Jessica Rabbit removed from Trunk- Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin

[The Aracuan Bird]

Is there ever a Disney decision you don't love and support?

You have to love everything when you work for the company. It’s in the contract. Otherwise, they let you go.

 

[D.Silentu]

It's been a long time since I've seen the movie, but aren't Dr Dread(?) and the weasels actually badged policemen? It makes everything even more complicated to be PC.

Essentially right; the villain, Doom, is a judge who deputized the weasels.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Is there ever a Disney decision you don't love and support?

I don't think he liked their decision to reopen

 

[Bpmorley]

Surely even the most liberal, staunch defenders of this stuff have to agree that they are really going way too far now no?

They won't

 

[Dear Prudence]

It won't. I think that gets lost in all the hand wringing over how this is a bad decision, with almost not real solid evidence for why. People here have gone all over the place, finally landing on an assertion in favor of book report rides and against independent character development.

But at the end of the day most people just want to ride a dark ride that spins. Roger Rabbit could be removed entirely from the ride and it wouldn't make much difference.

Oh good Lord, I am absolutely not putting up with the vertigo that attraction induces without one of my favourite characters as the selling point. People go to Disneyland because they want to see Disney, and there is an expectation of quality and innovation. If they wanted just a spinning dark ride, they'd go somewhere else.

I think the point a lot of people are making here, --myself, @raven24 , @BrerCountry , etc., is that we aren't adverse to changes. But changes should make canonical sense for the characters, and very specific and minor updates would make the attraction more 2021 appropriate. It's very obvious from this thread that no one seems to understand making a ride from Roger Rabbit is dicey to begin with, or how genuinely sophisticated the writing in the movie is. How multi dimensional the characters are.

 

[BHF]

It'd be like on Indiana Jones having him as a Girl Scout trying to get the most sales instead of an archeologist.

If it comes with a free peanut butter Tagalong at the end of the ride, I'd be in favor.

 

[WEDfan9798]

IMO, I just think Comics Sans is too recognizable as a modern font made for PC use in the 90's with a shoddy reputation. It really doesn't bring to mind the wacky cartoons made in the 40's and the 50's that this ride (and the movie is based on) are seeking to emulate.

Finding/making an alternative typeface that looks both cartoon-y and readable shouldn't be that hard for Disney, but then again I wouldn't be surprised if this entire project was rushed into creation after the Snow White/SF Gate scandal from earlier this year.

Me neither. This crap is getting old. It's a sad possibility that they might force rushed, poorly thought out design decisions to appease a few loud voices.

 

[WEDfan9798]

It's absolutely fascinating to me that the women on this thread had detailed all the ways Jessica Rabbit has complexities, nuance and agency, and men on this thread are trying to say she has "no meaning." You're proving our point.

Exactly. If that's not sexist, then I don't know what is!

 

[WEDfan9798]

That's what gave the movie its cross generational appeal in 1988, at a time when animation for most Americans was associated with Saturday morning kiddie junk with poor production values and blatant marketing.

Jessica's appearance and personality are references to cartoons and noir of the 1940s when the movie takes place. The ride having accurate character models and some mild suggestiveness is being true to the movie, though obviously Disney doesn't care about that.

Even if there is a problem with her outfit and kidnapping, inventing a new role for her and changing the plot of the ride is an overcorrection. They could have just changed her outfit and staging and left it at that.

When you pay a group of people to comb through every ride to make visible, marketable changes, they'll find something to justify their paycheque.

Exactly. Why have that committee? When they would bring past rides up to date, they didn't rely on a permanent grievance committee.

 

[WEDfan9798]

BINGO! That's exactly what is happening here.

My real fear is what happens next. In Fantasyland. In Frontierland. In Adventureland. On Main Street USA. In New Orleans Square. Etc.

This HR Committe will need to justify their big salaries fiscal year after fiscal year.

No stone will be unturned, no fake accent on a robot parrot will be left untouched.

Same here. I am over this. Sure, there were a few things that really needed to be updated or improved, but all this nitpicking over everything in sight that could be interpreted less-than-charitably is just an overcorrection and a total waste of resources.

 

[WEDfan9798]

Also, Jessica threw Roger in a trunk of a car in the movie to protect him (even though it didn't work, hahahaha). Why not just put Roger in the car trunk instead? It makes the scene where Jessica whacks the weasels with the mallet (AFTER SHE'S SAVED HERSELF) even more entertaining. I swear to God, no one in charge at Disney or on this forum has watched these movies or even knows what's in these attractions. (And yet we still have Redfacd in Peter Pan and the Chinese stereotyped puppet in Pinocchio )

Of those two things, the Indians in Peter Pan are just cringe. The Chinese puppet is something you might see in Small World if we're being honest and it's something that you'd expect a scumbucket like Stromboli to have. Maybe they can redo the puppet or change him out with a different puppet, but hopefully they'll change that Indian Camp in Peter Pan. I am worried about Mr. Toad, the Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, and Small World getting "addressed" like this...

