Who Framed Roger Rabbit


1h 36m 1988
Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Brief Synopsis

A tough detective tries to clear a cartoon character charged with murder.

Film Details

Also Known As
Chi ha incastrato Roger Rabbit, Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit?, Vem satte dit Roger Rabbit?, Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Adventure
Fantasy
Period
Release Date
1988
Production Company
Amblin Entertainment; Available Light Ltd.; Cts Studios; Industrial Light + Magic; Sunrise Films; Taj Soundworks; Thomas Mar; Touchstone Pictures
Distribution Company
Walt Disney Studios Distribution; Walt Disney Studios Distribution; Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; Warner Bros. Pictures International
Location
Elstree Studios, London, England, United Kingdom; Los Angeles, California, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 36m

Synopsis

It's post-war Hollywood, and a hard-boiled human detective is hired to tail hot-to-trot toon Jessica Rabbit. But when the object of Jessica's affections is murdered, all eyes turn to her rascally husband and the chase across worlds in on.

Crew

John Aardal

Animator

Barbara Adamski

Props

Peter Albrecht

Rotoscope Animator

Colin J Alexander

Rotoscope Animator

Jon Alexander

Camera Operator

David Allan

Other

Margot Allen

Effects Assistant

Louis Alley

Other

Leroy Anderson

Researcher

Rick Anderson

Visual Effects

Steven E Anderson

Makeup

Steven E Anderson

Hair

Charlotte Armstrong

Other

Gordon Arnell

Publicist

Carol Ashen

Other

Larry Aube

Key Grip

Don Austen

Puppeteer

Donald Austen

Puppeteer

Hans Bacher

Art Department

Michael Backauskas

Other

Dale Baer

Animator

Dale Baer

Digital Effects Supervisor

Jane Baer

Animator

Lynne Bailey Smith

Assistant Editor

Del Baker

Stunts

Dorothea Baker

Inbetweener

Gordon Baker

Animator

Sue Baker

Effects Assistant

Denise Ball

Art Assistant

Stephen Banks

Apprentice

Alexander Barclay

Rotoscope Animator

David Barclay

Puppeteer

Mike Barclay

Puppeteer

Amanda Xanthe Barnes

Other

Roy Barnes

Set Designer

William Barr

Other

James Barton

Puppeteer

James Baxter

Animator

Michael Bayliss

Puppeteer

Richard Bazley

Inbetweener

Maggie Beamer

Other

Greg Beaumonte

Camera Equipment

Ron Beck

Wardrobe Supervisor

Dennis Becker

Special Effects

Mick Becker

Set Costumer

Paul Beeson

Photography

Carl A Bell

Effects Assistant

Edward D Bell

Inbetweener

Lisa Belt

Post-Production Assistant

Ted Bemiller

Animator

Stella Benson

Inbetweener

Robert R. Benton

Set Decorator

David Bifano

Audio

Peter Biggs

Special Effects

Graham Binding

Inbetweener

Timothy Bjorklund

Animator

Chris Blair

Assistant Camera Operator

Keith Blake

Camera

Edward Blier

Assistant

Sarah Bloomberg

Rotoscope Animator

Bonnie Blough

Other

Allen Blyth

Effects Assistant

John Boldroff

Dolly Grip

Mike Bolles

Camera Equipment

Thomas Bookout

Best Boy

Alan Booth

Construction Manager

David A Bossert

Animator

Rejean Bourdages

Effects Assistant

David Bowers

Inbetweener

Sharon Boxall

Other

John S Boyd

Sound Rerecording Mixer

Neil Boyle

Animator Assistant

Neill Boyle

Effects Assistant

Andy Bradford

Stunts

Clare Bramwell

Inbetweener

Bill Brazner

Supervisor

Bella Bremner

Effects Assistant

Barbara Brennan

Rotoscope Animator

Bob Bridges

Camera

Danny Brittain

Other

Chris Brock

Assistant Director

Denis Brock

Gaffer

Guy Brockett

Other

Jon Brooks

Animator

David Byers Brown

Animator

Kris Brown

Other

Maggie Brown

Assistant

Derek Browne

Consultant

Andrew D Brownlow

Animator

Clyde E Bryan

Assistant Camera Operator

Ian Bryce

Unit Production Manager

Ian Bryce

Assistant Director

David Bulbeck

Puppeteer

Sally Burden

Other

Kathy Burrows-fullmer

Animator

Graham Burt

Effects Assistant

Lois Burwell

Makeup

