Toontown Antics EXCLUSIVE! – A funny interview with Roger Rabbit

How’re you, fellas? If you’re still here, that means you’re hardcore fans of Roger Rabbit, his movie or his friends/foes. Maybe the last couple of years have been all slow with news related with the zany bunny or the much-rumored sequel/prequel/whatever they’re giving us, but today that’s gonna change for good!

We’ve got a very special exclusive for all of you! Don’t ask us how (since we still don’t know how it happened), but we’ve managed to get a very funny interview with the honey bunny, the long-eared buffoon, the A-list toon comedian, the… Well, you know who’re we talking about: the one and only Roger Rabbit! =D

Roger gave us the chance to ask him 10 questions about his personal life, upcoming projects and any other things we were curious about; since his time was a little limited (you know, being a rabbit celebrity ain’t easy) we couldn’t ask enough questions; besides at some point he started tickling us heavily and we had to surrender to him XD

Well, what are we waiting for? Here’s the…

SUPER DUPER FUNNY JEEPER-LICIOUS ROGER RABBIT INTERVIEW WITH TOONTOWN ANTICS! ™
(now with more gags and laughter, batteries not included)

Interviewer: Juan Carlos Estrada (Bunnyfriend)

 

Greetings, Roger!
Know I've been delaying this interview a lot, but I wasn't sure about the kind of questions I should ask you... Then, I realized I can ask you anything, since you're Roger Rabbit!
Well, let's get things started, shall we? I'll leave you all these questions, and I'll await for your replies. Take your time, no hurries here. Okay, here we go!

1) You are a well-known, very respected character in the animation industry... Did you ever imagine you would achieve this kind of success and the fame and stardom they bring with it?

Roger: Jeepers, I nevah thought I would get dis much suppoaht. I just thought da movie was gonna be a minor success, and ta my shock, it made ovah a billion dollahs worldwide! Den I was put in da pahk wit' my costars Mickey and my hero Donald Duck! It was an honor ta get my own section a da pahk and da ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. I thought people stopped caring aftah all dis time, but den I found you'ah blog!

2) Was there any moment in which you thought: "Jeepers, I'm actually not made for this... Maybe Id' be happier selling boxed cereal or Easter supplies"?

Roger: Nevah. I always wanted ta woik in Cahtoons! No mattah what, I wanted ta woik alongside my fathah, Bugs Bunny!

3) We know you and Jessica are one of the weirdest couples in entertainment industry, but somehow it works... She says "because he (you) makes me laugh", but there must be any other secret to keep your loving relationship so tightly tied. Would you mind to keep that secret with us, or is actually some kind of "top-secret"?
Roger: If ya knew how many times I have been asked dis question....... but I'll answah it da way I always do. Jessica and I ahe da most interesting Toon couple because a one fact. I was weak, and a rabbit, and a just general crazy Toon, and Jessica was strong willed and just generally beautiful. One thing ya didn't know is dat I got her ta be da way ya know her now. Ovah da time until I asked her ta marry me, she ended up becomin' less like da secretary she was befoah we met, and moah like she is now. Den, when we got married, she became da way she is as da fans know her.

4) Since your movie and theatrical shorts were released, we haven't see much of you or your friends lately. Are still there working in the industry? Would they be available if some given day the directors decide it's time to "toon in" again?
Roger: Oh, ta tell ya da truth, I have no idea how ta answer dis one. All I can say is dat if somebody wants me and my friends in Toontown ta do anothah thing togethah, then we will do da best we can ta make it da way we learned how ta do it in da 30's and 40's. Da way everybody loves us ta do it.

5) And that leads me to the following question: we know there are several failed attempts to bring you back from your semi-retirement. Do you think we could see you again in the silver screen in a near future?
Roger: I have been hearin' about a sequal fah yeahs. It nevah happened. But I have been hearin' somethin' about me comin' back ta da Disney pahks, but I doubt it.

6) Do toons age? If yes, why? If not, why?
Roger: We only age if people stop laughin'. Think about dis, Mickey is in his 80's yet he don't look a day oldah den he did in da 40's. Bugs is also in his 80's, yet he looks da same. I wish I could say da same about Slappy Squirrel.

