WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT [1988 / 2013] [25th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Everything About This Movie is Magical!
On Blu-ray for the first time ever, this digitally re-mastered edition of ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ practically jumps off the screen with its brilliant picture, rich sound and dangerous curves.
Its 1947 Hollywood and Eddie Valiant [Bob Hoskins], a down-on-his-luck detective is hired to find proof that Marvin Acme, gag factory mogul and owner of “Toontown,” is playing hanky-panky with femme fatale Jessica Rabbit, wife of Maroon Cartoon superstar, Roger Rabbit. When Acme is found murdered all fingers point to Roger Rabbit, who begs the Toon-hating Eddie Valiant to find the real evildoer. Complete with hours of bonus features and including three digitally restored Roger Rabbit Shorts, this multi OSCAR® winner (Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects, Special Achievement In Animation Direction; 1988) is pure magic in hi-definition Blu-ray.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1988 Annie Awards: Win: Best Individual Achievement: Technical Achievement for Richard Williams. 1988 British Society of Cinematographers: Nominated: Best Cinematography Award for Dean Cundey. 1988 Jupiter Award: Win: Best International Film for Robert Zemeckis. 1988 Venice Film Festival: Win: Children and Cinema Award for Special Mention for Robert Zemeckis. 1989 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Film Editing for Arthur Schmidt. Win: Best Effects and Sound Effects Editing for Charles L. Campbell and Louis L. Edemann. Win: Best Effects and Visual Effects for Ed Jones, George Gibbs, Ken Ralston and Richard Williams. Win: Special Achievement Award for Richard Williams for animation direction and creation of the cartoon characters. Nominated: Best Cinematography for Dean Cundey. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Elliot Scott and Peter Howitt. Nominated: Best Sound for Don Digirolamo, John Boyd, Robert Knudson and Tony Dawe. 1989 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Bob Hoskins. 1989 BAFTA Film Awards: Win: Best Special Effects for Ed Jones, George Gibbs, Ken Ralston and Richard Williams. Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay for Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Nominated: Best Cinematography for Dean Cundey. Nominated: Best Editing for Arthur Schmidt. Nominated: Best Production Design for Elliot Scott. 1989 American Cinema Editors: Nominated: Best Edited Feature Film for Arthur Schmidt. 1989 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: BMI Film Music Award for Alan Silvestri. 1989 César Awards, France: Nominated: Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger) for Robert Zemeckis. 1989 David di Donatello Awards: Win: Best Foreign Producer (Migliore Produttore Straniero) for Frank Marshall and Robert Watts. 1989 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Robert Zemeckis. 1989 Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television for Alan Silvestri. 1989 Hugo Awards: Win: Best Dramatic Presentation for Gary K. Wolf (based on the novel), Jeffrey Price (screenplay), Peter S. Seaman (screenplay) and Robert Zemeckis (director). 1989 Kids' Choice Awards, USA: Win: Blimp Award for Favorite Movie for Touchstone Pictures. 1989 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing [ADR]. 1989 Sant Jordi Awards: Win: Rosa de Sant Jordi Audience Award for Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera) for Robert Zemeckis. 1989 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. 1990 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Best Fantasy Film. Win: Best Director for Robert Zemeckis. Win: Best Special Effects for George Gibbs, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Ken Ralston and Richard Williams. Nominated: Best Actor for Bob Hoskins. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Christopher Lloyd. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Joanna Cassidy. Nominated: Best Writing for Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Nominated: Best Music for Alan Silvestri.
FILM FACT No.2: Terry Gilliam was offered the chance to direct, but he found the project too technically challenging, in saying, "Pure laziness on my part," he later admitted, "I completely regret that decision." Robert Zemeckis was hired to direct in 1985, based on the success of ‘Romancing the Stone’ and ‘Back to the Future.’ Disney executives were continuing to suggest Darrell Van Citters to direct the animated sequences, but Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis decided against it. Richard Williams was eventually hired to direct the animation. Robert Zemeckis wanted the film to imbue "Disney's high quality of animation, Warner Bros. characterization, and Tex Avery humor."
