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Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Vista Series)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Vista Series)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $15.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Two-and-a-Half Stars Really
Review: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a movie more notable for its premise and execution than its story. It was the first successful big-budget movie to feature live and animated actors interacting. What's more, the animations and the live actors blend so well that it's nearly impossible to tell that the animation was put in long after the live-action scenes were filmed.

The basic story of the movie is that Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer), a toon, has been framed for murder. He turns to Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a toon-hating private detective, for help. Eddie uncovers a conspiracy that involves Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) and the control of Toon Town.

The best parts of the movie are Eddie's interactions with Roger and the mayhem that inevitably ensues. As a cartoon, Roger is a mixture of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on steroids. His antics seem more fitting for a Saturday morning caper than a full-length movie.

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a mildly amusing film. There really isn't anything to necessarily criticize or laud it for. It's one of those films that everyone has probably seen but most people don't remember much about two weeks later.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Remastered, huh? More like destroyed! A classic ruined!
Review: I cannot believe this! I am outraged! DARN BUENA VISTA! They have given us the most shabbiest image that I have ever seen of WFRR. I did not see the original DVD which I'm sure was probably better, but on the new Vista DVD, the picture is destroyed. In certain areas the image is dark, muddy and hard to see through. In others, characters' colors darken and lighten. I am outraged! I hope that BV can fix this, because Roger Rabbit is one of my favorite movies and to see it destroyed like this outrages me. If you don't mind the shoddy image (it will not be noticed by people with smaller tvs but to those with a 27" or higher definition TVs will notice) get this DVD because the extras are fun to view and the DTS sound quality is amazing, its loud but at some points you can tell that the sound has somewhat deteriorated over the last 15 years. But it's still an okay release but I am going to be keeping the VHS tape that i've viewed many times since I was a little kid, until the image can be restored (I'm sure the original laserdisc probably had a better image). Oh well, but I'm still going to buy this just to have it on DVD! Sad, really, sad!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I'm not bad, i'm just drawn that way"
Review: Eddie Valient (Bob Hoskins) has a case and he's teamed up with Roger Rabbit! Roger is wanted for the murder of Marvin Acme the owner of Toon Town. Eddie doesn't much like Toons cause a Toon killed his brother. As the movie goes on, Eddie starts to like Roger and his zany ways. This ground-breaking movie won 4 awards, including Best Visual Effects.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WHOA!!! I FORGOT HOW "ADULT" THIS MOVIE IS!!
Review: I won't reiterate the story (you can get that from the editorial review). I would like to highlight what makes this DVD etraordinary, what to look out for, and why you should consider buying it:

-The packaging is very nice. Typical "Vista Series" Quality.
-The extras are first rate. Something for everyone.
-3 short Roger Rabbit films (that I never knew existed) are amazing.
-Sound Quality is excellent. Maybe a notch bellow LOTR.
-The menu is incredible. Spend 5 minutes just watching that. Good stuff.
-Keep your eyes open. This is the who's-who of Pre-50s cartoons.
-The animation is of a rare quality. It's style and quality rivals the High tech animation of today with a very soft feal to it.
-Parents beware: The "A", "D" and "H" words make appearances.
-Full of sexual inuendo. Might go over your kid's head... ...might not.
-You could spend hours playing with the special features and watching the menu do it's "tricks".
-This is the film that resurrected animated features.
-My 4 year old daughter started walking like Jessica Rabbit. I'm not sure I liked that....

This is a can't miss buy. You may need to use your judgement as far as the youngins' are concerned. Get it while the price is down!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: HIDE THIS ONE EDDIE - P-P-P-PLEASE!
Review: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a film noir murder mystery grafted onto the hyper-text of an animated cartoon. A washed up detective, Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) struggles to uncover the truth behind a murder his client, the animated Roger Rabbit, is accused of committing. The film also stars Christopher Lloyd and the vocal talents of Kathleen Turner and Charles Fleischer.
The original DVD release of this movie was not anamorphic and although that problem has been rectified on this two disc special edition, there's a host of other problems that seem new to this incarnation on DVD. For starters, the source elements for the duped material seem worn. Screen flutter is excessive where cartoons and humans interact. There are also a few cases where either the human element or the cartoon characters appear slightly out of focus. Digital grain is, at times, excessive, especially in the opening cartoon sequence. Fine details occasionally shimmer. Colors are well balanced but there are a few inconsistancies detected throughout. For example, watch how Roger's red pants change to orange, then back to red, in the same sequence. Also, "the Red Car" street cars register more orange than red. All of these problems, I suspect, are the result of cramming too much info on one disc. Even those this is a two disc set, Disney/Touchstone has reserved the first disc for a full frame copy of the movie and an audio commentary. The rest of the features, including several very well produced documentaries, deleted scenes, trailers and other extras, have all been crammed onto disc #2, the widescreen version and as a result image quality suffers throughout. The sound is a 5.1 mix that seems identical to the previously issued disc. It's strident and shrill at times and very well balanced at others. With all the hype surrounding this re-issue, more should have been expected and delivered from the folks over at Disney.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Rabbit stew
Review: "Roger" looks terrific after 15 years, sporting THX-certified audio and video that tops all previous versions of the film.
Disney spilt the new set into discs titled "Family Friendly" and "Enthusiast." Segregating the extras makes sense -- it worked great on "Shrek" -- but here the kids get the short end of the schtick. Aside from a fun game and a trio of "Roger" shorts, there's little worth revisiting in this part of Toontown. Kids are rarely puzzled by widescreen anymore, so for most folks it's an extra $10 or so for a disc they'll rarely play. Here's a pie in the face for that decision -- and minus one star.