7) I've heard you and Jessica are expecting a baby boy or girl... How would you name him/her? Do you think it will look entirely like you, like Jessica, or a mix between both of us? And how's Jessica taking this charming gift of love? (by the way Roger: GOOD JOB!)
Roger: Oh, we've decided fah a boy Roger JR., and for a girl Loretta Ortensia. Da girl's middle name is aftah my hero Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's wife.

8) What do you think about Bugs Bunny almost being your dad in one of the failed "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" prequels? Have you asked uncle Thumper if Bugs is actually related to you?
Roger: Yes. Bugs is my fathah, Thumpah is my uncle, but one thing dat wasn't mentioned is ALL Toon rabbits are related, by eithah marriage or blood. Buster and Babs recently got married, and Buster is my cousin.

9) How's your life right now? What are you doing for a living?
Roger: My life is goin' really well actually. I woik fah Disney. I am da assistant ta Mickey Mouse himself.

10) Finally, is there something you wanna say to your fans around the world?
Roger: Thanks fah supportin' me and my wife and all my friends fah yeahs! I love ya all!

*He gives Bunnyfriend a big cartoony kiss*

Well, there are all the questions. Hope I'm not bothering you too much, Rog. You know I love you dude, but I'm not the only one: several other people also love you and your crazy antics. Never change Roger!
Greetings from Mexico!!

+++++

And there it is! Did you like it? Do you want to ask Roger some more questions? Then go ahead and ask him anything you want! You’ll get tons of laugh and fun there! =D

I’ll swallow my words – Blu-ray release is official

http://www.gamezone.com/news/roger-rabbit-hitting-blu-ray-like-a-ton-of-bricks
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/07/04/trailer-who-framed-roger-rabbit-25th-anniversary-blu-ray/
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=34464

Okay, seems that video from my last entry wasn’t a fakie after all. Anyone could pass me the salt shaker, a toast and some butter? My words taste a little funny…

Don’t get too carried away by this video (RE-UPDATED)

It came to my attention some sites were featuring this video as a legit trailer for a Blu-ray release of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 2013:

Let’s see: this is a rather well-done trailer, with the requisite green rating screen from MPAA, appropiate lettering in the text bullets and a very nice edition.

BUT…

There’s not Touchstone or Disney logo at the beginning, there aren’t any credits or disclaimers at the end of the trailer, and it was uploaded to a regular YouTube account, instead of being promoted on Disney or Touchstone’s YouTube channels.

ALSO…

It mentions the Blu-ray will include remastered versions of the three theatrical animated shorts, which doesn’t make sense if they aren’t  remastering the whole original movie, the big enchilada, the hot tamale as well. In fact, actual footage from the movie looks like straight from the DVD releases, in all its grainy low-res glory. Obviously, theatrical shorts are the best looking of all the bunch since they’re fully animated (except for the 1 minute or so ending on each one) and they were released after WFRR proved to be a huge success.

SO…

Keep your hopes low, buddies. As I can see, this is a well-done fan trailer, but nothing else. Don’t believe everything you see on Internet, and do a little more research before getting carried away, as a couple of websites I’ve caught red-handed.

If you have a little more info about this particular video, or if you think this is an actual proof we will be getting an official Blu-ray release of WFRR, you can leave a comment and we will discuss about this.

UPDATE! 

I got some feedback from Matt (who manages Open Vault Disney) and he clarifies about the source of the vid and some of its features:

Juan Carlos Estrada, the trailer was included on the recent Blu-ray releases of 'Phenomenon' and 'Step-Up'. Also, there is no mention of restored trailers but rather the three theatrically released shorts. The reason it's from a personal account is due to it being ripped from the actual blu-ray. Disney is also notorious for using old transfers for new releases (case and point, 'Alice in Wonderland 60th Anniversary Edition', which used the Masterpiece Edition transfer for it's trailer,as well as countless other Disney releases over the last decade). I assure you that Open Vault Disney does check on it's news stories, and that as a former Newspaper writer I'm well aware of the process. Once Disney does do a press release, which we expect will come sometime in the second quarter, we'll be sure to include it.~Matt

As I don’t own those Blu-ray releases, and I’m still skeptical about the theatrical shorts being restored instead of the main movie, I can’t confirm or deny his statement. Also, how could Disney release a trailer about an upcoming release without giving it a proper press coverage? I’m still open to a friendly discussion about this matter.