Wally Byatt

Camera Operator

Anthony Cain

Scenic Artist

Roger Cain

Production Designer

Syd Cain

Storyboard Artist

Charles L Campbell

Sound Editor

James B Campbell

Original Music

Rocky Capella

Stunt Coordinator

Ronald Cardarelli

Key Grip

Paul Carden

Sound Editor

Larry Carow

Sound Editor

Patricia Carr

Production Manager

Angie Carroll

Video

James L Carter

Camera Operator

Mark Cary

Production Assistant

Shaun Caton

Other

Stephan Cavalier

Rotoscope Animator

Lanny Cermak

Camera Equipment

Thomas J Cesarz

Other

Glenn Chaika

Animator

Brenda Chapman

Inbetweener

Valerie Charlton

Chief Modelmaker

Ken Chase

Makeup

Brenda Chat-mckie

Effects Assistant

Graham Chenery

Animator

Roger Chiasson

Animator

Gregory Childers

Other

Marc Christenson

Effects Assistant

Lynn Christopher

Set Designer

Paul Chung

Effects Assistant

Blair Clark

Other

Donald Clark

Camera Operator

Tony Clark

Other

Christopher Clarke

Effects Assistant

Ken Clarke

Supervisor

Malcolm Clarke

Inbetweener

Marcus Clarke

Puppeteer

Lisette Coate

Inbetweener

Dan Cohen

Animator

Martin Cohen

Post-Production Supervisor

Tina Cole

Other

Cy Coleman

Song

Karen Comella

Supervisor

Chris Conklin

Other

Ian Cook

Production Coordinator

Ceri Evans Cooper

Script Supervisor

J L Cooper

Assistant

Jim Cooper

Assistant

Michael Cooper

Other

Lisa Corcoran

Other

Alain Costa

Animator

Annamarie Costa

Animator

Kim Costalupes

Editor

Irene Couloufis

Effects Assistant

Katherine Cowan

Other

Terry Cox

Special Effects

David Craig

Production Assistant

Laura Craig

Other

Jeffrey Cranford

Production Assistant

Caron Creed

Animator

Charlie Croughwell

Stunts

Kent Culotta

Inbetweener

Dean Cundey

Director Of Photography

Dean Cundey

Dp/Cinematographer

Selena D'santos

Rotoscope Animator

Sue Dacre

Puppeteer

Eric Daniels

Inbetweener

Diane Davies

Animator

Kevin Davies

Animator

Larry Dean Davis

Assistant Camera Operator

Shep Dawe

Sound Maintenance

Tony Dawe

Sound Mixer

Michael Dawson

Special Effects

Humberto De La Fuentes

Inbetweener

Andreas Deja

Digital Effects Supervisor

Lily Dell

Effects Assistant

Patsy Delord

Production Manager

Mark Dempsey

Rotoscope Animator

Frazer Diamond

Other

Peter Diamond

Stunts

Ron Dias

Background Artist

Claudine Diaz

Rotoscope Animator

Don Digirolamo

Sound Rerecording Mixer

Joseph Dipple

Props

Jeff Doran

Camera Operator

Claire Dorey

Other

Phil Downey

Color Timer

Anthony Driver

Production

Annie Dubois

Effects Assistant

Sheila Duignan

Puppets Construction

David Dunnet

Layout Artist

Tony Dunsterville

Special Effects

Anthony Ealey

Inbetweener

Robert Eames

Carpenter

Timothy Eaton

Assistant Editor

Selwyn Eddy

Camera Operator

Louis L Edemann

Sound Editor

Craig Edgar

Assistant Art Director

Helga Egilson

Effects Assistant

John Ellis

Camera Operator

Marc Ellis

Inbetweener

Annie Elvin

Rotoscope Animator

Harry Elvin

Other

Martin Elvin

Animator

Film Details

Also Known As
Chi ha incastrato Roger Rabbit, Qui veut la peau de Roger Rabbit?, Vem satte dit Roger Rabbit?, Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Adaptation
Adventure
Fantasy
Period
Release Date
1988
Production Company
Amblin Entertainment; Available Light Ltd.; Cts Studios; Industrial Light + Magic; Sunrise Films; Taj Soundworks; Thomas Mar; Touchstone Pictures
Distribution Company
Walt Disney Studios Distribution; Walt Disney Studios Distribution; Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; Warner Bros. Pictures International
Location
Elstree Studios, London, England, United Kingdom; Los Angeles, California, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 36m

Award Wins

Best Editing

1988
Arthur Schmidt

Best Sound Effects Sound Editing

1988

Best Visual Effects

1988

Award Nominations

Best Art Direction

1988

