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Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Vista Series
Combine the time-honored animation of both Disney and Warner Brothers with the talents of director Robert Zemeckis and exec producer Steven Spielberg, and something interesting is bound to happen. In this case, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the inventive mix of animation and live action from 1988 that has yet to be surpassed, or even imitated in any substantial way. In this "story of greed, sex, and murder" set in the 1947 Los Angeles, Bob Hoskins stars as private detective Eddie Valiant. He's a gumshoe who loves the hooch and hates the "toons," the denizens of Toontown who ply their wacky trade in Hollywood's studio system. Zany toon headliner Roger Rabbit is implicated in the murder of Tinseltown's gag king, Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye), who Valiant photographed trysting with Roger's wife, the voluptuous Jessica (voiced by Kathleen Turner like liquid Bacall). Soon Valiant finds that he's a patsy set up in a conspiracy that could destroy the toons and change the face of Southern California forever. But the distraught dick does not work for toons. Why? It was a toon that killed his brother ("dropped a piano on his head," laments his would-be romance, Dolores, played with straight-faced ease by Joanna Cassidy). Standing in justice's way is diabolical Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd), who schemes to erase Toontown off the map. Forget it, Daffy — it's Chinatown.
This is a movie screaming for a fully-packed-clown-car Special Edition, and here we get a two-disc whopper. On board are two great-looking versions of the movie — anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and full-frame pan-and-scan (1.33:1) — plus THX Certified audio in DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1 options. Also here are a good commentary audio track with director Zemeckis and others; a new making-of documentary; caption commentary; the deleted Pig Head Sequence; plenty of on-set and behind-the scenes material; image galleries; the Who Made Roger Rabbit kid-oriented documentary; and more. Custom hinged two-disc keep-case in paperboard slipcover.
—Mark Bourne
