Jim Hill: From the Archives
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It was a daring idea for a Disney film.
One that that Miller and Sturdivant were sure Walt himself would have loved. But it was also a potentially pricey project. In order for the film to work, the Mouse needed to get clearances from several other Hollywood studios to use their classic cartoon characters.
Now please remember that this was way back in the early 1980s. Disney was not the media giant we know today. It was still an entertainment industry also-ran, best known for its fine theme parks and lame movies.
Miller had Sturdivant approach Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal about contracting their classic cartoon characters out to appear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. They all just laughed, said no and / or asked for such ridiculously high fees that they made making a deal impossible.
In spite of this setback, Miller still had Sturdivant and Citters continue work on Roger Rabbit. He ordered that live action footage be shot, so that pencil test animation could be layered over these scenes - to see if a toony Roger Rabbit could convincingly interact with a live action Eddie Valiant.
Early subscribers to the Disney Channel actually got a chance to see this footage on an April 1983 broadcast of "Disney Studio Showcase." Hosted by animation historian John Culhane, this program (which also hyped the then-in-production film "Baby - Secret of the Lost Legend" as well as Tim Burton's TV version of Hansel & Gretel) included a preview of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
The test footage featured an unknown actor standing in for Eddie Valiant. After exiting an alley, Eddie is suddenly accosted by a giant cartoon police detective. He's then shown drinking at a bar with an early version of Jessica (Who - at this point in her development - wasn't quite so voluptuous. This Jessica - who was supposed to be the villain in this version of the film,- looked a lot like Cruella De Vil gone Hollywood). The segment ends with Culhane exiting the Roger Rabbit production offices, just before a fully animated & painted version of Roger strolled through this live action setting.
Miller was determined to get this film made. He sent the test footage as well as the Roger Rabbit script to Steve Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Joe Dante for their review. Each of these directors was intrigued by the project. But they also doubted that tired old Disney Studios had what it took to get this sort of special effects extravaganza off the ground. Miller offered to put up a budget of $25 million. All three directors still passed on the picture.
Even in the face of these high profile rejections, Miller still pressed ahead with his plans for a Roger Rabbit feature. He had a picture of Roger placed in the 1983 Walt Disney Productions' annual report, its caption reading "Work continues on the live action - animated Roger Rabbit." Miller also authorized Citters to begin auditioning talent to voice Disney's latest creation. Citters eventually selected a then-unknown comic from LA's "Groundling" improvisation troupe. His name? Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman).
Miller kept plugging away at Roger Rabbit, trying relentlessly to get the movie made. He kept faith in the project right up until September of 1984, when the Walt Disney Company suddenly lost faith in him. That's when Miller was unceremoniously forced out and Michael Eisner became the Big Cheese at the Mouse Factory.
Quick cut to 1986: Eisner has been on board at Disney for a year or so now.
Having quickly thrown together a few live action films like "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and "Ruthless People" that made money for the company, Uncle Mikey is anxious to do something more ambitious.
What does Eisner want to do? He wants Disney to produce a major motion picture. A film with a huge budget and tons of special effects. The sort of project that makes critics as well as moviegoers sit up and take notice. Something that could win awards as well as offer lots of opportunities to generate cash (toys, games, soundtrack albums, etc) for the company.
Eisner wanted to make something that would send a message to the rest of the entertainment world that Disney was no longer a Mickey Mouse operation.
In short, an event film. A blockbuster.
But where do you find a blockbuster? Particularly when you have next to no dough to develop such a thing?
Actually, then-Disney Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg uncovered just such a project one day while reading through some old scripts Disney had previously put into development. way down deep in the pile, he discovered Seaman and Price's screenplay for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Sensing he'd struck the mother lode, Jeffrey quickly brought the script to Eisner's attention.
Eisner read the Who Framed Roger Rabbit screenplay and immediately realizes that this was the film he was looking for. Here was the ideal movie for Disney's new production team to tackle as their first big budget project. Roger Rabbit had something for everyone: animation to draw in the small fry and their families, plus enough sly wit and action to keep adults and teenagers happy. This project had blockbuster written all over it. The big question was: Could Disney pull it off?
The only stumbling blocking for Eisner and the revived Roger Rabbit project was the same thing that tripped up Ron Miller: Getting the clearances from all those other Hollywood studios for use of their classic cartoon characters. Without those non-Disney 1940s era toons for Eddie to interact with, Roger Rabbit wouldn't be special. The film would just fall flat.
But Eisner had a secret weapon: his personal and professional relationship with movie maestro Steven Spielberg.