Best Cinematography

1988

Best Sound

1988

Articles

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - Who Framed Roger Rabbit


Among the summer blockbusters of the 1980s, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) stands out as a true original - 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. He and his comic strip friends exist three-dimensionally in the real world, their word balloons visible above their heads when they speak. Early in Disney's 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 Disney, and bring Zemeckis in as director. 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."

Zemeckis brought in scriptwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman to knock the story into shape. In 1947 Hollywood, "Toon" star Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer) is having trouble concentrating on his work. His boss, R. K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern) hires a down-and-out private detective named Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) to tail Roger's wife, Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner). The Toons, who are a carefree bunch with an "anything for a laugh" attitude, live in a segregated area near Hollywood called Toontown. Eddie hates Toons because he had to patrol Toontown when he was a cop; his brother was killed there when a Toon dropped a safe on his head. Tailing Jessica, Eddie discovers that she indeed seems to be "playing patty cake" with a human, Marvin Acme, a prop-supplier for the cartoon industry. When Acme is later found dead (a safe has been dropped on his head), Roger seems to be the natural suspect. Roger has been framed, though, and Eddie agrees to help him clear his name, uncovering a complex plot which involves larger economic and political forces and a plan to eliminate Los Angeles' trolley-car transit system. With its unique blending of Film Noir and golden age cartoons, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the only movie that can be unhesitatingly mentioned in the same breath as both Roman Polanski's Chinatown (1974) and Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)!

Early in pre-production it was realized that there would be an enormous amount of animation required for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, much more than in any previous mixture of cartoons and live-action. The task would also require an expert animation director, someone capable of handling the unique requirements of the type of perspective changes seen in live-action photography. Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones had been brought on as a consultant for the picture by his friend Spielberg, and he recommended a Canadian animator working in England, Richard Williams. Jones and Williams had worked together on an OscarĀ®-winning animated version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1971). Spielberg and Zemeckis screened footage from Williams' unfinished feature film The Thief and the Cobbler, and were floored by the animator's obvious technical skills. The plan was to shoot all of the live-action footage first, then have Williams and his team in England laboriously animate the "Toon" characters. The final animation, on sheets of celluloid (cels), was flat colors; another layer of cels, called shadow mattes, indicated shadows on the characters. The final compositing of live-action and animation was done by the effects artists at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), headed by Ken Ralston. There, the hand-drawn shadow mattes were used to create three-dimensional shading on the cartoon characters. All of this was accomplished optically, as was the norm in the days before computer-generated graphics. To minimize any degrading of the image, the live-action portions of the effects shots were filmed in large format VistaVision.

