History of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

Got a spare hour this Sunday afternoon for a little animation history? We're recommending this documentary on the making of the 1988 live action/animated film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".  The documentary is based on a range of source material, including Ross Anderson's well-researched book Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat.   It's a thorough documentary that shows just how many twists and turns Who Framed Roger Rabbit took before finally making it (and even then only just) to the big screen. 

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is one of the most influential animated films of the modern era, often credited with helping to create the "Second Golden Age of Animation." The film was also the start of my own animation career. 

In-Betweener

In-betweener on Who Framed Roger Rabbit 

My job on Who Framed Roger Rabbit was my first job in the industry. It was 1987, and I was 20 years old.  I began work as an "in-betweener", the trainee artist who did the "in-betweens"; the drawings that the animator didn't have the time or inclination to do.  Later I became an assistant animator and, by the time the project was over, I had done a little animation of my own, mostly on crowd shots.

Rollercoaster Rabbit
Two summers later, in 1989, I got to work on RollerCoaster Rabbit, a short film made at the Disney Studio in Florida, under the careful guidance of director Rob Minkoff. You can see a couple of shots below.



Breaking into the animation industry

Despite all the changes in our industry in the last 30 years, some things remain the same: it is still the case that, as a junior artist, your best chance of landing that elusive first job is to find a big production that is crewing up and needs a lot of artists.  To read more about getting hired in into the animation industry - read this blog post.

More About Who Framed Roger Rabbit

You can see more about "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" at these blog posts:

• The Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Roger Rabbit Reunion at Disney

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for one of our courses, follow this link.