Wreck-It Ralph 2 Photo Analysis (Where's Ariel?)
USA today has finally released an article containing an image of the elusive scene containing all the Disney Princesses from Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet! This scene was previewed at the D23 Expo last summer and locked up tight ever since. Now that they've finally released a screenshot of it, there appears to be something missing. Ariel, my favorite princess that I was most curious about isn't in the shot. It was pretty clear what all the other princesses were going to be wearing in the movie since they are always portrayed on stock art in their signature looks. Ariel, on the other hand, is a bit of a black sheep when it comes to a signature look. Sometimes she's a mermaid, sometimes she's a human, sometimes she's wearing the pink dress from the movie, and sometimes she's wearing a green dress that was never in any movie. It's just my luck that even after an image of the mysterious scene was finally released, I still don't have an answer to my question! Detailed reports of the scene from D23 claim that Ariel was in human form and eventually put on a t-shirt with the rest of the princesses thanks to Vanellope's interference, but no one seems to know what she was wearing before that.
Let's take a look at what we do have, shall we? As described by the lucky few who previewed the scene in person, all of the Disney Princesses are clearly shocked and appalled to see Vanellope von Schweetz invading their inner sanctum. It's pretty adorable how in this universe, all of the Disney Princesses are friends like in the Pocket Princesses comic and have a place where they can hang out together and relax. Aurora looks nice and cozy on a plush green couch wearing her signature dress in because we don't want anyone to confuse her with Cinderella by wearing blue even though Elsa also wears blue. Belle is kneeling on the floor with what appears to be a hoop skirt holding up her dress, since it's not all puffed out like it would be if she were wearing a tulle crinoline. Those are always fun to sit in when I cosplay. Cinderella is taking Meeko's place of braiding Pocahontas's hair, which would be adorable if Pocahontas didn't look so pissed off at Vanellope. Jasmine is just chilling on Carpet because I guess she got joint ownership of him after marrying Aladdin. She's holding a flower that looks suspiciously like the one Aladdin gave her in the "A Whole New World" sequence, but it can't possibly be same one. That flower must be long wilted by now. The others (minus Ariel) are just chilling in the back of the room.
I love the details of their common room. It looks like it came straight out of a princess meet'n'greet area from one of the Disney Parks. Parts. The entryway reminds me vaguely of the interior of the castle from Frozen, but more pink. The top of each window is decorated with a blue and gold insignia representing each princess who resides in the room. In this picture, I can make out Cinderella's glass slipper, Rapunzel's sun crest, and what I believe is a feather from Pocahontas. Bright sunlight streams in behind each window, providing Belle plenty of light for reading. Even though there are some cozy-looking chairs in the room, there doesn't appear to be enough of them since many of the princesses got stuck standing or sitting on the floor. That's no way to treat a princess!
Since the movies came out at different times with different art styles, the princesses appear to have been given a somewhat uniform look while still remaining true to their individuality. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora have larger eyes than they were animated with in to match the look of the princesses from the '90s. Anna, Elsa, Moana, and Rapunzel could have easily been uploaded from their original models. They might be a little older than the finalized versions, though, because Rapunzel and Anna's outfits look more like they did in some of the concept art while the movies were still being developed. At that time, Rapunzel's skirt was a darker purple than her corset, and Anna was shown her in copycat "Kiss the Girl" dress without her signature pink cape. It makes sense that they would go back to earlier models of the new characters since they had to upgrade the older ones to CGI. They would have a more consistent look if they meet somewhere in the middle.
I'm so happy I was able to get a glimpse of this scene before November, even though my favorite princess was absent. If I were in Vanellope's place, I would probably sneak into the princess's room too. I would absolutely love to snuggle up on the couch and hang out with all my favorite Disney Princesses. Wreck-It Ralph 2 will be released on November 18, 2018, and I'm eager to see this scene play out in its entirety. Maybe then I will finally have an answer to the burning question: What is Ariel wearing?
Comments
“My fingerprints are still on Disney Princesses every time you see Sleeping Beauty wearing pink. I presented a doll to them with a dress that transformed from pink to blue so the kids could replay that scene from the film. They liked it but wanted it blue in the package. Having all the models in front of me I showed them how many Disney female characters they had that were blond with blue dresses and won them over. Now you almost never see Princess Aurora depicted in blue.”