• Bob Hoskins also starred in the less successful Super Mario Bros. for Disney.
• Christopher Lloyd starred in the Disney versions of Angels in the Outfield (as well as its TV sequel, Angels in the End Zone) and My Favorite Martian, and voiced Merlock in Duck Tales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp.
• Charles Fleischer, who not only voiced Roger and Benny but also two weasels (Greasy and Psycho) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, also appeared in Dick Tracy and voiced Monumentus in the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command television series.
• Jessica Rabbit was voiced by not one but two Academy Award-nominated actresses: Kathleen Turner was her speaking voice (uncredited in the first film, she did receive on- screen credits for the three subsequent shorts) and Amy Irving (most recently seen in Tuck Everlasting) sang the Peggy Lee hit “Why Don’t You Do Right?�?.
• Look fast: Raoul J. Raoul, the director of Somethin’s Cookin’ at the start of the film, is played by Joel Silver, producer of such high octane movie series as Lethal Weapon and The Matrix.
• Listen up: several animated voice faves can be heard throughout Who Framed Roger Rabbit, including the legendary Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird and Porky Pig; Joe Alaskey as Yosemite Sam and Foghorn Leghorn; Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse; Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck; Pat Buttram as a very-distinctly voiced bullet; Jim Cummings as various bullets and weasels; June Foray as Wheezy and Lena Hyena; David “Sqiggy�? Lander as Smart Ass (the head weasel); Fred Newman as Stupid Weasel; Tony Pope as Goofy and the Big Bad Wolf; Mae Questel as Betty Boop; Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse and April Winchell as Baby Herman’s mother.
• Other Disney stars that make cameo appearances include Dumbo; Mlle. Upanova, Hyacinth Hippo, the brooms and others from Fantasia; Maleficent’s goons from Sleeping Beauty; Bre’r Bear and the Tar Baby from Song of the South; the penguin waiters from Mary Poppins; Bambi; Snow White, the dwarfs and the old hag from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; the Three Little Pigs; Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar; Clara Cluck; Mr. Toad and Cyril from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad; Daisy Duck; Pluto; Tinker Bell from Peter Pan; Danny the lamb from So Dear to My Heart; Elmer Elephant; Ferdinand the Bull; the Flowers and Trees; the girl bunnies from The Tortoise and the Hare; Jenny Wren from Who Killed Cock Robin?; Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket and Lampwig from Pinocchio, Jose Carioca; Mickey’s orphans; Pedro the Plane from Saludos Amigos; Pegleg Pete; Peter from Peter and the Wolf; Peter Pig from The Wise Little Hen; Little Red Riding Hood; the Dragon and Sir Giles from The Reluctant Dragon; the Singing Harp from Fun and Fancy Free and the Water Babies.
• Several then up-and-coming animators cut their teeth on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, including James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Joe Haidar, Nik Ranieri, Greg Manwaring, Jacques Muller, Tom Sito, Bruce W. Smith and Barry Temple.
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit was Don Hahn’s first film as producer; he, of course, went on to produce such little films for Disney as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the upcoming The Haunted Mansion.
• Oscar-winning composer Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump) has written many scores for Disney films, including Flight of the Navigator, Outrageous Fortune, the two Father of the Bride films, Super Mario Bros., Judge Dredd and The Parent Trap remake. Most recently, he scored Lilo and Stitch and the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit was nominated for six Academy Awards: Cinematography, Art Direction/Set Decoration, Sound, Film Editing, Visual Effects and Sound Effects Editing. It won the latter three, plus an honorary award to Richard Williams for animation direction.
• The film was also nominated for two Golden Globes (Best Picture - Musical/Comedy and Bob Hoskins for Best Actor - Musical/Comedy), the Directors Guild Award (Robert Zemeckis), Writers Guild Award (Adapted Screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman) and the American Cinema Editors Award (Arthur Schmidt).
• Roger Rabbit’s Toontown was the inspiration for the newest Disneyland land, Mickey’s Toontown, which opened in 1993. Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin, a fun combination of the classic dark ride and the Mad Tea Party, opened there the following year.

“Everything in animation should have an element of impossibility … but make it believable.�? -- Richard Williams, in Behind the Ears: The Making of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’.

Disney’s 2002 Oscar winners!:

• Miramax’s Chicago, the big winner of the night with six wins, including the big one, Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actress, the fabulous Catherine Zeta-Jones. Other Oscars for the smash hit musical included Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Costume Design.
• Miramax also co-produced The Hours, starring Best Actress Nicole Kidman, and produced Frida, winner for Best Original Score and Best Make Up.
• Who said traditional animation is dead? Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, as expected, wins the second Best Animated Feature Oscar.

Coming Soon:

• Billed as ‘an immersive 3-D adventure’, Oscar-winner James Cameron’s Ghosts of the Abyss starts its exclusive engagements April 11^th.
• Even Stevens’ Shia LeBeouf joins Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette, Henry Winkler, Eartha Kitt and Jon Voight in the family adventure Holes, based on the award-winning book by Louis Sachar, opening April 18^th.
• A Robert Louis Stevenson double feature hits DVD players April 29^th: the original live action classic Treasure Island and the Oscar-nominated animated adventure Treasure Planet.
• Another Disney Channel favorite, Hilary Duff, makes the leap to the big screen in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, opening May 2^nd.

Discuss It

• Discuss this review on the LaughingPlace.com Discussion Boards

Related Links

• List of all Toon Talk articles

-- Kirby C. Holt

Kirby, a former Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member (and Trivia Champ), is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...

Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.

The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.

-- Posted April 4, 2003