Roger Rabbit - has it been that long?

[lupercal]

I realised today that it's been 18 or 19 years since '
Who Framed Roger Rabbit' was released. Thinking further on that subject I realised that a great many of our readers might not realise just what a huge watershed and turning point that movie represented. Put simply, it was the moment that it became OK for adults to admit they liked cartoons, and nearly everything important which has happened since then owes its existence to Roger Rabbit.

I remember the first time I heard about it. I was driving home through the bush from work at about 1 am when some story about this upcoming film came on the radio, and immediately, from the description, I knew this was going to change things forever. Clearly this was a film aimed at adults, but still safe enough to take kids to see.

At the time I was night manager of a large video store, and when the thing came out on video I recall a Swedish guy, who I'd guess was iin his late 20's, coming up to me and confessing that it was one of the most wonderful things he'd ever seen, and that Roger was an extremely 'loveable' character (in the platonic sense, I imagine)

As far as my own viewings of the film go, I just remember sitting there, completely enraptured, mouth agape at the animated opening cartoon, gobsmacked by the seamless animation/RL sequences, the references to old Disney and WB shorts, and even Betty Boop being out of work since cartoons went colour.

I bought two large posters from the US (on gold mylar) and had them archivally framed by a professional framing shop. Thi was about 1988 I guess. The shopowner had them in the window and told me that he was continually plagued with people coming in and offering to buy them.

To me this film was the cornerstone, and though it fails KF's criteria by being largely live action, I am tempted to rate it as possibly the most important animated film ever made. The other contender I suppose is 'Snow White', but SOMEBODY had to make the first widely distributed feature. Roger Rabbit signalled the start of the next era, which inlcuded most of the best TV animation since TV was invented.

Loop

[Toonboy]

Wow. It still feels like a modern movie. Although concerning live action movies with animated bits, I still prefer Mary Poppins and So Dear to My Heart, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is still an important film because it featured animated characters actually doing things to the environment and coming across as real as the actors. Most other hybrids looked weak by comparison.

[P.C. Unfunny]

I feel Roger Rabbit was a great example of american animation and a tribute to the golden age of cartoons in this country. I recently re-viewed this movie and noticed a bunch of jokes in there I never got when I was a little kid.

Most other hybrids looked weak by comparison.

True, look at that highly over rated "Space Jam" movie. That film was an insult to the entire "Termite Terrace"

[starlac]

though it fails KF's criteria by being largely live action,

This reminded me of those three theatrical shorts starring Roger Rabbit: Tummy Trouble, Trail Mix-Up and Rollercoaster Rabbit. I sure those would qualify, I'll rip some images of my DVD.

I feel Roger Rabbit was a great example of american animation

Strange. I thought the animation was mostly done in Richard Williams' London studios. :P Sorry... Anyway it was a great collabolated effort.

I love this movie too, Partly because of the innovation but mostly for the number of classic characters that star (or at the very least appear) in it. shame we'll never seen its like again.

[lupercal]

Yes, I meant to mention those shorts. These were theatrical RR shorts which were completely 2D animation I belive. From memory 'Tummy Trouble' screened with 'Honey I shrunk the Kids'. I'm not sure about 'Rollercoaster Rabbit', and to be honest I hadn't even heard of the other one.

Yes, most of the animation was done by Richard Williams in England.

BTW, urban legend be damned. I've struggled to hear something else, such as 'nitwit' as the subtitled versions insist, but I just pulled out my original 1988 VHS and played the duelling pianos bit 7 times, and Donald calls Daffy the same AS I heard in 1988 - a "Goddurn stubborn nigger." The last word certainly isn't 'nitwit'. There's an extremely distinct 'g' consonant in the middle, and the word doesn't even end on a consonant, so it can't possibly be 't'. I think that's one myth that might need 'un-busting'.

Loop

[MonkeyFunk]

I dunno; "nitwit" is a bit of a stretch, yeah, but I still haven't ruled out "little".

