By: Phillip D. Johnson
THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES will present a new digital restoration of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in celebration of the film’s 25TH ANNIVERSARY on Thursday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATER in Beverly Hills. A masterful blend of live-action filmmaking and classic animation, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” boldly announced the rebirth of the Disney animation studio. Ultimately, the film endures as an inventive tribute to animation’s golden age that also set a new standard for what the medium could achieve.
The “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” 25th Anniversary Edition (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging, 1988) is scheduled to be released March 12, 2013.
This zany, eye-popping, knee-slapping landmark in combining animation with live-action ingeniously makes that uneasy combination itself (and the history of Hollywood) its subject. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is based on classic L.A. private-eye movies (and, specifically, Chinatown), with detective Eddie Valiant investigating a case involving adultery, blackmail, murder, and a fiendish plot to replace Los Angeles’s once-famous Red Car public transportation system with the automobiles and freeways that would later make it the nation’s smog capital.
It’s 1947 Hollywood and Eddie Valiant (BOB HOSKINS) a down-on-his-luck detective, is hired to find proof that MARVIN ACME, gag factory mogul and owner of Toontown, is playing hanky-panky with femme fatale JESSICA RABBIT, wife of Maroon Cartoon superstar, ROGER RABBIT. When Acme is found murdered, all fingers point to Roger, and the sinister, power-hungry JUDGE DOOM (CHRISTOPHER LLOYD) is on a mission to bring Roger to justice. Roger begs the Toon-hating Valiant to find the real evildoer and the plot thickens as Eddie uncovers scandal after scandal and realizes the very existence of Toontown is at stake. Of course, his sleuthing takes him back to the place he dreads: Toontown, the ghetto for cartoons that abuts Hollywood and that was the site of a tragic incident in Eddie’s past.
In addition to intermingling cartoon characters with live actors and locations, Roger Rabbit also brings together the greatest array of cartoon stars in the history of motion pictures, from a variety of studios (Disney, Warner Bros., MGM, Fleischer, Universal, and elsewhere): BETTY BOOP, BUGS BUNNY, MICKEY MO– — USE, WOODY WOODPECKER, DROOPY DOG, and more! And, of course, there’s Maroon Cartoon’s greatest star, Roger Rabbit (voice by CHARLES FLEISCHER), who suspects his ultra-curvaceous wife, Jessica Rabbit (voice by KATHLEEN TURNER: “I’m not bad; I’m just drawn that way“), of infidelity.
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988) received Oscars® for Film Editing, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects, and a Special Achievement Award for Richard Williams’s animation direction. It also was nominated for Art Direction, Cinematography and Sound.
The evening will feature a post-screening onstage discussion with director ROBERT ZEMECKIS and members of the cast and crew, including actress JOANNA CASSIDY, voice actor Charles Fleischer, supervising animator ANDREAS DEJA, screenwriter PETER S. SEAMAN and associate producers DON HAHN and STEVE STARKEY. The panel will be moderated by director RICH MOORE, who received an Oscar® nomination for Animated Feature Film for “Wreck-It Ralph” this past year.
“‘Roger Rabbit’ brought together the greatest animators, the most skilled technicians, and the finest talent of the day,” said Zemeckis. “It’s good to have this chance to show our work to both those who remember the film as well as to a new audience.”
This digital restoration is provided courtesy of the WALT DISNEY STUDIOS. The Disney restoration team used the original 35mm picture, VistaVision optical work and original sound elements to create this pristine digital version.
Tickets for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit oscars.org.
The ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual ACADEMY AWARDS–in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners–Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through ITS MARGARET HERRICK LIBRARY and ACADEMY FILM ARCHIVE, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
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