Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Navy Yard–Ballpark station: Difference between pages

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{{WMATA infobox

{{Infobox_Movie |

|name = Navy Yard

movie_name = Who Framed Roger Rabbit |

|picture = Navy_yard.jpg

image = [[Image:Movie poster who framed roger rabbit.jpg|220px]] |

|opened = [[December 28]], [[1991]]

director = [[Robert Zemeckis]] (live-action)<br>[[Richard Williams]] (animation) |

|platform = Center platform

writer = [[Jeffery Price]],<br>[[Peter S. Seaman]] |

|RTU = -

starring = [[Bob Hoskins]],<br>[[Christopher Lloyd]],<br>[[Joanna Cassidy]],<br> [[Kathleen Turner]] (voice) <br> [[Charles Fleischer]] (voice) |

|line info = {{WMATA line|previous=[[Anacostia (Washington Metro)|Anacostia]]|line=Green|next=[[Waterfront-SEU (Washington Metro)|Waterfront-SEU]]}}

producer = [[Frank Marshall]],<br>[[Robert Watts]] |

|}}'''Navy Yard''' is a [[Washington Metro]] station in [[Washington, DC]] on the [[Green Line (Washington Metro)|Green Line]]. The station is located in [[Washington DC (southeast)|Southeast Washington]], with entrances on M Street at Half Street and New Jersey Avenue.

distributor = [[Buena Vista Pictures]] |

release_date = [[June 21]], [[1988]] |

runtime = 103 min. |

movie_language= English |

budget = US$70,000,000 (est.) |

imdb_id = 0096438}}

The station is named for the nearby [[Washington Navy Yard]]. The industrial neighborhood is a focus for redevelopment; the Arthur Capper and Carrollsburg Dwellings, nearby [[public housing]] projects, are scheduled for demolition. The Southeast Federal Center, a U.S. government office complex built on the former Navy Yard Annex, opened in [[2000]]; the station serves many commuters to the new headquarters of the [[United States Department of Transportation]] and other agencies. The main tourist attraction is the [[Navy Museum]], on the grounds of the Navy Yard.

'''''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''''' is a [[1988_in_film | 1988]] [[motion picture]] produced by [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] subsidiary [[Touchstone Pictures|Touchstone]] and [[Amblin Entertainment]], that combines [[animation]] and [[live action]]. The film takes place in a fictionalized [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in [[1947]], where animated characters (derogatorily referred to as "[[Toons]]") are real beings who live and work alongside humans in the real world, most of them as actors in [[animated cartoon]]s. At $70 million, it was one of the most expensive films ever at the time of its release, but it eventually brought in over $150 million during its original theatrical release. The film is notable for offering a unique chance to see many cartoon characters from different studios interacting in a single film and for being one of the last star turns for [[Mel Blanc]] and [[Mae Questel]] from [[The Golden Age of Hollywood animation|animation's Golden Era]].

Plans for a [[Washington Nationals#The_Ballpark_Controversy|new baseball stadium]] for the [[Washington Nationals]] also call for expansion of the station to serve game-day crowds.

== Cast, crew, and studio ==

The live-action sequences were [[film director|directed]] by [[Robert Zemeckis]] and mostly filmed at [[Elstree Studios|Borehamwood film studios]] in [[Hertfordshire, England]]. The animated sequences were directed by [[Richard Williams]] and produced at his [[London]] animation studio. The film stars [[Bob Hoskins]], [[Christopher Lloyd]], [[Joanna Cassidy]] and the voice of [[Charles Fleischer]]. The screenplay was adapted by [[screenwriter]]s [[Jeffrey Price]] and [[Peter S. Seaman]] from the [[1981]] [[novel]] ''[[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?]]'' by [[Gary K. Wolf]], and the music was composed by perennial Zemeckis film composer [[Alan Silvestri]] and performed by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]]. It was released by [[Buena Vista Distribution]] under its [[Touchstone Pictures]] division.

== Plot History==

A station serving the Navy Yard area existed in original plans for Metro; however, the routing of the Green Line below proved controversial. In [[1976]] the original routing was rejected as too costly and disruptive. A new study proposed a more westerly path which would move the Anacostia station west, replace the Good Hope Road station with one at [[Congress Heights (Washington Metro)|Congress Heights]], and terminate at Brinkley instead of [[Branch Ave (Washington Metro)|Branch Ave]]. In December [[1977]] public hearings this route was criticized as disserving poorer landowners in the area, but WMATA approved the western route in [[1980]], scheduled to open in [[1986]]. Supporters of the Branch Avenue route then took the case to the [[U.S. District Court]].