UPDATE 2!

As more and more sites pick this video for their articles, it seems the news about the Blu-ray release of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” are legit! You gotta understand I was quite doubtful of those claims since, as a hardcore Roger Rabbit fan, I’ve been deceived a lot of times with empty promises and fake news. This time news are apparently real, so let’s wait for the newest release of Roger’s movie! =3

I absolutely love when…

Online media and blogs get crazy about a Roger Rabbit early pencil test we posted BACK IN 2009. We went there first, Screen Crush, GeekTyrant and io9 ;)

Coolest Roger Rabbit plushie ever

Usually at eBay you can find the most common Roger Rabbit collectibles, and once in a while there appears some of the rarest items related to the zany rabbit.

But I’ve never seen nothing as cute and awesome as this:

According to the description of this plushie, his height is about 15 inches and it’s fully poseable (arms, legs, ears and hands). It’s an item from Tokyo Disneyland and it looks like new, and if you ask me is the most faithful rendition of Roger Rabbit in a plushie I’ve ever seen =)

You can bid on this one clicking on the next link:

Disney Tokyo Disneyland Toontown Roger Rabbit Poseable Plush

(US bidders only; sadly the seller doesn’t ship internationally)

Some Not-So-Much seen Roger Rabbit art

Jarrod from ImNotBad.com sent us some weeks ago those neat pictures, depicting rare RR artwork that was probably used in promotional material for Disneyland’s and WDW events. At least the first one was actually used for Roger’s first Christmas celebration at Disneyland, and the second one appears on a brochure about WDW’s 20th anniversary (this illustration was placed over a picture of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth). All pieces were sold back in 2003 on Disney Auctions. So here they are:

My personal favorites are #2 and #3, but all of them are quite cool =)

Roger Rabbit’s (brief) comeback to Disneyland

Recently at Disneyland was celebrated the 20th. Anniversary of Fantasmic, in an event exclusive to annual passholders. As you might know, Fantasmic is a very innovative water, music and fireworks show which is conducted by Mickey Mouse. It’s one of Disney Parks’ favorite shows and it has evolved thru all those years. It features several well-known characters from the Disney universe and at some point Roger Rabbit was featured among the cast, but as his popularity waned away he was pulled out from the cast.

So, it was truly a surprise to the attendants of this particular event when in the Grand Finale a Roger Rabbit costumed character appeared among his Disney buddies again!!

Here are some pictures taken by Flickr user jaysquivel, who gave us permission to use them:

There’s also a neat video featuring stills from the event and the Grand Finale, from YouTube user TheCrushinDarkness:

Although it was for some brief moments, it’s great to see Roger again at Disneyland =D

Darkwing Duck does the Roger Rabbit too!

I don’t quite understand why took me too long to spot THIS:

If you look into the picture, among the load of alternate versions of Darkwing Duck (in what seems to be a parody of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”) you can spot a Roger Rabbit-looking Darkwing Duck wielding nothing less than the singing sword! Then, you can catch some other references to various movies, cartoons or comics which are enough to keep you busy for a while.

I found this interesting vignette on Captain Comics’ forum, specifically on this discussion. Even you can find another extract from the same comic issue, in which you can spot several more parodies of well-known characters. Worth the read!

Roger Rabbit goes to Springfield

If you head over to Tebeos de los Simpsons you'll find a parody of The Simpsons from Cracked Magazine where Roger has a cameo. It's a amusing story with lots of in-jokes and fun art.

This is, probably and undeniably, the most complete WFRR collection EVER!

Some years ago I’ve found some old videos about a certain Montreal collector who seems to own almost every single piece of merchandising related to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, which includes some rare foreign items, lots of magazines and related articles in them, and of course some exclusive collectibles and household items which I didn’t know that existed.

