Seth & Ralph is a 2023 American animated comedy film directed by Alexander Dennis and Xavier Gomez and written by Alexander Dennis, Xavier Gomez, and Lukie Driscoll. produced by Alexander Dennis, Xavier Gomez, Lukie Driscoll, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver. It is and the thirtieth feature film in the Lukie Lemon Cinematic Movies. The film stars the voices with Jack Dylan Grazer, Jacob Tremblay, Bryce Dallas Howard, Seth Rogen, Violet McGraw, Tom Taylor, Madeleine McGraw, Aidan Gallagher, and Owen Paugh. Seth & Ralph follows the brothers have to deal with their school bullies.
Seth & Ralph was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 22, 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It grossed $549.4 million worldwide against its production budget of $65 million. A sequel, Seth & Ralph 2, is scheduled for release on September 5, 2025.
Plot[]
Two brothers, 16-year-old Seth Bennett and 14-year-old Ralph Bennett are living together in Los Robloxia (a parody of Los Angeles), with their parents Scarlet and George, younger sister, Phoebe. The following day, Ralph meets and befriends Ramona Hudson, a high school soccer player.
Seth and Ralph offer Brandon and Sydney a three-to-three basketball game against them, which they agree to. Seth makes the game-winning dunk, and Seth and Ralph defeats Brandon and Sydney, making them rage quit. Seth blames Ralph for cheating in a game and leaves angrily.
Ralph goes to see Ramona, persuading her to cut school for a day of fun. This makes her nearly late for soccer practice, which was initially supposed to be the next day but was moved up, and her parents thus deem Ralph a bad influence, forbidding her from ever seeing him again.
Seth and Ralph later argue about their ruined brothership, Ralph starts a fight and badly beats Seth, resulting in Seth getting crushed by his TV and they both felt guilty of fighting each other afterwards. Later, an angry Scarlet finds Seth and Ralph at home in Seth’s room chaotic after the fight.
Ralph sings through the ensuing weeks and performs his song in the school’s auditorium. Seth becomes a safety patrol. Seth assists Ralph in writing and reciting a note of apology in Spanish to Ramona and her father, who accepts Ralph’s apology. In return, he said that Ramona promised to attend the party and that their family never breaks their promises.
All of Seth and Ralph’s party guests turn up for their party, including Eric and Ramona. Brandon and Sydney crash their party, the plan backfires when everyone finds out that they devastate the party. Brandon and Sydney are arrested for devastating the party. While Brandon fights the officers, Sydney’s escape attempt is thwarted by a dog. Seth and Ralph continue partying with their friends and guests.
Cast[]
- Jack Dylan Grazer as Seth Bennett, a 16-year-old oldest sibling and Ralph’s older brother.
- Jacob Tremblay as Ralph Bennett, a 14-year-old middle sibling and Seth’s younger brother.
- Bryce Dallas Howard as Scarlet Bennett, the wife of George and the mother of Seth, Ralph, and Phoebe, sometimes strict and overbearing.
- Seth Rogen as George Bennett, the husband of Scarlet, a stay-at-home father and the father of Seth, Ralph, and Phoebe.
- Violet McGraw as Phoebe Bennett, Seth and Ralph’s teasing, bratty, annoyed little sister and the daughter of George and Scarlet.
- Tom Taylor as Eric Bauman, Seth and Ralph’s classmate and best friend.
- Madeleine McGraw as Ramona Hudson, a soccer player at Roblox High School and Ralph’s love interest.
- Aidan Gallagher as Brandon Hicks, a rude, annoying, and mean-spirited bully of Seth and Ralph who is seeking revenge with Sydney for overachieving.
- Owen Paugh as Sydney Rodgers, Brandon’s dim-witted best friend.
- Paul Rudd as Mr. Wilson, Seth and Ralph’s English teacher.
- Evan Goldberg as Mr. Hudson, Ramona’s father.
- Fiona Vroom as Mrs. Hudson, Ramona’s mother.
- Haley Joel Osment as Dr. Raymond, a doctor at Maple Hospital.
