A Few Words About A few words about...™ Who Framed Roger Rabbit -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[Robert Harris]

Wow!

That's the first word that comes to mind when I think of Robert Zemekis' Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  (I've always wondered what became of the question mark.)

I saw this opening day at Radio City, and every bit of it has stayed with me.

Lovers of animated features, Hollywood history, and our subject at hand, Mr. Rabbit, having been waiting for this one.  With a few questionable releases coming from Disney, WFRR could have gone either way.

Fortunately, the Blu-ray is brilliant on all accounts.

Reproducing the original look and textures of the film, and now with DTS-HD MA, this Amblin production from Touchstone (Disney), is perfect, and an absolute must own for anyone who loves film.

Cooperation from the various studios, who own the multitude of animated characters was essential, and Disney received it.

This is a very shot "few words," as more simply aren't necessary.

Brilliant film.

Perfect Blu-ray presentation.

Image - 5 *

Audio - 5

Very Highly Recommended.

RAH

Two quick notes:  I've not checked to see if any of the single frame artwork discussed for years was left intact.  Interest is there, but time is not.

Three Roger Rabbit shorts are included, along with a ton of extras.

RAH

 

[haineshisway]

And yet, there have been complaints about the transfer, from people who either willfully or obstinately refuse to understand what film really looks like or what multiple opticals are. As you say - a perfect transfer.

 

[lukejosephchung]

I saw this film theatrically in 1988 and every video incarnation of it has been noticably inferior to it...until now!!! Happy to have this film-like rendition of one of my favorite live-action/animation hybrid features...now, if we can ever get "Song Of The South" to look and sound this good in HD at our homes, I'll REALLY be a happy camper!!!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Great movie. Great transfer. 'Nuff said.

"I'm not bad... I'm just drawn that way."

 

[Lord Dalek]

Yeah I think it says a lot when lousy critics (of which there are many) straining for something to gripe about just complain about visual effects.

 

[Oblivion138]

Great to hear you chime in on this one. I've seen the most absurd complaints regarding this transfer. When I watched it, it looked more or less perfect to me. Considering all the opticals, this is as good as we're gonna get. And it's fantastic. Loved revisiting this classic, and the presentation is spot-on!

 

[Ray H]

Yep. Was baffled by some bad reviews for this one, usually from the screenshot scientists. The Blu-ray looks wonderful and film-like.

 

[bryan4999]

I watched this blu-ray this past weekend and it is one of the few (if only) Disney blu-rays that make me feel like I am actually projecting film. I hope their live action films continue to look like this on blu-ray. Can't wait to see what Mary Poppins looks like; I have my fingers crossed.

 

[lukejosephchung]

I watched this blu-ray this past weekend and it is one of the few (if only) Disney blu-rays that make me feel like I am actually projecting film. I hope their live action films continue to look like this on blu-ray. Can't wait to see what Mary Poppins looks like; I have my fingers crossed.

Considering that next year is "Mary Poppins" 50th Anniversary and it's never seen an HD release, I'm sure Disney is busy tweaking their presentation and putting all the bells and whistles commensurate with this milestone release for blu-ray!!!

 

[Eastmancolor]

The Academy of Motion Pictures had a 25th Anniversary screening with the cast and crew present last month and they ran a new 4k DCP that had one of the most "film-like" presentations I'd ever seen. Perfect brightness and clarity, plenty of grain, perfect. The new Blu-ray supposedly comes from the same master and it looks it.

I wish they all looked this good.

 

[zoetmb]

Yep. Was baffled by some bad reviews for this one, usually from the screenshot scientists. The Blu-ray looks wonderful and film-like.

"scientists" is not the word I would use. There's a different word I would use and it describes something you would usually do when by yourself. Many people who post on the web have no idea what film is supposed to look like. They want everything to look like a videogame or soap opera. The fear going forward is that "film" studio execs will think that those people are the market.

 

[Doctorossi]

I've not checked to see if any of the single frame artwork discussed for years was left intact. Interest is there, but time is not.

Sadly, I'm not gonna hold my breath.

I'm sure the transfer (of what they did transfer) looks great, but I'd never be able to feel comfortable calling it a "perfect presentation" until they give us the movie intact. However minor the changes are in functional terms and however few people may even notice them, I have a hard time supporting and reinforcing them with my money.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Sadly, I'm not gonna hold my breath. I'm sure the transfer (of what they did transfer) looks great, but I'd never be able to feel comfortable calling it a "perfect presentation" until they give us the movie intact. However minor the changes are in functional terms and however few people may even notice them, I have a hard time supporting and reinforcing them with my money.

Are we talking about the naughty bits snuck in by animators on the sly? If so, do you think it was the intent of the filmmakers to have Jessica's privates exposed? Surely the film makers have the right to release the film minus what is really vandalism on the part of some animators.

 

[JoshZ]

Are we talking about the naughty bits snuck in by animators on the sly? If so, do you think it was the intent of the filmmakers to have Jessica's privates exposed? Surely the film makers have the right to release the film minus what is really vandalism on the part of some animators.

The animators are also the "filmmakers." Film is a collaborative medium.

Further, the movie is intended as an homage to classic animation, and those old cartoons were chock full of in-jokes like these. I doubt that Robert Zemeckis was unaware of them, or objected to them. The decision to censor them was the studio's doing.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Are we talking about the naughty bits snuck in by animators on the sly? If so, do you think it was the intent of the filmmakers to have Jessica's privates exposed? Surely the film makers have the right to release the film minus what is really vandalism on the part of some animators.

Didn't they also digitally erase Baby Herman's finger at one point?

 

[TonyD]

Baby Herman's finger is still not there as far as I can tell.

The only one of these hidden jokes that made no sense to me was
the suposed pantyless shot after the car wreck.

if she wasnt wearing anything shouldnt there be something to see besides a flat spot

 

[JoshZ]

The only one of these hidden jokes that made no sense to me was
the suposed pantyless shot after the car wreck.

if she wasnt wearing anything shouldnt there be something to see besides a flat spot

Depends on whether toon anatomy corresponds to human anatomy. She may be like a Barbie doll under that dress.

 

[John Sparks]

Just got done watching it on my 110" screen and it does look pretty good. It is a step up from the last DVD, but the dark scenes where the rich black is in the DVD, is now converted to (blue/purple) in many scenes, makes me think I wasted my money.

It really made me feel I was watching one of those cheap PD color films that showed all blacks as blue/purple or blown out blacks. It really took me out of the picture enjoyment feeling.

The same thing happened in The Wolfman, with the blown out blacks all thru the movie. In the reviews I read, they give that a passing remark, but it really ruins the film for people with PJs and large screens.

Maybe the people that make these BDs should watch this films on large screens to see if they screwed up in any way before they let them go to authoring...and to me, they sure did this time!

 

[JoshZ]

Blue/purple blacks sounds more like a color temperature issue with your projector than something in the video transfer. Have you had yours calibrated recently?

 

[John Sparks]

JoshZ

That black issue has been brought up by other reviewers, mainly Blu-ray.com and HDDigest for The Wolfman. Some people can deal with it but I can't. My PJ (Epson 9500 UB) was ISFed by Avical a few years ago, so it's not the PJ, or I would have seen it more often. It's only been those two BDs. It's the crappy authoring I tell ya and I'm stickin' to that story! )

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit-Blu-ray/7849/

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/3232/wolfman_2010.html