[starlac]

I'm someone who reads it either as "nigger" or "little." When I was younger I alway read it as little, but as Daffy says, "Does anybody understand what this duck is saying?"

EDIT: There is a little live-action right at the very, very end of the three shorts, mostly the director complainting that Roger has screwed up and for the credits.

[Toonboy]

I believe he says "Doggone little. . ." His speech impediment is just so thick he often gets misunderstood for saying the naughty thing.

This is one of those urban legends that aren't true. Like there supposedly being a scene where Jessica is on her butt and you can see under her dress and she's going commando, but it's really just an animation mistake causing the color to change.

Or that Aladdin says "Good teenagers take off your clothes" but really says "Good kitty. Take off and go."

Or that the priest in The Little Mermaid is getting an erection but it's really just his knee.

[athena]

This is one of those urban legends that aren't true.
Or people seeing what they want to see, I suppose... plus the idea of something scandalous in a Disney movie is just too good to pass up.

[starlac]

I remember something Ralph Bakshi said about unseen subversive images and the like.

It was along the lines of "...if nobody sees it, you haven't done anything"

Meaning that putting this kind of stuff in is pointless if no-one knows or can see that's it there.

[P.C. Unfunny]

Or people seeing what they want to see, I suppose... plus the idea of something scandalous in a Disney movie is just too good to pass up.


I think someone just made that up. It's always popular to make Disney look dirty since they have such a clean image.

EDIT: By the way, has anybody ever read the book "Who censored Roger Rabbit " by Gary K. Wolf ?

[lupercal]

Consider this: Daffy is black, playing a black piano; Donald is white, playing a white piano, and this, according to imdb:

The Ink and Paint Club's policy of only letting toons onto the premises as entertainers and employees, not as customers or audience members, is a reference to the real-life Cotton Club, which, along with many other segregated clubs before the Civil Rights movement, only allowed Black people to enter as performers.

I sort of weighed up the pros and cons of this the other night, and decided that the single thing which this legend has going against it is the question 'would a major studio risk using that word in a family film?' I stress 'family film' because there's certainly no prohibition about using it in an adult film - provided either a) the character is using it to prove that he's racist, or b) he's black anyway ('Curb Your Enthusiasm' has a classic take on this where Larry David is at a party with a Gangstah Rapper who takes a liking to him and affectionately says "Are you my nigger?" Later, Larry asks him "Are you my Caucasian?")

Anyway, RR certainly isn't a children's film, and for 1988 it may even have been pushing the boundaries of a family film somewhat. Given the other adult references (not including the Jessica's underwear stuff, which to be honest I've never noticed), I still find the idea rather unlikely, but to me, that's still pretty clearly what he says. At least a few people out there must actually know the truth, but they haven't been forthcoming.

Loop

[starlac]

At least a few people out there must actually know the truth

Tony Anselmo for one, since he was and still is the voice for Donald.

The profiles for the three shorts are up (if for some reason you haven't noticed).

[athena]

The profiles for the three shorts are up (if for some reason you haven't noticed).

Great stuff. :D
I actually don't think I've seen any of these shorts... although that's not surprising since I doubt I saw any of the films they were attached to in the theatre.

'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' is on my DVD list... although the list is so long I may need a second or third job to work my way down to it... not to mention more shelf space in my apartment for DVDs.

[lupercal]

I was just thinking, you could almost count the RR short that opens the movie, 'Somethin's Cookin' as well, as it's basically a complete cartoon except that it ends by segueing into the movie proper. There's a case against it too, I suppose, in that the only place you'll find it is in the movie 'Who Framed RR'.

Loop

[athena]

I was just thinking, you could almost count the RR short that opens the movie, 'Somethin's Cookin' as well, as it's basically a complete cartoon except that it ends by segueing into the movie proper. There's a case against it too, I suppose, in that the only place you'll find it is in the movie 'Who Framed RR'.

Mmm... I don't think so... if we start opening the door to chunks of movies being profiled separately, things could get even more confusing around here...