Who Framed Roger Rabbit Review

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Release Date: 24th November 1988 - Australia

Production Companies

Touchstone Pictures (presents)

Amblin Entertainment

Silver Screen Partners III (in association with)

Walt Disney Feature Animation (Uncredited)

Distribution

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia

Genre: Comedy/Mystery

Rating: PG

Runtime: 104 minutes


Budget: $58,000,000

Box Office Gross: $351,500,000 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
In 1947, Eddie Valiant, a Toon-hating detective, must solve the murder of Acme Corporation and Toontown owner Marvin Acme and prove the innocence of cartoon star Roger Rabbit, who was the prime suspect in this heinous crime. They must learn to watch out for the sinister Judge Doom, who will stop at nothing but bring Roger to justice.

Cast

Bob Hoskins - Eddie Valiant

Christopher Lloyd - Judge Doom
Joanna Cassidy - Dolores
Stubby Kaye - Marvin Acme
Alan Tilvern - R. K. Maroon
Richard LeParmentier - Lt. Santino

Betsy Brantley - Jessica's Performance Model

Joel Silver - Raoul (Director)

Paul Springer - Augie

Richard Ridings - Angelo

Mike Edmonds - Stretch

Morgan Deare - Editor

Voice Cast

Charles Fleischer - Roger Rabbit/Benny the Cab/

Greasy/Psycho

Kathleen Turner - Jessica Rabbit (Uncredited)

David L. Lander - Smart Ass

Fred Newman - Stupid
Lou Hirsch - Baby Herman

Mae Questel - Betty Boop

Mel Blanc - Bugs Bunny/Daffy

Duck/Tweety Bird/Sylvester/

Porky Pig
Joe Alaskey - Yosemite Sam/Foghorn Leghorn

Wayne Allwine - Mickey Mouse

Tony Anselmo - Donald Duck

Russi Taylor - Birds/Minnie Mouse

Bill Farmer - Goofy (Uncredited)
Tony Pope - Goofy/Wolf
April Winchell - Mrs. Herman
Frank Sinatra - The Singing Sword (archive sound)
Frank Welker - Dumbo
June Foray - Wheezy/Lena Hyena
Richard Williams - Droopy

Pat Buttram - Bullet #1

Jim Cummings - Bullet #2

Jim Galland - Bullet #3

Less Perkins - Mr. Toad

Peter Westy - Pinocchio

Cherry Davis - Woody Woodpecker

Mary T. Radford - Hippo

Morgan Deare - Gorilla

Crew

Director - Robert Zemeckis
Based on the Novel "Who Censored Roger

Rabbit?" - Gary K. Wolf

Screenplay - Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman

Associate Producers - Don Hahn and

Steve Starkey

Executive Producers - Steven Spielberg

and Kathleen Kennedy
Producer/Second Unit Director: UK -

Frank Marshall
Producer - Robert Watts

Casting Director: UK - Priscilla John

Production Designers - Elliot Scott
and Roger Cain

Production Illustrators: USA - Martin A. Kline

and David Russell
Concept Designer - Michael Peraza Jr.