Cast/Voice Cast: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer (voice), Stubby Kaye, Alan Tilvern, Richard LeParmentier, Lou Hirsch (voice), Betsy Brantley, Joel Silver, Paul Springer, Richard Ridings, Edwin Craig, Lindsay Holiday, Mike Edmonds, Morgan Deare, Laura Frances, Joel Cutrara, Billy J. Mitchell, Eric B. Sindon, Ed Herlihy, James O'Connell, Eugene Gutierrez, April Winchell (voice), Mae Questel (voice), Mel Blanc (voice), Tony Anselmo (voice), Mary T. Radford (voice), Joe Alaskey (voice), David L. Lander (voice), Fred Newman (voice), June Foray (voice), Russi Taylor (voice), Les Perkins Russi Taylor (voice), Richard Williams (voice), Wayne Allwine (voice), Pat Buttram (voice), Jim Cummings (voice), Jim Gallant (voice), Frank Sinatra (voice) (archive sound), Tony Pope (voice), Peter Westy (voice), Cherry Davis (voice), Jack Angel (voice) (uncredited), Jeff Arbaugh (uncredited), Nancy Cartwright (voice) (uncredited), Sadie Corre (uncredited), Christine Hewett (uncredited), Kit Hillier (uncredited), Lane Leavitt (uncredited), Derek Lyons (uncredited), Philip O'Brien (uncredited), Ken Ralston (uncredited), Kathleen Turner (voice) (uncredited) and Frank Welker (voice) (uncredited)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producers: Alan Dewhurst (uncredited), Don Hahn, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Robert Watts, Steve Starkey and Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Gary K. Wolf (novel), Jeffrey Price (screenplay) and Peter S. Seaman (screenplay)
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Cinematography: Dean Cundey (Director of Pgotography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio,
French: 5.1 DTS-HD High Resolutions
Italian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
German: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Dutch
Running Time: 103 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment / Amblin Entertainment
Andrew's Bu-ray Review: Among the summer blockbusters of the 1980s, the film ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ [1988] stands out as a true original and audacious in concept, and bursting with ideas and innovation. Robert Zemeckis' film felt like something entirely new upon release, and because of the painstaking, hand-crafted animation and effects employed, and the unheard-of cooperation between studios, it remains a unique movie experience to this day.
Shortly after its publication, Walt Disney Pictures bought the film rights to the 1981 novel, “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” by Gary K. Wolf. The book is set in modern day, and Roger is the star of a newspaper comic strip. Roger and his comic strip friends exist three-dimensionally in the real world, their word balloons visible above their heads when they speak. Early in Walt Disney Pictures script development, the concept was changed to cartoon characters living amongst humans. Director Robert Zemeckis was shown a draft of the script in 1982; he was enthusiastic, but the Disney regime of the time backed off due to budgetary concerns. Steven Spielberg later saw the script and arranged for his production company, Amblin Entertainment, to co-produce the film with Walt Disney Pictures, and bring Robert Zemeckis in as director. Robert Zemeckis turned the story into a period piece, specifically setting it in 1947. As he told Animation Magazine, “I had three reasons for that change: First, that it would make it timeless, second, it would help suspend the disbelief that this was happening in a “Once upon a time” era; and third, I couldn't figure out how you could mix the different styles of animation, so I felt we had to draw the line before the era of television.”
‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ has aged remarkably well. 25 years after its release, in a time when mixing live-action with CGI creations is now commonplace, and ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ is still relevant. The way the live-action characters like Bob Hoskins specifically, interact with the animated characters is just as believable as modern day films that are working with exponentially more technology than Robert Zemeckis had in 1988.