Richard Williams had his own drawing style, but for Who Framed Roger Rabbit he took his cue from Zemeckis. As Williams told Animation Magazine shortly after the film opened, "Bob Zemeckis loves [cartoon directors Tex] Avery and [Bob] Clampett. He told me he wanted three things: Disney articulation, i.e., believability, weight, skill of movement and sincerity when we needed it; Warner Bros. characters, because they're zanier, they do more interesting things; and Avery humor, but not so brutal." Williams also spoke of the reasoning behind the design of the lead character: "Roger has that Tex Avery cashew nut shaped head, the swatch of red hair is like Droopy's, Oswald the Rabbit's overalls, Porky Pig's bow tie, Freddy Moore's Mickey Mouse gloves, and he's the color of an American flag."

Every scene in which live actors interacted with cartoons was filmed in full twice. A reference take for each shot was filmed with large foam-rubber stand-ins for each cartoon character, manipulated in rough poses by puppeteers. The stand-ins were a solid, light color so that the on-set shadows could later be observed and replicated by the ILM artists. Comedian Charles Fleischer was cast as the voice of Roger, and in a very unusual move, he was present on the set during the main live-action filming. While Bob Hoskins was performing a scene with thin air, Fleischer would deliver his lines - dressed in a makeshift rabbit suit, no less - offstage for Hoskins' benefit.

The actors - British-born Hoskins in particular - had to be unusually adept at performing with invisible costars. In his book The Animator's Survival Kit Williams said, "One day animator Simon Wells came to me and said 'We've got a problem - Hoskins is looking at a 6 foot high rabbit - what do we do?' He was right. Hoskins had temporarily lapsed and was looking and talking to a wall about 6 feet off the ground. I thought, 'Well, the rabbit's got these huge feet - let's just stretch him up on his toes against the wall.' 'For no reason?' 'What else are we going to do? The rabbit's neurotic - it should work.' They even used the shot in the promotional trailers and no one ever questioned it."

One of the most delightful aspects of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the unprecedented number of cartoon characters who make cameo appearances. There are a full range of Disney stars (Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, Goofy) and supporting players (the Big Bad Wolf, The Reluctant Dragon, the broomsticks from Fantasia 1940), of course, but remarkably, there are a number of characters from other studios as well. Spielberg personally persuaded Warner Bros. executives to allow appearances by such stars as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Yosemite Sam. For many cartoon buffs, the highlight of the movie is a scene in which Hoskins watches a nightclub act in which Donald Duck faces off in a piano duel with Daffy Duck. Also making appearances are characters from Fleischer Studios (Betty Boop and Koko the Clown), Universal Studios (Woody Woodpecker), and MGM (Droopy). For the most part, the original voice actors were also brought in for the roles: as she had in the 1930s, Mae Questel voiced Betty Boop, and the venerable Mel Blanc provided the voices for all of the Warner Bros. characters.

Reviews were almost universally enthusiastic, particularly of the technical innovation. In The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "[the] best moments are so novel, so deliriously funny and so crazily unexpected that they truly must be seen to be believed." Desson Howe of the Washington Post said, "If you don't like 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' have your pulse checked. Robert Zemeckis' multi-dimensional free-for-all, where cartoon figures bump, quip and cavort with flesh-and-blood characters, is not only a technical tour de force, it crackles with entertainment." Who Framed Roger Rabbit was one of the most expensive of the era, with a cost estimated at $70 million. The gamble paid off for Disney and Amblin, as the film was a worldwide box-office hit.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a landmark movie 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. Soon after the feature was released, The Simpsons and The Ren & Stimpy Show reinvigorated TV animation, while Disney saw such theatrical hits as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). Who Framed Roger Rabbit is invariably credited with starting the "animation boom" of the period.

