Product: Who Framed Roger Rabbit [VHS] (1988)
Rating: 3.0
Rabbit stew
"Roger" looks terrific after 15 years, sporting THX-certified audio and video that tops all previous versions of the film.Disney spilt the new set into discs titled "Family Friendly" and "Enthusiast." Segregating the extras makes sense -- it worked great on "Shrek" -- but here the kids get the short end of the schtick. Aside from a fun game and a trio of "Roger" shorts, there's little worth revisiting in this part of Toontown. Kids are rarely puzzled by widescreen anymore, so for most folks it's an extra $10 or so for a disc they'll rarely play. Here's a pie in the face for that decision -- and minus one star.The "family" version comes full screen (1.33:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. The adults' DVD unspools "Roger" in widescreen (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 screens, with the welcome addition of DTS sound. Live-action images look a bit flat at times, but the vivid cartoon colors jump off the screen. Audio in either format is front-biased, with the rear speakers used mostly for music accents, not the many sound effects.DVD menus star Bennie the Cab, mixing animation and live action, like the film. They're fun at first, but repeat viewers won't appreciate waiting for the menu gimmicks to play out.Director Robert Zemeckis, producer Frank Marshall and four other "Roger" veterans provide the feature-length commentary (recycled from the laserdisc), which is loaded with good vibes, great stories and a fair amount of tech talk. (It's nearly impossible to keep track of who's talking most of the time.) The filmmakers clearly love their film and delight at their co-workers' craft ("Look at those shadows!"). They remain astonished at the performance of then-unknown Bob Hoskins, who conjures up the spirit of Buster Keaton.The fast-moving 36-minute documentary "Behind the Ears" is new and quite good, with a snazzy parade of images.The DVD set includes a surreal deleted scene in which Hoskins' character is forced to wear a giant pig's head. The clip would pass for a Pink Floyd video.