It wasn't the first time that animation and live-action were mixed, but it was the best. Robert Zemeckis recently gave an interview, in which he discussed how they were able to create the illusion so effectively. One aspect that he mentions is the fact that the camera actually moves around the animated characters, with the living actors still in frame. This was an extremely difficult job since up until then animations had simply been placed flat on the frame with the actors trying to act like they were really there. The technical wizardry applied here still astounds me. However, its technical savvy isn't the only reason to admire ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT,’ it's pretty damn funny too.
The world Robert Zemeckis developed here is one of the most immersive film settings I've ever experienced. He creates a living breathing world in which humans and cartoons share the same space. Nothing ever feels forced or out of place. Instead, the entire experience is so completely integrated that you believe it implicitly. There's no need for strenuous, overdrawn exposition about why the Toons exist along with humans. All you need to know is that they do.
Roger Rabbit [Charles Fleischer] is the most famous Toon in Toontown. He was born... I mean drawn, to make people laugh. Sadly, he's fallen on hard times. His smokin' hot wife Jessica Rabbit [Kathleen Turner] may be cheating on him, and to top it all off, somebody has framed him for murder. Thrown into the mix is lonely private eye Eddie Valiant [Bob Hoskins]. Eddie hates Toons, “A Toon killed my brother,” he sneers. But, Eddie also loves money, so he takes a job spying on Roger Rabbit's wife to see if she's up to no good.
What makes ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ so successful, other than the deftly executed technicalities of it all is the fact that the film is wholly self-aware. It understands why Toons are funny and plays with the clichés. You get a sense of that awareness at the very beginning when Roger Rabbit, acting in an animated short, is unable to conjure up floating stars after being smashed by a fridge. Instead, tiny birds pop up and start flying around his noggin. “Stars, Roger! Stars!” the director yells. The film is replete with this type of scene, moments that embrace the wackiness of a bygone era, when animated shorts involved little more than an anvil being dropped on someone's head.
‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ is refreshingly adult. It doesn't shy away from cartoons cursing. It's also strange to see Mickey Mouse inhabiting the same screen as Baby Herman, but it happens here. Not to mention the fact that this is one of the only places you'll be able to see a brightly coloured clash of the imaginations of Walt Disney and Chuck Jones. Watching a Donald Duck and Daffy Duck duelling piano show is one of the many delights of the film. ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ is a true classic in terms of technical prowess and storytelling. Hoskins work here is more believable than many modern day actors can pull off with CGI helping them out. This is still, arguably, Robert Zemeckis' most inventive. Finally, now having it on Blu-ray is a massive treat. ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ is a landmark animation film to those in the animation industry. It came as a much-needed shot in the arm at a time when TV cartoons had reached a low point and feature-length animated films were bombing at the box office.
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT MUSIC TRACK LIST
WHY DON’T YOU DO IT RIGHT (Written by Joe McCoy) [Vocal by Amy Irving]
THE MERRY-GO-ROUND BROKE DOWN (Written by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin) [Performed by Charles Fleischer and Bob Hoskins]
SMILE, DARN YA, SMILE (Written by Jack Meskill, Charles O'Flynn and Max Rich)
WITCHCRAFT (Written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh) [Performed by Frank Sinatra]
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Composed by Franz Liszt) [Performed by Tony Anselmo and Mel Blanc]
STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER (Music by John Philip Sousa) (uncredited)
GIANT KILLER (A) (uncredited) (Music by Len Stevens) [Plays during the newsreel]
Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p presentation. You'll notice inconsistent blacks, wavering grain structures, flickering animation, and a line of other oddities as the film progresses. What you won't notice is any sign of extreme age or wear and tear. A lot of love has gone into bringing this movie to Blu-ray, yet the source material holds it back from becoming perfect. The good news is that most of the movie looks great. Whenever the stage is lit well the live-action and animation both shine. Detail is rich, giving us uninterrupted views of Bob Hoskins incredible amount of shoulder hair. Each hair is well-defined, as are the textures of Eddie's stereotypical private eye getup. I've never seen Jessica Rabbit's dress look so clear and gorgeously rendered. The moment Jessica Rabbit walks out on stage is a wow moment. Not just because of her well-endowed features, but because this is where you can tell the finer resolution is really giving this film more visual oomph than it's ever had.