{{spoiler}}

The movie opens with a ''Roger Rabbit'' [[short subject]]. This introduces the film's title character, along with a supporting player, [[Baby Herman]]. Eventually, it is revealed that Marvin Acme, the owner of the Acme Company and of Toontown, has been murdered. All signs point to [[Roger Rabbit]], a toon star at [[Maroon Cartoons]], who had recently been shown evidence that Acme and Roger's wife, [[Jessica Rabbit]], a sexy Toon ''[[femme fatale]]'' (uncredited speaking voice by [[Kathleen Turner]], singing voice by [[Amy Irving]]), had been playing [[Pat A Cake, Pat A Cake Bakers Man|pattycake]] together (literally) -- this is tantamount to [[infidelity]] in the eyes of a Toon.

The court ruled in February [[1981]] that the 1977 hearings were invalid, as insufficient public notice had been given, and issued an injunction halting construction below the [[Waterfront-SEU (Washington Metro)|Waterfront station]]. New hearings were held in June [[1982]], but the court again ruled against WMATA in October [[1983]]. A third set of hearings in July [[1984]] finally selected the present route, allowing constructon to commence.[http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Metro_Branch_Ave_Opening.html]

The only person who can help clear Roger's name is Eddie Valiant ([[Bob Hoskins]]), a washed-up, alcoholic detective who hates Toons because his brother, Teddy, was murdered by a Toon during a routine criminal investigation in Toontown years before when a piano was dropped on his head. Eddie is reluctantly forced into helping when Roger hides in his apartment, and soon finds himself shielding Roger from [[Judge Doom]] of the [[Toontown]] District Superior Court ([[Christopher Lloyd]]) and his "Toon Patrol" henchmen, a group of weasels.

Navy Yard is the last station prior to crossing the [[Anacostia River]]; the tunnel below the Anacostia was the first drilled with a [[tunnel boring machine]] in the United States. Service to the station finally began on [[December 28]], [[1991]] with the extension of the Green Line to [[Anacostia (Washington Metro)|Anacostia]].

Meanwhile, Doom's giant [[cloverleaf interchange|Cloverleaf]] Corporation, is plotting to buy out the [[Light rail|interurban railway]], the [[Pacific Electric Railway|Pacific-Electric Red Car]], and replace it with [[freeway]]s (based on the [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]] and the [[National City Lines]]). With Acme dead and no will having been found, Toontown is in danger of being bulldozed in order to make way for the freeway.

==References==

Eddie and Roger must find the will of the late Marvin Acme, which purportedly gives ownership of Toontown to the toons. Judge Doom is also trying to find the will in order to dispose of it, so he can destroy Toontown and build his freeway, and make himself profit out of the deal. If any toons happen to get in his way, Judge Doom feels no qualms about subjecting them to the "dip": a mixture he concocted of [[acetone]], [[benzene]], and [[turpentine]] (essentially [[paint thinner]]s), and the only sure way to kill a Toon.

* RoadstotheFuture.com: "[http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Metro_Branch_Ave_Opening.html Metrorail Branch Avenue Route Completion]"

==External links==

Eddie goes to the studios of Maroon Cartoons, Roger's employer, to help clear the rabbit's name. There he speaks to R.K. Maroon, who is shot during the confrontation. Thinking the shooter to be Jessica Rabbit, playing Roger as a [[patsy]], Eddie chases the assassin all the way into Toontown, despite his trepidation after the death of his brother there years before. There Eddie discovers that the assassin was actually Judge Doom, who manages to kidnap Jessica, and later Roger so he can "dip" them.

* WMATA: [http://www.wmata.com/metrorail/Stations/station.cfm?station=84 Navy Yard Station]

* Stationmasters.com: [http://www.stationmasters.com/System_Map/NAVYYARD/navyyard.html Navy Yard Station]

* world.nycsubway.org: [http://world.nycsubway.org/us/washdc/green/wmata-green-navy.html Navy Yard Station]

* The Schumin Web Transit Center: [http://transit.schuminweb.com/rail/washington/stations/green/navy-yard.asp Navy Yard Station]

[[Category:Washington Metro stations]]

In the film's climax, set in the Acme Warehouse, Judge Doom spews "dip" from a huge machine and tries to eradicate Roger and his wife, Jessica. He reveals his plans to then use his "dip" vehicle to erase Toontown. To combat Doom's weasel henchmen, the normally hard-nosed Eddie plays a clown, (not completely out of sync with his character, as the audience has been shown a photo of him and his brother working for [[Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus|Ringling Brothers]] earlier in the film) causing the weasels to die of laughter (evidently another way to kill a Toon, but one that merely turns them to angels, possibly to come back again). During the final battle with Eddie, Judge Doom is revealed to be a Toon after a [[steam-roller]] flattens him, and he reinflates himself by using one of the air tanks, revealing his Toon features. To Eddie's horror, Doom then reveals himself to be not just any Toon, but the one who murdered Eddie's brother. Just when it seems that Judge Doom will get the upper hand, Eddie uses a scissor-spring-loaded punch-glove mallet to knock open the drain valve on the "dip" machine. Judge Doom is drenched with "dip" and melts away.