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

There's nothing wrong with giving Jessica Rabbit more of a role in the ride. But it won't improve anything at the same time. Despite my enjoyment of this ride, I've always had issue with the lack of movie characters outside of select cartoons. The complete lack of human characters and Judge Doom, a hybrid human/toon made it feel slightly knockoffish. They need a robot of Eddie Valiant and Christopher Lloyd in there, not clown imagery and other crap that was never even in the movie. Instead, we get the iconically sexy large-chested Jessica wrapped in a trenchcoat as STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER! They're covering her up.

 

[WEDfan9798]

With how little hurrah Disney is giving for this "reimagining" compared to the likes of both the JC and Splash Mountain ones, right now I'm assuming they're going to give this the minimum amount of effort needed (Hastily made sign for the queue New Jessica figure placed somewhere in the ride and a wardrobe change for the existing Jessica .

Again I'd love to be wrong on this, but it's just worrying that all we have now over 48 hours after the announcement in the OC Register that there's the Disney Parks Blog or any of their social media channels aren't hyping this up like they do with pretty much every other project.

"Reimagining" is one of those dumb buzzwords they're using to justify any and all changes, regardless of quality, and sadly there's a legion of Disney fans who will defend anything they do.

 

[WEDfan9798]

Surely even the most liberal, staunch defenders of this stuff have to agree that they are really going way too far now no?

Yeah, I agree that they are. In fact, a lot of people on Disney Twitter have cited the fact that we still has the one racist scene left at Disneyland in the Peter Pan ride.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Yeah, I agree that they are. In fact, a lot of people on Disney Twitter have cited the fact that we still has the one racist scene left at Disneyland in the Peter Pan ride.

Is it entirely impossible now to enjoy a Disney ride.. anything, really.. without hearing someone crying racism or sexism over something?

 

[mickEblu]

Is it entirely impossible now to enjoy a Disney ride.. anything, really.. without hearing someone crying racism or sexism over something?

I hate that our culture now somehow caters to a minority of whiny but loud people. Mostly because of social media. The question is when did these corporations like Disney get so scared of these people or the ramifications that come with their whining. I guarantee if you polled all riders of all of these Disney attractions that are being changed if they needed to be changed for whatever reason (before any of the virtue signaling announcements) the vast majority would have said “no.”

 

[SplashGhost]

I know I am late to this thread, but this is such a weird decision in so many ways. It is like Disney is going through and changing anything that might one day be deemed "problematic" by DisTwitter. DisTwitter does not at all represent 99.9% of guests.

With modern Disney's track record, we know the changes will be poorly executed at best, and it is weird that Disney is finally doing something new with the Roger Rabbit IP, and this is what we get.

It is astonishing how late 80s Disney was able to make a movie as bold, unique, deep, and innovative as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, when all we get from Disney now (outside Marvel, which has its issues, but at least makes good movies) are soulless and unoriginal "made by committee" monstrosities.

 

[el_super]

Is there ever a Disney decision you don't love and support?

Does it even matter? I could be Josh D'Amaro himself, come down to explain all the nuance in every decision being made and I still doubt you would understand it. Times change, people change, and theme parks change. Better get use to it.

But if you are so concerned with me being a Cast Member, might as well tell me right now what one change would absolutely keep you from coming back. I promise to let Josh know the next time I pass him in the hallway.

I know I am late to this thread, but this is such a weird decision in so many ways. It is like Disney is going through and changing anything that might one day be deemed "problematic" by DisTwitter. DisTwitter does not at all represent 99.9% of guests.

Right now? Probably not. But in 10 or 20 years? They know Twitter skews younger than their primary demographic, so it's important to keep up on the trends and topics on Twitter today, because it's a window on what their primary demographic (young families) will be be thinking when they start making decisions to go to the park with their family.

That's always the crux of it. The people with young families making decisions to go to the park today, will be gone in a decade or so. Their kids will be grown, will have moved out, and they will no longer be making trips to Disneyland anyway.

Disney is being proactive in catering to the younger demographic now, and making sure the park stays relevant for the next generation.

It is astonishing how late 80s Disney was able to make a movie

FWIW, Disney didn't really make Roger Rabbit. They were just the distributor.

 

[Brer_Bear_Is_Number_One]

FWIW, Disney didn't really make Roger Rabbit. They were just the distributor.

Actually Roger Rabbit had few different companies working on it, including Amblin. But it was Disney's project from the get-go when they purchased the film rights from the novel which Roger was based on in 1981.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That's always the crux of it. The people with young families making decisions to go to the park today, will be gone in a decade or so. Their kids will be grown, will have moved out, and they will no longer be making trips to Disneyland anyway.

Disney is being proactive in catering to the younger demographic now, and making sure the park stays relevant for the next generation.

No.