The "family" version comes full screen (1.33:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. The adults' DVD unspools "Roger" in widescreen (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 screens, with the welcome addition of DTS sound. Live-action images look a bit flat at times, but the vivid cartoon colors jump off the screen. Audio in either format is front-biased, with the rear speakers used mostly for music accents, not the many sound effects.

DVD menus star Bennie the Cab, mixing animation and live action, like the film. They're fun at first, but repeat viewers won't appreciate waiting for the menu gimmicks to play out.

Director Robert Zemeckis, producer Frank Marshall and four other "Roger" veterans provide the feature-length commentary (recycled from the laserdisc), which is loaded with good vibes, great stories and a fair amount of tech talk. (It's nearly impossible to keep track of who's talking most of the time.) The filmmakers clearly love their film and delight at their co-workers' craft ("Look at those shadows!"). They remain astonished at the performance of then-unknown Bob Hoskins, who conjures up the spirit of Buster Keaton.

The fast-moving 36-minute documentary "Behind the Ears" is new and quite good, with a snazzy parade of images.

The DVD set includes a surreal deleted scene in which Hoskins' character is forced to wear a giant pig's head. The clip would pass for a Pink Floyd video.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rumor of Donald's "racist" foul (fowl?) mouth is FALSE
Review: If you really WANT to hear Donald saying what some allege he says to Daffy in this film, you might be able to convince yourself that's what you hear. But it just isn't true.

This movie wasn't made that long ago, folks; there's no way on God's green earth that a film comedy with a profile this high would EVER have made it to release with Donald Duck using the words attributed to him. What he actually does say is a variation on the same sort of stuff he has ALWAYS said in situations such as this ... and this doesn't include profanity, not today nor back in the 1930s. This movie does have some elements that will only be appreciated by adults, but they're either the sort of innuendo that won't register with kids, or freeze-frame moments that are well-nigh impossible to catch at full speed (and even slowed down, children will not see the significance).

I mean, kids hearing Dolores ask Eddie, "Is that a rabbit in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" aren't going to get the full significance of the line, unless someone explains it to them, if then -- and they're too busy watching Eddie struggling to keep Roger hidden anyway.

For kids, there's little here that's more salacious than the appearance of Jessica Rabbit ... or Betty Boop, for that matter.

I do believe that, counting the original release, the VHS release and the first DVD, I've watched this film somewhere between 35-50 times (more than any other movie). If Donald were calling Daffy such a vile name, I'd know.

This film is just a masterpiece, a landmark in movie history. There are so many great moments that I wouldn't know where to start. Suffice to say this is one of those rare movies where every aspect of the creative talents brought to bear came together perfectly, from the music to the sets to direction to casting to the animation to lighting and whatever else you might think of. This is one movie that truly lived up to (or even surpassed) the hype and expectations built up prior to release.

The cameos by virtually every memorable cartoon character in existence in 1947 was unprecedented, and really adds both to the fun and the sense that Toontown could have actually existed.

Two favorite moments: The "singing sword" Eddie briefly tries to use against the villain (I'll not name this villain, just on the off-chance someone's never seen the film), and the torch song Jessica Rabbit sings (her singing voice is actually that of Amy Irving) when we see her for the first time.

I wish only that they had included the other couple of deleted/shortened scenes that were in the movie when it was shown on network TV.

Qapla'

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I'm Not Bad
Review: .... I'm just drawn that way," warns Jessica Rabbit to a rather excited Eddie Valiant in the landmark movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". And trust me, there is nothing bad in the newest and most complete DVD release of this film.

This film still remains a classic, and retains the highbar status of melting live-action with animination. Bob Hoskins plays Eddie, a down on his luck private eye, assigned by R. K. Maroon to do some undercover work. His findings set in motion the wonderfully creative story. Part film noir, part hysterical comedy, part magic, this film blends so many elements together to produce an incredible product.

The DVD release is also pure magic. Finally, for fans and newbies alike, this DVD treats the film with the respect it deserves. The two disk set gives you a wealth of information on the film, from its making to deleted scenes, to commentaries. It's amazing just to watch the film, but to learn about how this film was made will astonish you. I particularly enjoyed the "deleted scene", which in reality is a series of scenes cut out that were hysterical. Little gems like this really make for a great buy.

Back to the film, everytime I watch this movie, and perhaps this happens to you, you FORGET that Roger, Jessica, and many other characters, are animated. It's in that suspension of belief that lies the reality of it all. The filmmakers were successful in their goals of doing that. No, they were more than successful, they were the magicians. Who Framed Roger Rabbit will stand as a testament to the art of filmmaking at its finest.

If you are a DVD collector, you must click the button to the right and order this gem immediately!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good edition, but...
Review: how is that vista series can put together so many extra features, and not put on the trailer? It would be interesting to see how the studio advertised this movie when it came out back in '88. Other than that, no complaints.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "childhood is relived through Roger Rabbit & toons"
Review: Now Buena Vista has it right...this new release contains two DVD's loaded with lots of extras. This collection is for "film-buffs" with collectible on their mind, and the packaging is first class with every detail intact. A widescreen presentation takes you into the theatre, clarity blends live-action and animation effortlessly and you're up there in the screen with all the characters. Each scene is completely realistic looking, the detail is amazing with three dimensional coming to the forefront. You see behind the scenes, rough cuts, on-set footage and interviews that will take your breath away.

Blends of the late 1940s cartoons with the winning style of Tex Avery ~ virtually every animated character ever to grace the screen. Childhood is relived through these two discs, no matter how old you are. There has never been anything like "Roger Rabbit" now or since then ~ gotta love it!

Total Time: 2-DVD-Set ~ Buena Vista Series 24398 ~ (3/25/2003)


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