Thursday, April 30, 2009

Zemeckis considering Roger Rabbit Sequel

So Robert Zemeckis is mulling over the idea of making a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

On the surface, that doesn't sound so bad I admit. However, the reason I am flagging this as a less than stellar move is the mention of something else.

Motion Capture.

Yep. He wants to replace the glorious, almost organic feel of the hand-drawn and painted work with computerized replacements.

I mean, what the hell is that about? I know he likely enjoyed working on Beowulf and such, but really, there is no call for motion capture on a movie that was based on the premise that ink and paint cartoon characters were real. I mean, the thing they were all afraid of was a chemical brew that broke down those two substances.

What is the dramatic devise that will work against the toons? A computer virus? Something that breaks down ping pong ball covered rubber suits? The Windows ME operating system?

Now, don't get me wrong... I am not completely adverse to computers having a part in such a movie. If Pixar/Disney was involved and they were animating the characters in that magical way they do, well, I am sure it would turn out well. But motion capture is just the laziest way of doing things.

Luckily, with Robert Zemeckis, he gives away all the plot points in the preview, so I might get away without seeing his motion capture *ahem* masterpiece. And let's face it, Kathleen Turner's voice isn't what it once was either.

9 comments:

Arjan said...

if they make it, I hope they don't make the movie 'too sharp' because I liked #1 (yes I called it) for how it looked. If it's all blue-ray style sharp as a knife it might loose its feel as a toon-reality movie.

SamuraiFrog said...

I hadn't heard about the motion capture. Gary Wolf, the guy who wrote the brilliant novel the movie's based on, wrote a sequel novel a long time ago. And there had been talk about a sequel ever since the original (there's a script that's been out there since about 1989; it's by the guys who wrote Tremors and it's called Roger Rabbit: The Toon Platoon, and details Roger's days as a soldier, and it's hilarious).

My biggest problem with this is that Robert Zemeckis kind of sucks. I haven't liked a single one of his movies since Contact. I think he's lost the magic entirely.

Now that I hear he wants to use mo-crap, I just want this idea to go away and never come out again. Ugh. Bad enough that the animation would never be quite as good; the original movie had animation by the great Richard Williams, who hated talking about Roger Rabbit for years (he always referred to him as "Bodger Babbit"). I kind of don't see him wanting to work on a sequel. His Oscar-winning work on the movie led to his getting completely burned over his life's project, The Thief and the Cobbler.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

MC said...

Arjan: I think they are looking for Polar Express/Beowulf style clarity.

SF: I'll go further than you and say that Death Becomes Her was the last great conceptual movie he worked on. But I am glad you gave me all that backstory. I makes this project look dead in the water as a piece of cinematic art.

Dr. Monkey: Let the Sith Lord out!

Semaj said...

Going off from what SF said earlier in the comment section.

they were planing on making a Prequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

It looks like they got to the early stages with CGI models of RR (I believe they later threw out the soldier storyline)

I wish I could dig up some of those storyboards and videos

MC said...

I am sure they are out there somewhere. I may run into them too.

ReRe said...

if brad pitt is in it, i'm down!!!

wait, was brad pitt in roger rabit or cool world?

Semaj said...

That was Cool World, but a very RR type world.

MC said...

ReRe: Well, you never know... he could show up.

Semaj: I agree... there are some similar elements.