Producer: Frank Marshall, Robert Watts
Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Animation Director: Richard Williams
Screenplay: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman
Story: Gary K. Wolf (novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?)
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Film Editing: Arthur Schmidt
Music: Alan Silvestri
Production Design: Roger Cain, Elliot Scott
Costume Design: Joanna Johnston
Cast: Bob Hoskins (Eddie Valiant), Christopher Lloyd (Baron von Rotton/ Judge Doom), Charles Fleischer (voice of Roger Rabbit), Joanna Cassidy (Dolores), Stubby Kaye (Marvin Acme), Alan Tilvern (R. K. Maroon), Kathleen Turner (voice of Jessica Rabbit), Amy Irving (singing voice of Jessica Rabbit), Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop), Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Porky Pig).
C-103m.

by John M. Miller
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Among the summer blockbusters of the 1980s, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) stands out as a true original - 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. He and his comic strip friends exist three-dimensionally in the real world, their word balloons visible above their heads when they speak. Early in Disney's 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 Disney, and bring Zemeckis in as director. 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." Zemeckis brought in scriptwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman to knock the story into shape. In 1947 Hollywood, "Toon" star Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer) is having trouble concentrating on his work. His boss, R. K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern) hires a down-and-out private detective named Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) to tail Roger's wife, Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner). The Toons, who are a carefree bunch with an "anything for a laugh" attitude, live in a segregated area near Hollywood called Toontown. Eddie hates Toons because he had to patrol Toontown when he was a cop; his brother was killed there when a Toon dropped a safe on his head. Tailing Jessica, Eddie discovers that she indeed seems to be "playing patty cake" with a human, Marvin Acme, a prop-supplier for the cartoon industry. When Acme is later found dead (a safe has been dropped on his head), Roger seems to be the natural suspect. Roger has been framed, though, and Eddie agrees to help him clear his name, uncovering a complex plot which involves larger economic and political forces and a plan to eliminate Los Angeles' trolley-car transit system. With its unique blending of Film Noir and golden age cartoons, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the only movie that can be unhesitatingly mentioned in the same breath as both Roman Polanski's Chinatown (1974) and Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)! Early in pre-production it was realized that there would be an enormous amount of animation required for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, much more than in any previous mixture of cartoons and live-action. The task would also require an expert animation director, someone capable of handling the unique requirements of the type of perspective changes seen in live-action photography. Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones had been brought on as a consultant for the picture by his friend Spielberg, and he recommended a Canadian animator working in England, Richard Williams. Jones and Williams had worked together on an OscarĀ®-winning animated version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1971). Spielberg and Zemeckis screened footage from Williams' unfinished feature film The Thief and the Cobbler, and were floored by the animator's obvious technical skills. The plan was to shoot all of the live-action footage first, then have Williams and his team in England laboriously animate the "Toon" characters. The final animation, on sheets of celluloid (cels), was flat colors; another layer of cels, called shadow mattes, indicated shadows on the characters. The final compositing of live-action and animation was done by the effects artists at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), headed by Ken Ralston. There, the hand-drawn shadow mattes were used to create three-dimensional shading on the cartoon characters. All of this was accomplished optically, as was the norm in the days before computer-generated graphics. To minimize any degrading of the image, the live-action portions of the effects shots were filmed in large format VistaVision. Richard Williams had his own drawing style, but for Who Framed Roger Rabbit he took his cue from Zemeckis. As Williams told Animation Magazine shortly after the film opened, "Bob Zemeckis loves [cartoon directors Tex] Avery and [Bob] Clampett. He told me he wanted three things: Disney articulation, i.e., believability, weight, skill of movement and sincerity when we needed it; Warner Bros. characters, because they're zanier, they do more interesting things; and Avery humor, but not so brutal." Williams also spoke of the reasoning behind the design of the lead character: "Roger has that Tex Avery cashew nut shaped head, the swatch of red hair is like Droopy's, Oswald the Rabbit's