- Aoibhe O’Flanagan as Grace Hillary, Phoebe’s classmate and best friend.
- Xavier Gomez as Ken the Prankster, a prankster who often pranks people for fun.
- Eric Allan Kramer as Mr. Fitzer, Ramona’s soccer coach.
- Matt Walsh as Matt, a boss at an electricity store.
- Mace Montgomery Miskel as Reggie Brooks, Eric’s science lab partner.
- Alexander Elliot as Atticus Hansley, a prank caller who gave Seth and Ralph’s inspiration to prank call people.
- Fred Tatasciore as Old Lady on Phone, a elderly who was prank called by Atticus Hansley.
- Marieve Herington as Nina Hillary, Grace’s mom.
- Tim Lannon as Buddy Hicks, Brandon’s father.
- Alexander Dennis (uncredited cameo) as TheAlexResort
- The Rolling Stones (uncredited) as Themselves
References[]
- Psycho (1960) - Theme plays when a woman is killed in a movie that Seth and Ralph are watching.
- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Poster is seen in Ralph’s room.
- Poltergeist (1982) - George mentions the movie when the TV was out.
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Poster is seen in Ralph’s room.
- The Breakfast Club (1985) - Mentioned in dialogue.
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) - Mentioned in dialogue.
- Good Burger (1997) - Seth says his “Pancreas” was squished by the TV.
- The Powerpuff Girls (TV Series 1998-2004) - A girl is seen wearing a Powerpuff Girls shirt.
- True. (Short 1999) - Parodied in dialogue.
- Toy Story 2 (1999) - “Say that again.”
- Spider-Man (2002) - The scene where Ramona slips on a milk packet is a reference to the scene where Mary Jane slips on an orange juice.
- Mr. Deeds (2002) - “No, daddy, no!”
- Mean Girls (2004) - “So, Have you seen any girls that you think they’re hot yet?” referencing “So, have you seen any guys that you think they’re cute yet?”
- Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - Brandon calls Sydney a “fat lard”
- Phineas & Ferb (TV Series 2007-2024) - Brandon’s character looks similar to Buford’s character wearing the same shirts and similar hair.
- The Dark Knight (2008) - Poster is seen in Ralph’s room.
- Aikatsu! (TV Series 2012-2016) - Referenced.
- The Lego Movie (2014) - The DVD can be seen in Seth’s room.
- Ted 2 (2015) - "That was a freaking classic!"
- Deadpool (2016) - Poster is seen in Seth’s room.
- Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - Ralph dodges Seth’s sword in a similar camera angle.
Spoofs/Parodies[]
- The Karate Kid (1984) - Parodied.
- Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love is (Music Video 1984) - Ralph’s song.
- Super Mario Bros. (Video Game 1985) - Sound effects are used.
- Family Guy (TV Series 1999-2024) - Peter Griffin sounds and acts like Peter from FG.
- The Matrix (1999) - Ralph flies for a second.
- Big Momma's House (2000) - Basketball scene
- Scary Movie (2000) - Wazzup scene referenced.
- Over The Hedge (2006) - When the police arrests Brandon and Sydney for bombing a party, Brandon starts a fight with the cops and a cat attacks Sydney as he attempts to escape.
- The Karate Kid (2010) - Parodied.
- “Regular Show” Prank Callers (TV Episode 2010) - Prank call scene.
- Ted (2012) - The fight scene between Seth and Ralph heavily mimics John and Ted fighting from the movie.
- Rock Of Ages (2012) - Ralph’s song.
- Ride Along 2 (2016) - Seth gets hit by a ceiling fan.
- Sing (2016) - Ralph auditions for his song.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Brandon whispers “You’re dead.” to Seth after he gets the wrong answer.
- The Black Phone (2022) - Seth and Ralph getting beat up by their bullies.
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - Trampoline scene.
- “Jay & Mikey” The Boys Go To War (TV Episode 2023) - Seth and Ralph offer their bullies to play basketball against them.
