This 25 minute videotape collects the three Roger Rabbit animated shorts onto one package. Originally created as part of a theatrical package for such films as *Honey I Shrunk the Kids* and *Dick Tracy* the Roger Rabbit cartoons are among the most entertaining shorts created by Disney in years.
Ironically, these cartoons owe less to Disney than to Tex Avery. Each of the three cartoons (but especially *Trail Mix-Up*) is a manic homage to the Avery tradition. The exaggerated grotesque doubletakes, the extreme violence, the faster-than-light pacing, the unsubtle slapstick, the richness of the comic characterizations, the inclusion of throwaway cheesecake diversion - all of these are hallmarks of the Avery style. Baby Herman, alternately an obnoxious cigar-chomping dwarf and a sugary sweet infant, especially epitomizes the schizophrenic quality of such Avery creations as Droopy and the Wolf. In fact, Droopy makes a cameo in each cartoon. Aside from a couple of hidden Mickeys, there is no evidence of the Disney tradition in sight.
The shorts differ from the *Who Framed Roger Rabbit* film in a few ways. Live action footage is kept to a minimum (although the interaction between the cartoons and the live actors is still a technical marvel). Jessica Rabbit's role is reduced to a few brief scenes, due to the shorts' emphasis on slapstick. Eddie Valiant does not appear in any of the cartoons, nor do any of the weasel characters created especially for *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*. As in the opening scene of the feature film, the most important quality is nonstop rubbery action. Story is kept to a minimum.
Roger has since vanished from the silver screen. He is even missing in action from The Disney Afternoon. His cartoons were obviously expensive to produce, which might be a factor in his early demise. After all, since the late 1960s, animated short production has slowed to a trickle. It's also possible that the extreme nature of these cartoons also worked against them. After you've extended the Avery style to the breaking point, what else is there to accomplish? Blessed with a fantastic voice actor in Charles Fleischer, Roger would lend himself well to a future series of shorts, or even a direct-to-video short movie.
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Other NonAnime Reviews Prince of Egypt Review* Quest for Camelot Review Sleeping Beauty Review * Space Jam Review Tex Avery Screwball Classics Review* |
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