Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, Kathleen Turner. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Ian Sharp, Frank Marshall, Max Kleven. Screenplay by Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman. Based on the book Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf (New York, 1981). Produced by Robert Watts, Frank Marshall. Run time: 107 minutes. USA Color Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy.
The Disney that we know today, the large conglomerate that
seems to own a lot of everything, owes its origins to what happened under
Michael Eisner’s tenure. It was then that the company utilized its theme park
profits to buy into sports, bought the ABC network and started a new label for
more adult films, Touchstone. Things have only gotten bigger from there but
that’s a topic for another blog.
One of Eisner’s hopes was to start a new legacy in animation
by introducing new characters that he hoped would be loved alongside company
staple and mascot, Mickey Mouse. This hope starts with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, known for introducing the title character and his wife Jessica Rabbit.
Eisner envisioned them as new perennial characters for the studio and would
march next to Mickey in the Disney parades down Main Street in Disneyland.