The police soon arrive, and realize that Judge Doom was responsible for the murders of both Maroon, Acme, and Eddie Valiant's brother Teddy, though no one knows for sure who he was. Marvin Acme's will is found (Acme wrote it in "disappearing re-appearing ink" and Roger used the "blank" paper to write Jessica a love letter), and Toontown is handed over to the control of the Toons, who all cheer and sing a chorus of "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile."

== Critical reaction ==

Although test screenings proved disastrous, ''Roger Rabbit'' opened to generally positive reviews on [[June 21]] [[1988]]. Both [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] included the film on their lists of ten favorite films of 1988, with Ebert calling it "sheer, enchanted entertainment from the first frame to the last - a joyous, giddy, goofy celebration" [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19880622/REVIEWS/806220301/1023].

While ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is considered a modern film classic, the film has also had its share of criticism. Much of the criticism revolves around the inconsistent tone of the film: the juxtaposition of the zany cartoon characters and the rough [[film noir]] story they appear in. While a blend between the two was the intended result of the producers, some people feel that the tone of the film deviates too much to properly identify it as either a film for children or a film for adults (However, ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', which was another Disney crossover, would later succefully combine zany cartoon characters with a darker (at least in Disney standards) storyline and blend both elements together with a consistent tone.). While sex and violence were very prominent in Golden Age animation, the more blatant and saturated usage of such elements in this film, particularly in the characters of Jessica Rabbit (sex) and Judge Doom (violence), make many American parents and viewers unaccostumed to seeing such elements in animation uncomfortable.

The film's finale, during which its main characters are essentially tied to a rope waiting to be sprayed by a hose, was cited as being weak and unimaginative (Gray).

The film's animation is also accused of using too much superfluous movement. Held cels are very rarely used in ''Roger Rabbit'', and most of the animation is on "ones" (each frame is animated, as opposed to the cheaper, more familiar method of animating every other frame, i.e. "twos"). Even when characters are standing still, they continue to move (particularly Roger, whose ear movements were based upon [[ballet]] patterns), and some [[animator]]s and animation artists have cited the extra movement as unnecessary and distracting.

The movie won four [[Academy Awards]]: [[Academy Award for Sound|Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing]], [[Academy Award for Visual Effects|Best Effects, Visual Effects]], [[Academy Award for Film Editing|Best Film Editing]] and a Special Award for [[Richard Williams]] for "animation direction and creation of the cartoon characters". The film received four futher nominations: [[Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction-Set Decoration]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] and [[Academy Award for Sound|Best Sound]].

== Significance ==

''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is seen as a landmark film that sparked the [[Modern animation of the United States|most recent era in American animation]]. The field had become lackluster and worn-out during the [[1970s]] and [[1980s]], to the point where even giants in the field such as [[The Walt Disney Company]] were considering giving up on major animated productions. This expensive film (production cost of $70 million - a staggering amount for the time) was a major risk for the company, but one that paid off handsomely. It inspired other studios to dive back into the field of animation; it also made animation acceptable with the moviegoing public. After ''Roger Rabbit,'' interest in the history of animation exploded, and such legends in the field as [[Tex Avery]], [[Chuck Jones]], and even [[Ralph Bakshi]] were seen in a new light and received credit and acclaim from audiences worldwide.

Also interesting was despite being produced by Disney's [[Touchstone Pictures]] division (in association with [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[Amblin Entertainment]]), ''Roger Rabbit'' also marked the first (and to date, only) time that characters from several animation studios (including [[Universal Pictures|Universal]], [[MGM]], [[Republic Pictures|Republic]], [[Turner Entertainment]], and [[Warner Bros.]]) appeared in one film. This allowed the first-ever meetings between [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Mickey Mouse]] and between [[Daffy Duck]] and [[Donald Duck]].

