A CGI Roger Rabbit? Test Footage Clip For Cartoon Sequel

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Rumors regarding a sequel to Robert Zemeckis’ classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit? have surfaced pretty steadily since the original film was first released in 1988. Most of the rumors have circulated around proposed prequels to the film — one that would have seen Roger Rabbit participate in a “Toon Platoon” during World War II and another, developed in the late ’90s, that would have been a musical with songs by Alan Menken.

Thanks to Cartoon Brew, we now have test footage from 1998 that has appeared online. This pre-production work shows how a new Roger Rabbit project was once being developed with CGI characters.

While this project has long since been abandoned, recent quotes from Robert Zemeckis show that a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is on his radar and could very well be made in the next few years. Would the sequel maintain the original’s traditionally animated look? Quotes from Bob Hoskins provided by Hey U Guys Live suggest this may not be the case.

“Zemeckis said he’s going to do it like a Christmas Carol, but I’m 67 years old!” Hoskins said. “I’ll look like a cartoon at that point! If they do it, I’m in!”

Hopefully this doesn’t suggest that the entire movie would be motion captured? Part of the appeal of the original film was the stark separation from the toon world and the real world. If motion capture technology is brought in, wouldn’t this bridge the gap a bit too much?

I wouldn’t mind some CGI characters representing the leaps and bounds animation has taken over the last 15 years but I really hope to also see some hand-drawn animation in a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? That said, I really hope to see a sequel period.

Let’s hope Zemeckis returns to the world he helped build sooner than later. We’ll soon be in a time (if we’re not there already) where today’s kids won’t have any recollection of who Roger Rabbit is — let alone want to see a sequel.

Robert Saucedo is an avid movie watcher with seriously poor sleeping habits. The Mikey from Life cereal of film fans, Robert will watch just about anything — good, bad or ugly. He has written about film for newspapers, radio and online for the last 10 years. This has taken a toll on his sanity — of that you can be sure. Follow him on Twitter at @robsaucedo2500.