This week, we launch a new feature here at The Video File blog. For the past couple months, I’ve been quietly working on a video podcast called Film at 11, in which I’ve convinced my sons to watch famous movies they’ve never seen before and discuss them with me, offering their reviews from an 11-year-old perspective.
Like many parents, I’ve frequently struggled to share my interests and hobbies with my children. I’m sad to say that my kids don’t love movies nearly as much as I do. They’ve been indifferent, if not resistant to my efforts to educate them on the great classics, much less the not-so-great classics. One thing they do love, however, is YouTube. That gave me the idea of trying to use the platform as a way to get them to engage with movies on a more active level.
For our premiere episode, my son Joseph and I watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit, director Robert Zemeckis’ hybrid live-action/animation murder mystery comedy adventure. Amazingly, Joseph knew nothing at all about the movie going in. He’d never even heard of it! I made sure to avoid letting him in on the secret that the picture was a little bit more than just a cartoon.
| Title: | Who Framed Roger Rabbit |
| Year of Release: | 1988 |
| Director: | Robert Zemeckis |
| Watched On: | 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray |
| Also Available On: | Blu-ray Disney+ Various VOD rental and purchase platforms |
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was released on Blu-ray in 2013. I bought a SteelBook edition at that time. The SteelBook artwork is slightly marred by a tacky “25th Anniversary” banner right next to the title, but otherwise looks pretty nice. More recently, Disney released the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2021. A new SteelBook was created for that copy, but I wasn’t in love with the Pop Art design that nonsensically positions the movie’s title on top of Jessica Rabbit’s chest like a weird tattoo. I bought the less expensive keepcase so that I could just stick the disc into the older Blu-ray SteelBook I already had on hand.
The 4K Ultra HD edition also comes with a standard Blu-ray that has been updated with a 1080p version of the new video remaster, but lacks the new Atmos soundtrack and otherwise has all the same bonus features as the 2013 disc.
Not that there was ever anything in particular to fault about the earlier Blu-ray, but the new 4K Ultra HD disc is a noticeable upgrade in terms of video and looks really superb, especially in projection. The 1.85:1 image is extremely sharp and detailed, even during the countless optical composites (which were shot in VistaVision format for heightened quality and clarity). Film grain is perhaps lighter than I expected, but the transfer doesn’t show any noticeable signs of DNR. Contrast is rich and velvety, and the HDR grade does a marvelous job of adding vibrancy to the animation without blowing out the brightness. Jessica Rabbit’s sparkly dress really pops.
I don’t have the ability to take 4K screencaps. Comparisons between the old and new Blu-ray discs are subtler, but the 2021 remaster has slightly richer contrast and more vivid colors.
I found the newly remixed Dolby Atmos soundtrack less impressive, unfortunately. The default volume for the track is set very low, and even compensating for that, the audio sounds like it’s been overly rolled-off and noise-reduced. It doesn’t have much life or dynamic range, and the movie hardly benefits at all from overhead effects anyway. (Dumbo doing a flyby near the beginning is pretty much all I noticed.)
All supplemental content originated with the old Vista Series DVD from back in 2003, and most of it is authored in standard-definition video. An audio commentary by director Robert Zemeckis can be found on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs discs, while all other extras are located only on the Blu-ray. These consist of three Roger Rabbit cartoon shorts (Tummy Trouble, Roller Coaster Rabbit, and Trail Mix-Up) nicely remastered in HD, one deleted scene, a jokey 11-minute making-of featurette hosted by Roger voice actor Charles Fleischer, a more traditional half-hour making-of documentary, some visual effects before-and-after comparisons, a brief but fascinating look at the practical puppets that stood in for the animated characters during live-action photography, and a few minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the Benny the Cab scene.
Related
- Roger Rabbit
- Bob Hoskins (star)
- Christopher Lloyd (star)
- Steven Spielberg (producer)
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Gremlins (1984) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Jaws (1975) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Jurassic Park (1993) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Film at 11 Podcast Review
- Transformers (2007)
Note: All screenshots on this page were taken from the standard Blu-ray editions of the film.
The Video File Blog 
I think he’s ready for Robocop. I was about his age when I saw it. I bet he’ll have more to say about that one.
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