Eventually, several additional animated shorts featuring Roger Rabbit, Jessica Rabbit, and Baby Herman would be released. These shorts were presented in front of various Touchstone/Disney features in an attempt to revive short subject animation as a part of the moviegoing experience. These shorts include ''[[Tummy Trouble]]'' released in front of ''[[Honey, I Shrunk The Kids]]'' (this was included on the original video release of the film), ''[[Roller Coaster Rabbit]]'' shown in front of ''[[Dick Tracy (film)|Dick Tracy]]'' and ''[[Trail Mix-Up]]'' shown in front of ''[[A Far Off Place]]''. They were all released on video in 1996 on a tape called ''[[The Best of Roger Rabbit]]'', and in [[2003]] on a special edition DVD of ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit''. ''Tummy Trouble'' was produced at the main [[Walt Disney Feature Animation]] studio in [[Burbank, California]]; the other two shorts were produced at the satellite studio located at [[Disney-MGM Studios]] in [[Orlando, Florida]].

== Trivia ==

* The plot of the film is derived from the infamous [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]], in which [[General Motors]], [[Chevron|Standard Oil]] and [[Firestone]] Tires formed the [[National City Lines]] holding company that bought out and deliberately destroyed the [[Los Angeles]] [[Pacific Electric Railway|Red Car]] [[trolley]] system in the 1940s and 1950s. In the film, the real-life role of NCL is filled by the fictional "Cloverleaf Industries," owned solely by Judge Doom.

* Several [[easter egg (virtual)|Easter egg]]s were hidden into the film by its animators. Tape-based analog video such as [[VHS]] did not reveal these, but better image quality delivering technologies such as the [[laserdisc]] were said to reveal amongst others the phone number of Disney CEO [[Michael Eisner]]. Also, when Bennie the Cab wrecks at night and Eddie and Jessica roll out, there is a frame that shows a blurry shot of her private area (near her crotch). Disney recalled the Laserdisc and issued another disc, later claiming that it was an incorrectly painted cel. Oddly, they also stated that the cel in question could be seen on the new disc and on the VHS version, raising the question "if it's on the VHS version too, why was only the laserdisc recalled, and if the new discs were reissued with the same flawed cel, why did they go through the trouble in the first place?"

* A brief scene consisting of the toon Baby Herman giving a sexual gesture to a female (human) extra on the set of the opening cartoon was edited out of the first DVD edition of the movie, though it can be found on editions of the [[VHS]],[[laserdisc]] and [[Vista Series DVD]] issues.

* Much of the cinematography and several scenes of the film are an homage to [[Roman Polanski]]'s ''[[Chinatown (1974 movie)|Chinatown]]''.

* The film's credits run for nearly ten minutes. At the time of its release, ''Roger Rabbit'' held the record for having the longest end credits sequence in cinema history.

* The lack of question mark in the title is allegedly due to a [[superstition]] that films with a question mark in the title do badly at the [[box office]].

* A contract was signed between Disney and Warner stating that Bugs and Mickey would each receive exactly the same amount of screen time. This is why the script had Bugs, Mickey, and Eddie altogether in one scene falling from a skyscraper; in this scene, the mouse and the rabbit speak the same exact number of words of dialogue, as per the contract.

* As many as 100 separate pieces of film were optically combined to incorporate the animated and live-action elements. The animated characters themselves were hand-drawn without [[computer animation]]; analogue optical effects were used for adding shadows and lighting to the toons to give them a more "realistic," three-dimensional appearance.

* [[Gary Wolf]], author of the original novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?,'' corresponded with many fans of the film through written letters and the [[Internet]], compiling an exhaustive listing of the many hidden "easter eggs" in the film and in the later ''Roger Rabbit'' short films. He has provided copies of this list to anyone who requests it. Wolf also sued Disney in [[2001]] for unpaid earnings related to the film.

* In the scene where Judge Doom comes to the cafe looking for Roger, Angelo speaks up when he hears that there is a reward saying: "Yeah, I've seen a rabbit" turns around and addresses thin air: "Say hello, Harvey." Many think this is a reference to the [[James Stewart (actor)|James Stewart]] movie ''[[Harvey (movie)|Harvey]]'' and perceive it as an error, because the movie came out in 1950 and ''Roger Rabbit'' takes place in [[1947]]. However the stage version of ''Harvey'' came out in 1944, to which, logically, Angelo must be referring, although whether the writers intended this is unclear.

* A slightly earlier draft of the screenplay revealed Judge Doom to also be the hunter who mortally shot [[Bambi]]'s mother, thus providing more insight into his sadistic, cruel, and calloused nature towards his fellow 'toons'. However, Disney allegedly nixed the idea, most likely believing the idea to be [[overkill (term)|overkill]] and not wanting to scare younger audiences with the character more than necessary for the emotional purpose of the movie.

