(c) Disney

Disc 2: ‘For the Enthusiast’:
Benny is back, and he takes you on a tour of the Maroon Cartoon Studio to get the real scoop on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. (Keep an eye on the menu loop and you’ll spot such stars of the film as Jessica, Dumbo and Pluto, as well as more recent toon stars like Elliott the Dragon and Emperor Kuzco.)

First up, the Widescreen version of the film comes with an alternate Audio Commentary, provided by director Robert Zemeckis, producer Frank Marshall, screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman, associate producer Steve Starkey and visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston … but, alas, MVP Richard Williams is MIA. While the commentary track is a bit crowded with all these participants (with each one finding the need to identify themselves with just about every comment), a lot of secrets behind the making of the film are revealed, such as …

1. The filmmakers admit that they weren’t sure until a few weeks before the movie came out if it would be a Walt Disney Production or a Touchstone film. Due to its PG-rating, the film was released under the Touchstone banner.
2. The Tex Avery-style Somethin’s Cookin’ short that begins the film was used to establish Roger’s character apart from that of Bugs Bunny’s. Admittedly, they claim this short could not be done today due to its excessive violence.
3. Freeze frame the wallet picture of Roger and Jessica in the Brown Derby: the caricatures on the wall are of the filmmakers, plus Mickey Mouse.
4. Originally, Judge Doom had a pet vulture, and it was revealed that it was he who shot Bambi’s mother. Also note that Doom never blinks.
5. The initial concept of the weasels was that there were seven of them, as in seven dwarfs. Two were cut to save on animation.
6. Richard Williams loved the character of Baby Herman so much, that he animated every frame of him. Williams, whose mentor was Disney legend Milt Kahl, also loved Droopy: that is his voice as the deadpan elevator operator.
7. R&B singer Lou Rawls was the original voice of Benny the Cab. When it was decided to make Benny a typical ‘New Yawker’, Fleischer stepped into the role.
8. The Maroon Cartoon Studios is actually the former site of Desilu, the famous television studios owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.
9. Ironically, Jessica’s car was also used in the movie Chinatown.
10. Not only was Who Framed Roger Rabbit one of the most expensive film to make, but it also featured the longest credit sequence for a film up until that time.

Another highlight of the disc is the brand new ‘making of’ documentary Behind the Ears: The Making of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. All the major players are present, including executive producer Steven Spielberg, as well as such rare gems as the original animation test reel used to convince Disney that this could actually be done. There is also a Toontown Confidential viewing option that allows you to view fun facts and trivia about the film on-screen while you watch it, such as why there is no ? in the title and where to find the Hidden Mickeys; unfortunately, these pop-ups aren’t animated (as they should be, especially for this film), but just plain text at the bottom of the screen.

Obviously this film had a rich history in its making, and the DVD authors have done a great job in including all this information in the different programs without a lot of duplication therein.

Rounding out the rest of the disc is individual features including a deleted scene (the aforementioned ‘pig-head’ sequence), the Valiant Files (snoop around Eddie’s office to reveal interactive galleries of character sketches, concept art, movie posters, theme park spin-offs and more) and three stand-alone effects sequences:

• Before and After: An exciting look into exactly how this film was created: split screen images of Eddie’s arrival in Toontown, with and without animation, capturing Hoskins’ brilliant use of mimicry.
• Toon Stand-Ins: Life-size rubber models of the toons were used during filming to help the cinematographer with lighting and the actors with sight lines. Here you can see how they did that in this bizarrely surreal footage that actually looks like outtakes from Meet the Feebles.
• On Set!: Captures the on-location filming of the Benny the Cab chase sequence, including a look at the motorized mini-car Hoskins had to ride in to simulate the movement of the vehicle.

But while watching all these behind the scenes goodies, most of which I had never seen before, it struck me: maybe I really don’t want to see how they did all this. Like The Wizard of Oz or Mary Poppins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit created its own world, a wonderful world best left as is; seeing a mechanical arm here, a rubber rabbit there, kind of takes away from that.

So be forewarned: while this collection definitely serves up an ample sampling of what DVDs are best at, those wanting to preserve some of the magic of this movie, which celebrates the magic of the movies, may want to be selective in their viewing of it.