists…”

So the directors plotted out cameos for Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia alongside a bevy of Marvel, Star Wars and Disney characters. Alas, the fantastic foursome didn’t quite work out.

“We threw it in the movie animatic and people were like, ‘What?!'” says Johnston.

“It was a little confusing,” adds Moore. “If you were not familiar with the website, it was a bit confusing.”

“You’re asking my regrets when I’m on my deathbed?” Johnston rhetorically asks with a smile. “It’s that — that the Golden Girls are not in this movie.”

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