The last thing I knew was that he was trying to sell his entire collection (not parts of it: the whole enchilada or nothing), and it seems he’s going serious about it again. Just look at all those items in the video above --of course, if you can: it is a very quick sneak peek of this guy’s awesome collection and if you blink you can miss some interesting stuff.

Maybe we can’t be able to buy all that Roger-Rabbitness, but watching it doesn’t hurt either ;)

A story from behind the scenes

Andreas Deja, a animator who worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit posted some drawings of a scene he animated and talks about how the experience was.
Check it out.

New Roger Rabbit review

Bunnyfriend wanted me to post this new review by the Nostalgia Critic.


And don't worry, it is a positive one.

Roger Rabbit on Ice

Jarrod (webmaster of ImNotBad.com) was kind enough to let me share with you those amazing scans from the book of “Disney on Ice”, an ice-skating show that toured America around 1990 in which Roger Rabbit and the characters from “Duck Tales”, “Rescue Rangers” and other Disney cartoons were featured.

You’ll find that some of the official art from the movie was recycled, but there are also some neat drawings and pictures that give you a slight glimpse of the costumed characters and sets from the wandering show.

Click in each thumbnail to open the full-sized images:

Sure being a kid in the late 80’s / early 90’s was totally radical! =D

Vinylmation Roger Rabbit figure gonna knock your socks off!

Disney revealed in their Vinylmation Official Facebook page a glimpse of an upcoming Roger Rabbit figure. Yes, you’re reading right fellas: Roger Rabbit is back –at least, in the form of a cute Vinylmation figure!!

Here it is, in all his mouse-shaped glory:

Obviously his ears look quite small (ain’t gonna fit those huge ears in that mousey ears), his facial expression is somewhat awkward and somehow he ended with 4 toes in each foot when he only had three… But hey! He looks adorable and I want one RITE NAO.

What do you think of this one? Maybe this could be the beginning of better things to come! We Roger Rabbit fans deserve some attention too! ;)

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Don't you wanna see this blog dissapear, right?
Do the right thing, DON'T BE A WEASEL!

No, we didn’t forget about our…

Yup, we’ve just had our 3rd. Anniversary last friday!
I’m a little late, but better late than never, huh-huh!!

Every anniversary I write some words thanking for your support in good times and also through bad times, but this time I won’t write an incredibly long, boring and redundant textwall. It’s time to celebrate!!

Thanks for bringing us a smile every single day, Roger Rabbit!

P.S. I still love you <3

New old news

Old news, but it's first time I have heard of this so I figure I might as well post it to fill in those who haven't heard of it.
Earlier last year, in October actress Paula Patton reported on her site that she was going to play a character named "Witch Boom" in Roger Rabbit 2. Possibly a relative of or character similar to Judge Doom judging from the name.
This was before it was reported the sequel was getting stalled so I'm not sure if it's still happening.
Thanks to commenter Philip for letting us know.

It’s official: Roger Rabbit 2 is being “dipped” again

There aren’t any surprises here, after tons of promises about getting a sequel from our favorite movie and being dissapointed again and again.

As ImNotBad.com reports, “Roger Rabbit 2” got stalled since the script from the proposed sequel is taking too long to be settled, and producers Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg aren’t willing to get into Robert Zemeckis’ project by the moment. Put into Kathleen Kennedy’s words:

“We’ve attempted a script, but it’s not really moving forward right now,” said Kennedy. “That’s not to say it won’t in the future, but there’s no spotlight on it now.”

Yup: no Roger Rabbit 2. We saw this coming.

You can read the full note on ImNotBad.com or /Film.

Roger on auction

I don't think we ever posted this video here, at least not according to the blog search function.
Here is a interview from British television with Richard Williams and Charles Fleischer regarding an auction where animation cells from the film were sold.

Roger Rabbit model sheet revisited

Not much to report nowadays since Zemeckis is still quiet as the grave regarding the sequel. But luckily I found something else to blog about.
A while back I uploaded a modelsheet I traced from a low resolution picture. Well, I recently got hold of some more Roger Rabbit comics and one of them has a official, in-depth model sheet.