Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988
Welcome back to another exciting edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers. This week J. Blake and Dion Baia are going “way down the alley“, to discuss a monumental film that marked a seminal event in cinema history, something that to this day has never been replicated. What is it you might ask? Well have a listen as the boys talk the film noir/live-action/animated mash-up, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, from 1988!
Dion and Blake jump right into things, reminiscing about the late 80s, discussing the time period this film was released within. Another movie highlighting the glory of the pre-CGI era, the fellas analyze the various practical methods used to bring this amazing story to the silver screen, from the hand-drawn cell animation, to the practical SFX, to the sheen ILM applied to help make the finished product look that much more ‘real’. The boys go through the 1981 Gary Wolf book the film is based on Who Censored Roger Rabbit? and the similarities and major differences in plot and tone. Blake and Dion attempt to add perspective and really underscore how amazing this project was to be able to bring together various characters from Warner Bros., Disney and Tex Avery‘s troupe at MGM– a colossal feat that still 29 years on, hasn’t again been achieved. They also discuss meeting pioneering animation Ink and Painter Martha Sigall, who personally knew icons like Chuck Jones and Mel Blanc, as well as meeting Hanna Barbara legend Bob Singer. So how dark is this film really, even though it was billed as a children’s picture? And is the book actually much darker? What is the real-life plot point in Roger Rabbit that audiences forget actually happened, and how is it somehow related to Robert Towne‘s Chinatown series? And what is Dion‘s Bob Hoskins story- did he actually carry him around on his back, Yoda-style for a day? Well get ready and make sure you take your heart medicine, because the lads are taking you on a trip into Toontown in this all new episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!
*Dean Cundey actually directed Honey We Shrunk Ourselves, not the original Honey I Shrunk the Kids.
EXTRAS:
Take a look at this rare deleted scene, entitled the “Pighead Sequence“.
Check out the three rare Roger Rabbit post-film shorts: Tummy Trouble, from 1989; Roller Coaster Rabbit from 1990; and from 1993,Trail Mix-Up!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Fantastic episode, guys!
First, that Bugs Bunny PSA you guys had running in the opening…holy shit I remember that! To this day when I have a pan on the stove or something, I move the handle to the side out of a reflex.
This was one hell of a movie growing up. I remember our neighbors took me and my sister to the theatre in a mall to see this and we were so excited. I didn’t realize until years later that this was a noir detective story. When you’re a kid you focus on the cartoon stuff and take it at face value without realizing the stuff behind it.
Bob Hoskins was so good in this. Eddie Valiant’s probably one of my favorite film detectives. On a more recent viewing, I finally picked up on the circus photo of him, his dad and his brother which made Eddie’s song and dance routine with all the flips and juggling at the end make so much more sense.
The score does get a little samey in certain parts, but the one track that always gets me is “Valiant and Valiant” when we see Eddie in his office looking at the pictures. For me at least, that’s such a damn good song.
It must’ve been difficult talking about this movie when so much as already been said about it, but I enjoyed the hell out of this episode. As always, keep up the fantastic work and thank you for letting me always write my long-winded responses.
Dying to know what the next episode is by that reaction you guys had at the end.
Thanks Jose! Yeah, same thing with me- to this day I ALWAYS turn the pot handle in cause of the PSA, even though I don’t even have any kids. Ha. And yeah, this film holds a special place in my heart and probably primed me for all the Detective fiction I like now. And that’s something I completely forgot to bring up, “Valiant and Valiant” and their connection to the circus- a minor subplot that is actually very interesting. Thank you so much for your continued support, and for taking the time once again to write us. You are, and will always be, the man. -Dion