'Roger Rabbit' Sequel Finally Moving Forward
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Disney, Fandom, Scripts, Family Films
To misquote Jessica Rabbit: "Sequels to beloved animated / live-action classics aren't all bad. They're just motion-captured that way." As our own Elisabeth Way back when, Seaman and Price adapted Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, a novel by Gary K. Wolff. The hard-boiled mystery drew upon the history of the Los Angeles transit system and provided a strong framework for a dazzling mixture of traditional cell animation and live-action period footage. Wolff wrote a sequel, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?, and other follow-up ideas have been discussed over the years, but Zemeckis says he wasn't involved in any of them.
Of course, any sequel script would need to be very, very good on its own merits to have any hope of living up to the original. In view of Zemeckis' fascination, nay, obsession with performance capture digital tools, I share Elisbeth's fear that a new Roger Rabbit will be "a dead-eyed motion capture and not a lovable toon." The original was a mystery, a comedy, and a thriller, but it was the idea of brightly-colored cartoons living side by side with humans in a mundane real world that gave the film its distinctive flavor. Whose performances will be computer-animated in the sequel -- humans, 'toons, or both?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-01-2009 @ 12:19PM
Buck said...
I also find it interesting knowing that Zemeckis was pretty adament about the cartoons having to be hand-drawn and 2D-style to truly pay homage to the cartoons they were referencing. And though I'm absolutely certain he'd still feel that way, I'm not sure how he could mix the two.
He's also said in an interview that he hasn't given up on live action forever, he's never found a compelling reason to go back.
(http://www.podcast.tv/video-episodes/-robert-zemeckis--4256224.html)
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11-01-2009 @ 11:42PM
jim said...
Maybe the "motion capture toons" will be the equivalent of zombies.
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11-02-2009 @ 12:24AM
Tom said...
Maybe it will take place in modern times where Digital Animation is more popular than tradition animated. Kind of like when Betty Boop was complaining about Color Toons being more popular than classic Black and White Toons.
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11-02-2009 @ 7:52AM
Wexler said...
Although I doubt it would happen, it would be pretty interesting if he decided to include both classic animated characters as well as CG characters. Maybe if they came up with a plot involving the classic characters being outdated/replaced by the CG characters. Of course there would be foul play involved. Just a thought.
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11-02-2009 @ 8:02PM
Arp said...
Don't know, don't care. Just as long as Bob Hoskins is in it im down, oh and a clever cameo for Christopher Lloyd would also be awesome. Christopher Lloyds huge eyes in the first one always made me laugh.
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11-28-2009 @ 4:31PM
illiam said...
I'll gladly watch a WFRR sequel as I loved the first film and it inspired me to pursue a job in animation. I think motion capture will be used for the TOONS ( at least I hope so) because if it were 2D with motion capture humans, it loses the charm and the reason the first was so convincing.
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1-26-2010 @ 1:01AM
jerry t42 said...
all i can say is do it ever since i first saw it in 96 i thought of ways to make a sequal and my ideas are danm good acording to my friends so if i can think it hollywood should be able to top a great master piece with a sequal just dont kill it like indiana jones if they made it it would for sure be a box office hit.... oh and hook me up with a favor and put more goofy in it and of course bugs needs a good sub role for it
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