Blu-ray Video Quality – The Touchstone Entertainment 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix also features some troubling aspects that cropped up as a result of the tricky way in which the film was filmed. You will most likely notice quite a few scenes, particularly the first time Eddie and Roger Rabbit visit the bar, where some instances when inconsistent and muffled voices stick out like a sore thumb. In that scene, a few voices sound otherworldly, and a few instances remain where sound doesn't sync up to the moving lips. Alan Silvestri's memorable music film score, which not so coincidentally has a ton in common with the score to 'Back to the Future,' holds up very well here. His rousing strings and booming drums are given ample room to spread out and keep the movie tense. Rear channels are filled with ambient sound. The busy streets of Los Angeles feature cars driving by in the background and people milling about, whereas the zany streets of “Toontown” are an all-out riot in the rear channels. It really adds to the overall enjoyment of the movie. It's like you're being surrounded by Toons. Aside from a few dialogue missteps here and there, most of it comes across as being clearly intelligible. Cartoon-inspired sound effects have a decent depth to them and is deep and well-resolved. I found the Touchstone Entertainment audio mix to be a playful, immersive experience.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary Director Robert Zemeckis, producer Frank Marshall, associate producer Steve Starkey, visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston and co-writers Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman: They methodically inch their way through the film, discussing the genesis of the project, developing and writing the story and script, the creation of the animated characters, the design, animation and voice work, and Steven Speilberg's personal wrangling of multiple studios and licensing departments, the innovative techniques used to blend Roger Rabbit's animation and live-action footage more seamlessly than had been seen on screen before, and everything from the film's casting to its editing, music and reception. It's a pretty crowded affair so it's hard to keep everyone straight. There are not any famous voices involved, besides Robert Zemeckis, so picking out who's who is talking is a little tough to remember. Although, if you can get past all that, this audio commentary is full of interesting information about the technical aspects of the film and how they were able to license a wide variety of toons to be in the film. Because, had they all been Disney toons, then the film would have lost a lot of its charm, feeling more like a corporate creation than a conglomeration. So all in all, quite an interesting audio commentary, and even with so large a group, the comments do not get out of control, and lots of vital facts, and amusing anecdotes are discussed and is a must listen.
Special Feature: The Roger Rabbit Shorts [Digitally Restored] [1080p] [1.78:1] [25:00] Here we are presented with Three Maroon Cartoons from Roger Rabbit's past and includes the following:
Tummy Trouble [1989] Baby Herman swallows his rattle, and Roger has to take him to the hospital to get it out. The rattle gets out, but then Roger swallows it and doctors are about to cut him open when the lunch whistle goes off. Roger and Herman blast off around the hospital on a jet powered "Hare Splitter" machine. They get blown into the air, the rattle is rescued and everything is fine – until Roger Rabbit sees the hospital bill! During the end credits, however, Baby Herman angrily threatens more trouble if he has to swallow the rattle again. Unlike the next two cartoons, this short was completed.
Roller Coaster Rabbit [1990] Roger Rabbit struggles to keep wandering Baby Herman safe in an amusement park where the usual havoc ensues. Roger Rabbit has to watch over Baby Herman at a fair while Mother Herman goes off to have her palm read. Baby Herman wanders off in pursuit of his prized red balloon, and Roger Rabbit dutifully tries to help. The story then continues. Roger Rabbit grasps onto Baby Herman, tumbling and losing their carriage, leaving Roger sliding along the tracks with his feet, gradually gaining friction causing his feet to catch fire. The tracks run into a dark tunnel and then stumbles across a “wrong way sign.” Finally, Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit crash through the sign and into a real-life filming studio, a direct reference to the reality/cartoon crossover in the feature film.