* The road being built through Toon Town is described as running "from here to [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]". Possible roads include the [[Pasadena Freeway]] running from downtown Los Angeles (completed in [[1940]] it would be an [[anachronism]]), or [[California State Route 134]], running from near [[Burbank, CA]].

* Many film buffs label Jessica Rabbit a "Frankenstein of Film Goddesses": with a [[Lauren Bacall]]-ish speaking voice (courtesy of an uncredited Kathleen Turner), [[Betty Grable]]'s legs, [[Marilyn Monroe]]'s torso and buttocks, [[Jayne Mansfield]]'s breasts, [[Veronica Lake]]'s hair, [[Marlene Dietrich]]'s eyes, and a [[Judy Garland]]-like singing voice (provided by Amy Irving).

== Other films combining live action with animation ==

Audiences were amazed by the ground-breaking special effects used in ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' to create a "realistic" portrayal of the interaction of animated characters and live actors. While the film did this with more advanced technology than previous films, the combination of animation and live action had been practised since the beginnings of animated cartoons, often to very good effect. See [[Live-action/animated film]].

== Errors ==

* Despite the film being set in [[1947]], the [[model sheets]] used for many of the characters in it, especially the [[Warner Bros.]] stars, who were on paid license from Warner Bros., were typically older ones that were not actually in use at the time ([[Bugs Bunny]], noticeably, used an early sheet that was phased out of use at [[Warner Bros.]]/[[Leon Schlesinger]] Pictures in [[1943]]). Also, several characters who weren't created by [[1947]] were included at the behest of the film crew; for example, the [[Road Runner cartoon series|Road Runner & Coyote]] appear because they are Robert Zemeckis' favorite cartoon characters.

== Cartoon characters that make cameo appearances ==

*[[Betty Boop]]

*[[Big Bad Wolf]]

*[[Clarabelle Cow]]

*[[Clara Cluck]]

*[[Koko the Clown]]

*[[Crows]] from [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]'s ''[[Dumbo]]''

*[[Bambi]]

*[[Broomstick]]s from Disney's ''[[Fantasia (movie)|Fantasia]]''

*[[Bugs Bunny]]

*[[Daffy Duck]]

*[[Daisy Duck]]

*[[Donald Duck]]

*[[Droopy Dog]]

*[[Dumbo]]

*[[Goofy]]

*[[hummingbird]]s from Disney's ''[[Song of the South]]''

*[[Foghorn Leghorn]]

*Dancing [[Hippopotamus|hippo]] from Disney's ''[[Fantasia (movie)|Fantasia]]''

*[[Horace Horsecollar]]

*[[Maleficent]]'s goons from ''[[Sleeping Beauty]]''*

*[[Jose Carioca]] from ''[[Saludos Amigos]]'' and ''[[The Three Caballeros]]''

*[[Marvin the Martian]]*

*[[Mickey Mouse]]

*[[Minnie Mouse]]

*Mr. Toad from ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]''.

*The [[penguin|penguins]] from Disney's ''[[Mary Poppins]]''*

*[[Pinocchio (1940 movie)|Pinocchio]]

*[[Pluto (dog)|Pluto]]

*[[Porky Pig]]

*[[Road Runner cartoon|The Road Runner]]*

*[[Speedy Gonzales]]*

*[[Tinkerbell]]*

*[[Tweety]]

*[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]

*[[Sylvester the Cat]]

*[[Woody Woodpecker]]

*[[Road Runner cartoon|Wile E. Coyote]]*

*[[Yosemite Sam]]

(*) Denotes [[anachronism|anachronisms]]; these characters (or, in the cases of characters such as Tinkerbell, the animated versions of them that appear in the film) were created after [[1947]].

== External links ==

*[http://video.movies.go.com/products/2439803.html Disney's official site for this film]

*{{imdb title|id=0096438|title=Who Framed Roger Rabbit}}

*[http://www.filmsite.org/whof.html Filmsite.org - Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

*[http://www.davesrailpix.com/pe/perr.htm Dave Mewhinney's Pacific Electric Photos - Roger Rabbit Collection]

== References ==

* "Behind the Ears: The True Story of Roger Rabbit". (2003). ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', Vista Series [DVD]. Burbank: Buena Vista Home Video.

* Gray, Milton (1991). ''Cartoon Animation: Introduction to a Career''. Lion's Den Publications. ISBN 096-284445-4.

{{wikiquote}}

[[Category:1988 films]]

[[Category:Disney animated films]]

[[Category:Films based on novels]]

[[Category:Films directed by Robert Zemeckis]]

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