Disney Announces Wreck-It Ralph Available Digitally a Month Before Disc Releases

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January 4, 2013

Wreck-It Ralph poster

It always makes me nervous when a studio, particularly Disney, starts preferring one format to another, because that usually means customer choice is going to be affected down the road. They did it with DVD and Blu-ray, staggering releases for Bolt and Snow White to bring out the Blu-ray first. Now, with the announcement of the home video release of Wreck-It Ralph, you can download the HD Digital copy almost a month before purchasing any other version.

Wreck-It Ralph will be available in HD Digital and HD Digital 3D on February 12, 2013, with the 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (includes Blu-ray, DVD, 3-D Blu-ray, and digital copy, list price $49.99 US), 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (includes Blu-ray and DVD, list price $39.99 US), DVD (list price $29.99 US), SD Digital, and On-Demand release following on March 5. Pricing for the non-physical versions varies per provider and “digital retailer”. A quick glance at iTunes shows pricing might be $14.99 for SD, $19.99 for HD, with no possibility of discount or purchase of a used copy.

The two combo packs and the digital releases will include the following bonus materials:

* Bit by Bit: Creating the Worlds of Wreck-It Ralph — Fans of the film will get a look at five new worlds created for Wreck-It Ralph. The short takes viewers into Game Central Station with the artists who brought Sugar Rush, Hero’s Duty, and Fix It Felix Jr. to life.

* Alternate & Deleted Scenes — Four separate scenes are highlighted with an introduction and optional audio commentary from director Rich Moore.

* Video Game Commercials — Viewers can check out the commercials created for the video games featured in the film — Fix It Felix Jr., Sugar Rush, Hero’s Duty, and Fix It Felix Hammer.

* Paperman — This animated short film played in theaters before Wreck-It Ralph. It tells the story of a young man in an office who sees the girl of his dreams in a skyscraper window across the street. But how can he get her attention?

Exclusive to the Blu-rays will be “Disney Intermission: The Gamer’s Guide to Wreck-It Ralph — When the film is paused, host Chris Hardwick appears on screen to guide viewers through a series of 10 video segments offering an inside look at the many video game references, Disney references, and other hidden surprises featured in the film.” OK, a trivia track of some kind would be a fun way to rewatch the movie.

3 Responses

Ralf Haring writes:

January 12, 2013 at 8:51 PM

I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. It was surprisingly heartfelt and not just a nostalgia fest. It’s sentimental but not overly so, and never cloying. The “ooh remember that video game” bits were mostly just in the first ten minutes and didn’t dominate and distract during the rest.

Disney proper out-Pixared Pixar this year, including with the animated short.

Wreck-It Ralph Deleted Scenes Show E-Z Livin’ Game » DVDs Worth Watching writes:

February 18, 2013 at 9:04 AM

[...] Ralph on home video — oddly, it can be bought digitally now while the DVD isn’t out for two more weeks — Disney has released these two behind-the-scenes clips in very sketchy draft form. The first [...]

Wreck-It Ralph Design Clips » DVDs Worth Watching writes:

February 24, 2013 at 5:36 PM

[...] hope to be reviewing the Blu-ray release of Wreck-It Ralph, out March 5, but in the meantime, here’s a preview clip of some behind-the-scenes material [...]