overalls, Porky Pig's bow tie, Freddy Moore's Mickey Mouse gloves, and he's the color of an American flag." Every scene in which live actors interacted with cartoons was filmed in full twice. A reference take for each shot was filmed with large foam-rubber stand-ins for each cartoon character, manipulated in rough poses by puppeteers. The stand-ins were a solid, light color so that the on-set shadows could later be observed and replicated by the ILM artists. Comedian Charles Fleischer was cast as the voice of Roger, and in a very unusual move, he was present on the set during the main live-action filming. While Bob Hoskins was performing a scene with thin air, Fleischer would deliver his lines - dressed in a makeshift rabbit suit, no less - offstage for Hoskins' benefit. The actors - British-born Hoskins in particular - had to be unusually adept at performing with invisible costars. In his book The Animator's Survival Kit Williams said, "One day animator Simon Wells came to me and said 'We've got a problem - Hoskins is looking at a 6 foot high rabbit - what do we do?' He was right. Hoskins had temporarily lapsed and was looking and talking to a wall about 6 feet off the ground. I thought, 'Well, the rabbit's got these huge feet - let's just stretch him up on his toes against the wall.' 'For no reason?' 'What else are we going to do? The rabbit's neurotic - it should work.' They even used the shot in the promotional trailers and no one ever questioned it." One of the most delightful aspects of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the unprecedented number of cartoon characters who make cameo appearances. There are a full range of Disney stars (Mickey Mouse, Dumbo, Goofy) and supporting players (the Big Bad Wolf, The Reluctant Dragon, the broomsticks from Fantasia 1940), of course, but remarkably, there are a number of characters from other studios as well. Spielberg personally persuaded Warner Bros. executives to allow appearances by such stars as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and Yosemite Sam. For many cartoon buffs, the highlight of the movie is a scene in which Hoskins watches a nightclub act in which Donald Duck faces off in a piano duel with Daffy Duck. Also making appearances are characters from Fleischer Studios (Betty Boop and Koko the Clown), Universal Studios (Woody Woodpecker), and MGM (Droopy). For the most part, the original voice actors were also brought in for the roles: as she had in the 1930s, Mae Questel voiced Betty Boop, and the venerable Mel Blanc provided the voices for all of the Warner Bros. characters. Reviews were almost universally enthusiastic, particularly of the technical innovation. In The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "[the] best moments are so novel, so deliriously funny and so crazily unexpected that they truly must be seen to be believed." Desson Howe of the Washington Post said, "If you don't like 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' have your pulse checked. Robert Zemeckis' multi-dimensional free-for-all, where cartoon figures bump, quip and cavort with flesh-and-blood characters, is not only a technical tour de force, it crackles with entertainment." Who Framed Roger Rabbit was one of the most expensive of the era, with a cost estimated at $70 million. The gamble paid off for Disney and Amblin, as the film was a worldwide box-office hit. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a landmark movie 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. Soon after the feature was released, The Simpsons and The Ren & Stimpy Show reinvigorated TV animation, while Disney saw such theatrical hits as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). Who Framed Roger Rabbit is invariably credited with starting the "animation boom" of the period. Producer: Frank Marshall, Robert Watts Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy Director: Robert Zemeckis Animation Director: Richard Williams Screenplay: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman Story: Gary K. Wolf (novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?) Cinematography: Dean Cundey Film Editing: Arthur Schmidt Music: Alan Silvestri Production Design: Roger Cain, Elliot Scott Costume Design: Joanna Johnston Cast: Bob Hoskins (Eddie Valiant), Christopher Lloyd (Baron von Rotton/ Judge Doom), Charles Fleischer (voice of Roger Rabbit), Joanna Cassidy (Dolores), Stubby Kaye (Marvin Acme), Alan Tilvern (R. K. Maroon), Kathleen Turner (voice of Jessica Rabbit), Amy Irving (singing voice of Jessica Rabbit), Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop), Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Porky Pig). C-103m. by John M. Miller

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Summer June 22, 1988

Released in United States on Video October 12, 1989

Released in United States November 1988

Shown at FestRio in Brazil November 17-26, 1988.

Based on the novel "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?" by Gary K. Wolf; published by Ballentine Books in 1981. The author subsequently turned the book into a series of novels after the success of the film.

Released in United States Summer June 22, 1988

Released in United States on Video October 12, 1989

Released in United States November 1988 (Shown at FestRio in Brazil November 17-26, 1988.)

Began shooting December 12, 1986.