Production[]
Development[]
Plans for Seth & Ralph began in March 2023. It was also announced that Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures and Good Universe would produce the film by writers Alexander Dennis, Xavier Gomez and Lukie Driscoll in their film debuts. The film was produced by Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Nathan Kahane and Joe Drake.
Casting[]
in April 2023, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jacob Tremblay, Bryce Dallas Howard, Seth Rogen, Violet McGraw, Tom Taylor, Madeleine McGraw, Aidan Gallagher, and Owen Paugh join the main cast.
Animation[]
Animation services were provided by Reel FX Animation Studios.
Music[]
The film's original score was composed by Kevin MacLeod. The album was released on September 22, 2023, by WaterTower Music.
Reception[]
Box office[]
Seth & Ralph grossed $549.9 million in the United States and Canada.
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 202 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Seth & Ralph with goofiness and biting satire to get its laughs." On Metacritic, it received a score of 48 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Release[]
Seth & Ralph premiered in the Regency Village Theatre, Westwood in Los Angeles on September 18, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 22, 2023.
Seth & Ralph was originally scheduled for release between August 4 and August 18 due to production, its release date was pushed back to September 22.
Home media[]
It was released on digital download on October 24, 2023, and on Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 28, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film became available for streaming on Max (formerly HBO Max) and Roblox+ on November 10, 2023.
Trivia[]
- (at around 30 mins) When Seth and Ralph are getting beaten by the bullies, the yellow house in front of them is the same house where they film the TV Series Lisa Gaming Roblox Gets Grounded (TV Series 2020-2023).
- The working title of “Seth & Ralph“ was “King Boys”.
- Iain Armitage was considered for the role of Ralph Bennett.
- Jack Dylan Grazer and Jacob Tremblay previously starred together in Luca (2021).
- (at around 1 hour and 08 mins) Seth and Ralph fighting each other in Seth's room is a parody of Ted (2012).
- (at around 48 mins) The "Whassup" scene is a parody of a 1999 Budweiser TV commercial titled "True." The commercial became an inspiration for other Budweiser commercials using the "Whassup" catchphrase up till the year 2002.
- Neela Jolene was offered the role of Ramona Hudson, but she turned it down.
- Ramona, played by Madeleine McGraw, was Ralph’s love interest. Yet, Ralph’s sister was Phoebe, who was played by Violet McGraw, Madeleine McGraw’ sister in real life.
- Seth & Ralph was the replacement of "The Lisa Gaming Roblox Gets Grounded Movie" after the Lisa Gaming Roblox Gets Grounded (TV Series 2020-2023) series was cancelled.
- Production began on May 20, 2023 and ended on September 11, 2023.
- Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg did an uncredited rewrite.
- TheAlexResort originally planned for this to be an animated television series, in line with his hits Lisa Gaming Roblox Gets Grounded (TV Series 2020-2023).
- Paul Rudd and Madeleine McGraw both starred in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).
- Jacob Tremblay and Violet McGraw had previously starred together in Doctor Sleep (2019).
- Ramona Hudson, played by Madeleine McGraw, was a soccer player. Yet, Madeleine McGraw plays soccer in real life.
- The name of the high school is "Roblox High School."
- Phoebe was originally written as the older sister of Seth & Ralph and be played by Zendaya. TheAlexResort re-wrote as the younger sister while she is played by Violet McGraw.
- A mid post-credit scene features Brandon's Father on the phone with the police while Brandon is sitting on the couch and then beats Brandon with his belt.
- Jack Dylan Grazer and Paul Rudd later reunited in "Friendship."
- TheAlexResort was glad that he stopped doing Lisa Gaming Roblox Gets Grounded (2020-2023) in favor to do his new movie "Seth & Ralph."
- Jessica Chastain, Isla Fisher, Christina Hendricks, Amy Adams, Jayma Mays, Karen Gillan, Emma Stone, Alicia Witt, Holland Roden, Alyson Hannigan, Ellie Kemper, and Molly C. Quinn were all considered for the role of Scarlet Bennett.