Product: Who Framed Roger Rabbit [VHS] (1988)
Rating: 1.0
BUYER BEWARE!
This so-called "anniversary edition" has two discs (unnecessary, really) --- one for widescreen presentation, and one for full-screen. The first disc, the full-screen, is supposed to have "family friendly" features but they are not present. There are five, mysteriously-worded options on the menu, for which "Movie Theatre" leads into playing the movie, one is for options (language, subtitles, etc.) and the other three (which includes "Cartoon Studio") are inaccessible. The first disc is supposed to contain the three cartoon shorts that came with the movie ("Tummy Trouble," etc.) but they are not available. Instead, "Cartoon Studio" just merely and lamely directs one to insert disk 2, and of course, they are not on that disc. I supposed I COULD stick the disc in my computer to see if I can find the missing cartoons, but I'm so annoyed now that I would rather just get rid of the entire package.But more than that, I keep wondering, why is this movie so popular? It was great the way they combined live action with animation, but other than that gimmick, this movie has absolutely nothing going for it. The "humor" consists of either gags that were old when I was young (and that's old) or new gags that just aren't funny. Moreover, the character of Roger Rabbit is thoroughly unlikeable; one actually keeps hoping that he gets "gacked" so that he won't be heard anymore. And "Jessica Rabbit" is not an anthropomophized rabbit at all, but a caricature of Rita Hayworth that's so exaggerated that she's rather annoying too.Moreover, this is NOT a "family picture" or even a movie for kids --- one of the scenes at the beginning, where the villain (Christopher Lloyd) slowly murders a living toon, who was begging and pleading for mercy, by dipping him into dissolving acid, was disturbing even for an adult.The animation, I admit, is beautiful, but even there, I founed the colors to look very pastel and washed-out; not at all as bright and vibrant as they could have been. Considering how much this movie was built up before I saw it, this is a major, unfunny disappointment. I ended up leaving this package downstairs in the laundry room for whoever wanted it, but I'm thinking, on second thought, I should have just broken the discs and thrown them out. As a homage to old cartoons, it's a minor bit of fun. As a story, it's a total wash-out, just like the colors in its cartoon parts.