Art Director: UK - Stephen Scott

Location Art Director: UK - Keith Pain

Draughtsmen: UK - Richard Holland

and Peter Russell

Storyboard Artists: UK - Michael White and

Syd Cain

Storysketch: Animation - Joe Ranft,

Mark Kausler, Hans Bacher and

Harald Siepermann

Layout - Roy Naisbitt

Layout: Additional Animation -

William H. Frake III and Dave Dunnet

Set Decorator: UK - Peter Howitt

Set Decorator: USA - Robert R. Benton

Property Master: UK - Barry Wilkinson
Costume Designer - Joanna Johnston

Assistant Costume Designer - Graham Churchyard

Makeup Artist: UK - Peter Robb-King

Chief Makeup Artist: Second Unit, UK -

Lois Burwell

Hair Stylist: UK - Colin Jamison
Director of Photography - Dean Cundey

Additional Photography: Second Unit, UK -

Paul Beeson

Director of Photography: Second Unit, USA -

Gregg Heschong

Camera Operators: UK - Raymond Stella

and David Worley

Camera Operator: Second Unit, USA -

James L. Bryan

First Assistant Camera: USA - Clyde E. Bryan

and Stephen Tate

Production Manager: UK - Patricia Carr

Unit Production Manager: USA - Jack Frost Sanders

First Assistant Director: UK - Michael Murray

First Assistant Director: USA - David McGiffert

First Assistant Director: Second Unit, USA -

Marty P. Ewing

Second Assistant Director: UK - Chris Brock

Third Assistant Director: UK - Peter Heslop

Location Manager: UK - Philip Kohler

Second Unit Director: UK - Ian Sharp

Second Unit Director: USA - Max Kleven

Stunt Arranger - Peter Diamond

Chief Puppeteer: UK - David Alan Barclay

Director of Animation - Richard Williams

Supervising Animator: "Roger Rabbit" -

Andreas Deja
Supervising Animators - Russell Hall,
Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells

Chief Executive and Supervising Animator:
Additional Animation - Dale Baer

Animation Consultants - Stan Green,
Chuck Jones and Walt Stanchfield

Animation Effects Supervisor - Chris Knott

Animated Effects Supervisor: Additional

Animation - Don Paul

Animation Camera Supervisor -

John Leatherbarrow

Mechanical Effects Supervisor - George Gibbs
Special Effects Supervisor: USA -

Michael Lantieri
Visual Effects Supervisor - Ken Ralston

Optical Photography Supervisor - Ed Jones

Visual Effects Camera Operator - Scott Farrar

Supervising Model Maker - Steve Gawley

Assistant Director/Unit Production Manager:

ILM - Ian Bryce

Matte and Roto Supervisor - Annie Elvin

Animation Supervisor - Wes Takahashi

Stop-Motion Animator - Tom St. Amand

Film Editor - Arthur Schmidt

Animation Editor - Nick Fletcher

Associate Editors: UK - Peter Lonsdale

and Colin Wilson

Assistant Editors: UK - Carin-Anne Strohmaier,

Andrew MacRitchie and Lynne Bailey Smith

Supervising Sound Editors - Charles L. Campbell

and Louis L. Edemann

Re-Recording Mixers - Robert Knudson,

John Boyd, Don Digirolamo and Jim Fitzpatrick

Foley Artists - Ellen Heuer and John Roesch

Foley Recordist - Greg Orloff

Music - Alan Silvestri

Awards

1989 Academy Awards
Best Film Editing - Arthur Schmidt (Won)
Best Sound Effects Editing - Charles L. Campbell
and Louis L. Edemann (Won)
Best Visual Effects - Ken Ralston,

Richard Williams, Ed Jones and George Gibbs (Won)

Special Achievement Award - Richard Williams (Won)
-----------------------
Best Cinematography - Dean Cundey (Nominated)
Best Art Direction - Elliot Scott and Peter Howitt (Nominated)
Best Sound - Robert Knudson, John Boyd,

Don Digirolamo and Tony Dawe (Nominated)

Review

It has been several years since WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was shown on television and VHS. It seemed like an adult-oriented, edgy, live-action/animation fantasy comedy that got misconstrued as a family movie despite its intention to aim at mature audiences. It is a homage to noir films and those classic cartoons produced in the Golden Age of Animation. It's mainly due to director Robert Zemeckis, animator Richard Williams and filmmaker Steven Spielberg's creative talents that had this filmed and animated in both cinematic components that had streamlined together in a film as both live-action and animation.

Many years in the making, the effects have aged well in ROGER RABBIT, and so has the story, which is so rich in laughter and mystery. The movie contains cartoon characters. Some were from the novel or original, and others got borrowed from copyright holders like Warner Bros and the film's production company Disney. Many people will know these characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

The cast was well-suited to their performances, including the late Bob Hoskins, who takes on the gruff, bigoted human detective Eddie Valiant. Christopher Lloyd plays the sharp, sinister role of the mysterious, cold-hearted Judge Doom. Kathleen Turner is hardly recognisable in her voice as Roger Rabbit's seductive beauty of a wife, Jessica.

Though I haven't seen ROGER RABBIT for a long time, I remember it fondly. It's an excellent movie that surely entertains, excites and brings joy to people of all ages.

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

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