who framed roger rabbit Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Roger Rabbit Sequel Will Contain Both 2D and Mo-Cap Animation
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Noir », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
As Peter reported a few days ago, Robert Zemeckis is going forward with a Roger Rabbit sequel. We all seem to be intrigued by the possibility of returning to Toontown, but Zemeckis' obsession with motion capture really casts a Judge Doom-like shadow over the project. Will he motion capture Roger Rabbit and his Toontown friends? Or will Zemeckis return to the old school of hand-drawn animation?MTV caught up with Zemeckis, who was quick to assure fans of the bumbling Roger that he will remain his cuddly 2D self. "I wouldn't use it for the cartoon characters, because I think they should stay two-dimensional because that's what - I wouldn't dimensonalize Roger," he said. "And I couldn't dimensonalize Jessica even if I wanted to because she doesn't have a nose. We wouldn't want to give her a nose." But motion capture will be a part of Roger Rabbit 2. The technology is like Zemeckis' whale, and he's determined to exploit every possibility with it. His current plan appears to involve using motion-capture for the human performances. "All the other characters that [the cartoons] would sort of have fun with would be magnificent in performance capture technology."
There's that Judge Doom shadow again. The clumsy way humans and toons interacted was the point of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? It was the contrast that was interesting and fun. Having animated humans just seems to take it on a trip into the Uncanny Valley. The project is still in its early stages, so maybe Zemeckis will surprise us, and have the technology be part of the story. Everyone on the interwebs seems to be championing the idea of the toons having to deal with technological advances. We can hope for that, and not that Zemeckis will just shove in a motion-captured cast just because he can't stop himself.
'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?
Discuss: The Golden Age of 80's Fantasy
Filed under: Fandom », Family Films », Home Entertainment »
As I've watched Harry Potter mania spread around the world like something out of The Stand, I've been feeling a little left out of the phenomenon (having never been a huge fan of the fantasy series). But as the kids line up around the block in their 'Snape capes' and plastic spectacles, I've been thinking back to my own days as a 'rugrat' and the fantasy flicks I used to love. So without getting too specific (remember, nobody ever asks a lady her age), the movies I loved as a child were made in a wild and crazy time better known as the 80's, and what a decade it was for fantasy.
The 80's brought us some of the most iconic fantasy flicks ever made, like Conan, John Boorman's Excalibur, and Highlander. But today isn't about ranking the best and the worst -- it's about my favorite fantasy flicks of the 'me generation' and, who knows, you might just find some recommendations for the little ones in your life once that boy wizard finally exits stage left.
After the jump: my fantasy favorites, and a glimpse into the world of prime 80's cheese...
Is a Sequel to Roger Rabbit in the Works?
Filed under: Animation », Classics », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Noir », Disney », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
With every movie of the '80s and '90s being dusted off and revisited, a return to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is not only unsurprising, but probably inevitable. MTV News caught up with Robert Zemeckis, who revealed that he was seriously considering a return to Toontown. "I'll tell you what is buzzing around in my head now that we have the ability - the digital tools, performance capture - I'm starting to think about Roger Rabbit."Of course, Zemeckis couldn't provide any further details. Two years ago, Frank Marshall told MTV that a sequel was still kicking around, and that all that had prevented it was the lack of digital technology. "It came pretty close. We shot a test. We had a script. But unfortunately, we didn't have computer generated animation quite yet -- it was just too expensive." Because Roger Rabbit would be in the entire movie as opposed to only about 48 minutes of animation, it was impossible to do at the time. Obviously, technology has updated to the point that an entire Roger Rabbit movie could be done with CG and clearly, Zemeckis would love to use his motion capture on the big, goofy bunny ... and can you imagine what they'd do with Jessica Rabbit to top Angelina Jolie as Grendel's Mom? I'm a little creeped out just thinking about that.
A Roger Rabbit sequel isn't a bad idea, but as with so many of these properties, it just feels like the ship has sailed. New technology should mean new stories, not just a return to 1988. I imagine I'm alone in that, and everyone else is dying for more Roger Rabbit even after 20 years. But will you like him as well if he's a dead-eyed motion capture and not a lovable toon?
Stars in Rewind: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Trailers and Clips », Stars in Rewind »
Roger Rabbit just wants to make people laugh, not like the eye-bleary, dreary, sex-shocking Brown Bunny. Seeing the above clip from Who Framed Roger Rabbit definitely brings back memories. It's not every day that animation blends with live action, or modern movies get to use Golden Age voices, or animated characters from different studios appear together in the same film.
As an added bonus, the cast is just as tasty as the technological advancements this film made. Of course, there's Bob Hoskins, but there's also Charles Fleischer as the voice of Roger and other animated peeps, Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom, Joanna Cassidy as Dolores, an archive recording of Frank Sinatra, Amy Irving singing for Jessica Rabbit, and Kathleen Turner taking on Jessica's speaking voice. This is the technological Robert Zemeckis I like -- forget that performance capture!
Happy Easter everyone! Be nice to your bunnies.
Disney Goes All Roger Rabbit on Us
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Deals », Disney », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
Before all this CGI nonsense hit the streets, remember how unbelievably awesome it was to watch a film like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Back then, Rabbit dazzled us by blending live-action and animation -- making it seem as if some dude was running around with a cartoon rabbit. Oh, and I know I wasn't the only one who, um, was a bit turned on by Jessica Rabbit. Damn, was she something or what?
Well, Disney is looking to tap back into that feeling a little after picking up Animated American, a film which will mix live-action and animation to "illustrate the difficulty teens experience trying to fit in." Hmm, why does Roger Rabbit sound a whole lot more watchable? In the script (which will be penned by Peter Ackerman), a teen misfit is forced to "find himself" after his girlfriend skips town while he's out at sea. The main character will be animated while the world around him will remain live-action. Wait, so is his girl live-action too? If so, I don't blame her for bailing. As with Roger Rabbit, Robert Zemeckis is involved, but as of now is only producing through ImageMovers along with Landscape Entertainment.
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