8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The adventures of an animated rabbit framed for murder, and the detective who helps him clear his name.
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Kathleen TurnerFamily | 100% |
Animation | 86% |
Comedy | 51% |
Fantasy | 47% |
Imaginary | 17% |
Film-Noir | 10% |
Period | 5% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Russian: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Disney is keenly aware of the appeal and reach of its catalog, down to the best and worst films under the Mouse House banner. Titles like Cinderella and Peter Pan arrive separately and to great fanfare, while other titles shuffle onto shelves en masse, sans the red-carpet treatment afforded their Platinum and Diamond Edition brethren. Last year, it was The Aristocats, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, Pocahontas, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, The Tigger Movie and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, all of which released in a single week in August. This year the mois du jour is March, and the releases include Robert Zemeckis's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (the fan-favorite odd man out in the March 12th lineup) and a trio of 2-Movie Collection Blu-rays: The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Mulan and Mulan II, and Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2. (Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return were originally set for March 12th as well but were unceremoniously and indefinitely delayed without explanation.) And, once again, the deluge is another hit or miss affair, with a classic live-action/animation hybrid, three solid (or at least decent) animated features and a near-unbearable batch of direct-to-video misfires.
And so at last we come to that classic: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, director Robert Zemeckis and executive producers Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy's nutty, riotous, still-slick sendup of 1940s Hollywood noir. When it was released in 1988, audiences hadn't quite seen anything like it. Innovative and wildly funny, it boasted all-ages appeal, a smart script and a rare, never since replicated gathering of dozens of Golden Age animation icons from rival studios. Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny join each other for a sky-dive; Donald and Daffy Duck face off in a spittle-slinging round of dueling pianos; Goofy, Betty Boop and Yosemite Sam, by no small miracle, share a scene. Even some twenty-five years later, the majority of audiences still haven't quite seen anything like it. (Although, for gamers, Wreck-It Ralph certainly comes close.) Yes, the seamlessness between the animation and live-action footage isn't nearly as seamless as it once seemed, and yes, the word "innovative" doesn't apply so well anymore. But for sheer zaniness, clever nods, big laughs and even bigger heart, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a tried and true blast from Disney's past that just might surprise you.
"Don't tell me you lost your sense of humor already!"
It'd be easy to dismiss Roger Rabbit's remaster and subsequent 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video transfer with a shrug and a "coulda, shoulda been better." But separating the inherent source issues from the minor but prevailing encoding issues makes all the difference. Softness, color inconsistencies, saturation mishaps, transparent animation elements (watch closely any time Roger or Jessica walk in front of Eddie's windows and note the office blinds are visible through the characters), uneven grain, live-action/animation seams and other undesirables abound whenever animated characters are on screen. And yet almost every instance is a product of the original photography and visual effects, nothing more. Even then, none of it amounts to much of a distraction, unless you're the sort who expects every then-cutting edge 25-year-old film to look as if it rolled off the studio lot yesterday. No, the only real issue that haunts the film sticks to the shadows. Literally. At-times severe crush, macroblocking, noise and blooming render the shadows a full-fledged devil's playground (keep your eyes peeled when Eddie visits the lounge where Betty Boop works). More disconcerting is the fact that the deepest blacks sometimes exhibit a red or purple tint, leaving darker nighttime sequences worse for the wear.
That said, the rest of Disney's presentation is more than commendable. Impressive even. Colors are generally pleasing, primaries have nice punch (particularly in Toontown), skintones are satisfying on the whole, grain is intact, contrast is effective and filmic, and detail is often quite rewarding. Softness aside, a number of closeups and midrange shots steal the show thanks to clean edges, well-resolved fine textures and suitably revealing clarity, and very few scenes suffer from crippling old age. The encode is solid too, without any major artifacting, banding, aliasing or shimmering, other than everything I mentioned earlier. Could the image be improved? Yes, but only through a bit of tinkering and revising. If the animated characters were given a spit shine and a fresh coat of digital paint, and the film were then restored to match, many of the inherent issues would be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether. It would be an extensive and expensive undertaking, though, and would require Zemeckis' direct involvement to even be considered a legitimate overhaul. Still, such revisionism isn't always what it's cracked up to be. I'd rather have Roger Rabbit as is -- imperfect but faithful -- than to risk a studio dolling it up for a night out on the 21st century town. Ah well. It's safe to say Who Framed Roger Rabbit has never looked better than it does here. Fans with reasonable expectations will be pleased.
While more front-heavy than newborn audiophiles will be accustomed, Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is nevertheless a playful, proficient mix with plenty to offer Roger's biggest fans. Dialogue is clean and clear, without any troubling prioritization mishaps or lost lines. Muffled voices crop up during the most chaotic sequences (Eddie's battle with the weasels for one), but that's part and parcel to the film's late-80s sound design. LFE output is decidedly decent and rear speaker activity is lively enough to earn its keep, even though neither really stands out all that much. It's Alan Silvestri's score that benefits the most, and Silvestri's score that takes full advantage of the soundfield. All in all, Who Framed Roger Rabbit sounds great... if, that is, you approach Disney's lossless track with the same conservative expectations that should be afforded to the disc's video transfer.
If Roger's tongue-twisting antics and Toontown's most grievous offenses don't leave you with the overwhelming desire to strangle Zemeckis or members of the production crew (one by one), Who Framed Roger Rabbit might just be the late-80s live-action/animation classic you've been searching for. Fast, funny and focused, it's a clever homage, a sharp satire and a hilarious ode to the Golden Age of Animation. Just beware how divisive it is, now more than ever. Disney's Blu-ray release won't be appreciated by everyone either. Its video transfer is faithful to a fault, its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track gets the job done and its supplemental package boasts three hours of solid content. If you've never had the pleasure, there's no time like the present to sit down with Roger and solve a good mystery. If you're familiar with the film, there's... no time like the present. Adding Who Framed Roger Rabbit to your collection will be a no-brainer.
25th Anniversary Edition | DVD Packaging
1988
25th Anniversary Edition
1988
1988
1988
2011
2019
2012
2018
2005
1969-1978
2017
2010
2021
PIXAR
2015
2000
2006
2018
2011
Warner Archive Collection
1987
2013
2018
2012
2003
2009