June 22, 1988
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. The film stars Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, and Joanna Cassidy. Set in a 1947 version of Hollywood where cartoon characters (commonly referred to as "toons") and humans co-exist, the film follows Eddie Valiant, a private investigator who must exonerate the titular character, who has been framed for the murder of the Acme Corporation's CEO.
Walt Disney Pictures purchased the film rights for the film's story in 1981. Price and Seaman wrote two drafts of the script before Disney brought in executive producer Steven Spielberg and his production company, Amblin Entertainment. Zemeckis was brought on to direct the film while Canadian animator Richard Williams was hired to supervise the animation sequences. Production was moved from Los Angeles to Elstree Studios in England to accommodate Williams and his group of animators. While filming, the production budget began to rapidly expand and the shooting schedule ran longer than expected.
The film was released through Disney's Touchstone Pictures banner on June 22, 1988. It received acclaim from critics, who praised its visuals, humor, writing and performances, with critics and audiences considering it to be "groundbreaking". It grossed $329.8 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in the year. It brought a renewed interest in the Golden age of American animation, spearheading modern American animation and the Disney Renaissance. It won three Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for its animation direction by Williams.
In 2016, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Storyline
A toon-hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Also See
Movie Trailer
Sound Effects Used
- Benny the Cab Revving
- Benny the Cab Skidding
- CINESOUND - EXPLOSION TYPE 1
- CINESOUND MALE SCREAM 01 (Roger Rabbit screams like this as he's about to get stuck in the wall by the upcoming knives.)
- Disney - CASEY JUNIOR WHISTLE
- Goofy Holler (Heard once from a cinema screen showing "Goofy Gymnastics".)
- H-B BOING, CARTOON - RAPID GUITAR BOING
- Hollywoodedge, Big Metal Clangthud CRT031902
- Hollywoodedge, Chimpanzee Screeche PE026201
- Hollywoodedge, Laser Blasts CRT050604 (Heard multiple times as the machine gun blasts the doorknob, causing it to fall over.)
- Hollywoodedge, Rug Shook Out CRT030606
- Hollywoodedge, Single Classic Wolf CRT012501/Sound Ideas, COYOTE - LONG HOWL, ANIMAL
- Hollywoodedge, Twangy Boings 7 Type CRT015901
- Looney Tunes Cartoon Fall Sound
- PAN BONK HEAD
- Roger Rabbit Ahooga Sound
- SKYWALKER ALARM BUZZING SOUND 03
- SKYWALKER, WHISTLE - LONG, DESCENDING WHISTLE
- Sound Ideas, AIRPLANE, PROP - LONG DIVE, 02 (heard briefly in the deleted "Pig Head" scene)
- Sound Ideas, ALARMS - BURGLAR ALARM - BELL (slightly lower pitched)
- Sound Ideas, BELL, HAND - FIRE BELL
- Sound Ideas, BOINK, CARTOON - BOINK 01
- Sound Ideas, BOINK, CARTOON - BOINK 03
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, BIRD - HEAD BONK BIRDS CHIRPING
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, HIT - HEAD HIT ON PIPE
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, WHISTLE - FAST WHIRLING ZIP
- Sound Ideas, CRASH, AUTO - AUTO APPROACH, SKID AND CRASH, CARTOON (crash only, edited)
- Sound Ideas, GUN, HANDGUN - .44 CALIBER, MAGNUM SHOTS, INTERIOR
- Sound Ideas, GUN, RICOCHET - MACHINE GUN RICOCHETS, BULLET 01
- Sound Ideas, GUN, RIFLE - SEVERAL SHOTS, WITH RICOCHET
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 02
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 03
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 04
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 05
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 06
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 07
- RICOCHET - CARTOON RICCO 08/Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - LONG SHELL SCREAM RICCO
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - RICCO AND WHINE 02
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - RICCO AND WHINE 03
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - SPACEY ZAP RICCO (Heard once as the tribal bullet breaks the Wild Turkey bottle with an axe.)
- Sound Ideas, THUNDER - SINGLE THUNDER ROLL, WEATHER 02 (heard in the deleted "Pig Head" scene.)
- Sound Ideas, WHISTLE, FACTORY - STEAM WHISTLE: TWO BLASTS, INDUSTRY 01
- Sound Ideas, XYLOPHONE - BELL TONE: IDEA!, MUSIC, PERCUSSION, TWINKLING 01
- Sound Ideas, XYLOPHONE - BELL TONE: IDEA!, MUSIC, PERCUSSION, TWINKLING 02
- WB EXPLOSION 01 (debut?)
- Woody Woodpecker Laugh