Trail Mix-Up [1993] During a picnic, Baby Herman follows a beaver into a perilous sawmill – with Roger Rabbit in frantic pursuit. “Trail Mix-Up,” while sporadically funny and still admirably full of energy like the two shorts that preceded it, essentially admits defeat and shows why Roger Rabbit faded out of relevance in the public. With new, ground-breaking animation just two years on the horizon and a cry for more story-based shorts. All three animations shorts are presented in high definition images, plus with 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.
Special Feature: Who Made Roger Rabbit [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [11.00] This Mini-documentary is hosted by Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit. This brief behind-the-scenes documentary, which, like most every other special feature on the Blu-ray disc, has been ported over from the previously released DVD edition of the film. Special guest appearance by the Roger Rabbit himself. Contributors include: Charles Fleischer (Himself/Roger Rabbit), Richard Williams (archive footage) and Robert Zemeckis (archive footage).
Special Feature: Deleted Scene: The Pig Head Sequence [1988] [480i] [1.37:1] [6.00] “The Pig Head Sequence” with an introduction by the filmmakers. This one deleted scene is involving Eddie in a pigs head and is mainly explained by director Robert Zemeckis [Director]. They discuss the creation of the sequence, where it would have occurred in the film, and why it got deleted. Though Robert Zemeckis regrets its omission, he felt very glad it was deleted from the film.
Special Feature: Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Before and After [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [3.08] Here we get to view a split screen comparison with and without animation and compares raw production footage with final live-action/animation shots. This segment follows Eddie’s first few minutes in “Toontown.” On the top part of the split screen, we see the completed scenes. On the bottom, we watch the actors as they perform without the added animation. This offers a very cool look at the source material, and it further helps us appreciate all the work the actors, especially Bob Hoskins who had to do to make us buy the existence of the toons. Contributors include: Bob Hoskins, Ed Jones and Christopher Lloyd.
Special Feature: Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Toon Stand-Ins [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [3.00] Rehearsing with stand-ins for the Toons. This is a short documentary explaining the rubber models and the people they used to stand in for the animation that would be added in later. Contributors include: Ken Ralston, Steve Starkey, Richard Williams and Robert Zemeckis.
Special Feature: Behind The Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit Documentary [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [37.00] Here we get to view an exclusive, in-depth, behind-the-scene documentary. An extensive, far more worthwhile documentary, complete with revealing on-set footage and dailies, countless interviews with key members of the cast and crew, and a thoroughly candid overview of the production. Contributors include: Jon Alexander, Dale Baer, David Alan Barclay, Dean Cundey, Andreas Deja, Charles Fleischer, George Gibbs, Don Hahn, Lou Hirsch, Bob Hoskins, Ed Jones, Michael Lantieri, Frank Marshall, Phil Nibbelink and Ken Ralston.
Special Feature: On Set! Benny the Cab [2003] [480i] [1.37:1] [5.00] The making of a scene from the film with Director Robert Zemeckis and company go about their business as cameras captures their process.
Finally, there are so many reasons to love ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT.’ It's an innovative idea that was taken to a whole new level by director Robert Zemeckis and his crew. Robert Zemeckis truly had a vision of what the movie could be like if done right and they succeeded by any measure. Not only is the technical side of the film impressive, but the entire world created in the film is completely overpowering. It sucks you into a strange alternate reality where cartoons inhabit the same world as people. Disney has done an admirable job restoring the animation film for HD treatment. The image presentation has a few problems here and there, but should on the whole, make fans very happy. The audio mix sounds great though, barring a few minor glitches. ‘WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT’ is highly recommended and ever since I viewed this at the cinema and on an inferior DVD, I have loved the film, as it was at the time so ahead of its time in combining Actors and Cartoon Characters, like in Disney and the M-G-M Musicals, which has been always successful, but with today's computer technology the process of putting Actors with Cartoon Characters together is so much easier, whereas when this film was made, the logistics were so much of a complete headache. But despite this, this is a fantastic beautiful Blu-ray and it has now gone pride of place in my ever increasing Steven Spielberg Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
