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The locations of Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Follow in the footsteps of Eddie Valiant and Roger Rabbit
Adapted from Gary K. Wolf’s novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? published in 1981, the film, considered part of the Disney studios, mixes animation and shooting. Footage shot from Los Angeles to London.
Acme factories
The Acme factories appear twice. The first when Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye) is killed by a piano and the second when Roger Rabbit and his wife Jessica are kidnapped by the terrible Judge DeMort (Christopher Lloyd) and his weasels. Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) manages to free them in extremis. Bob Hoskins was assisted by Charles Fleischer in his role in front of a toon. The latter, lending his voice to Roger, went to the set, dressed as a rabbit, for Bob to give him the line. The shooting was very trying for the actor. He confided that he had hallucinations two months after the end of this one, during which he saw toons everywhere! Today, the Dimco Buildings warehouses are used as a station for the White City Bus. However, be careful when taking pictures, the buildings around are closely watched.
Address: Dimco Buildings, Shepherd’s Bush, London, UK
London’s guide to the 1000 cult locations for films, series, music, comics and novels
Visit London in a different way through the places of Who Framed Roger Rabbit with the London Fantrippers guide of the 1000 cult places of movies, series, music, comics and novels.
Maroon Cartoon Studio
The Maroon Cartoon Studio is a true institution in Los Angeles. It is in this studio that most of the cartoons are shot, including those interpreted by the famous Roger Rabbit. In our reality it’s Red Studios Hollywood! Successively called Desilu Cahuenga Studio and Ren-Mar Studios, Red Studios Hollywood was built in 1947 on land owned since 1920 by Metro Pictures. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is considered the 34th animated film of the Disney Studios.
Read moreValiant Detective Agency
Eddie Valiant’s detective agency is located here. Roger comes to take refuge there, stalked by the weasels. Unfortunately, this building is now destroyed, just like the “Pacific Electric” building located at 1115, where Dolores (Joanna Cassidy) works. Before Bob Hoskins, Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play Eddie was Harrison Ford. Too expensive for the budget. Bill Murray was also contacted as was Chevy Chase and Robert Redford.
Address: 1130 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
Glendale-Hyperion Bridge
Chased by the weasels, Benny the cabbie, Eddie Valiant and Roger Rabbit find themselves in extremis on the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge. Built in 1927, this bridge is best known for having a small-scale replica at the Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, California. The recipe for the famous “dip”, turpentine, benzene and acetone, is not by chance. These three products are usually used to remove paint stains or, in animation, to erase landscapes or characters.
Address: Atwater Village, Glendale, California, USA
Toonville Tunnel
In Griffith Park is the tunnel that leads to Toonville. It is in front of his entrance that Eddie Valiant stops to load his gun with the Mexican bullets completely “toons”. The tunnel is very familiar to Robert Zemeckis as it is here that several scenes from Back to the Future 2 were shot. In the original novel, Roger Rabbit dies and his ghost asks Eddie Valiant to find his murderer. The film is more watered down to appeal to a younger audience.
Read moreState Cinema
Eddie and Roger hide for a few moments in the State Cinema. During the news, Eddie then has an idea about the guilt of R.K. Maroon in the murder of Marvin Acme. Opened in 1938, this cinema was considered one of the most modern in its time with a capacity of 2,200 people. It has been closed several times and a final attempt was made in 1986 with the opening film Back to the Futureanother film by director Robert Zemeckis. Closed permanently in 1988, the cinema is being renovated to be converted into a pub. The film gave rise to an expression in animation cinema, “Bumping the lamp”. In one scene, Eddie Valiant repeatedly bumps into a chandelier, causing it to swing and diffuse light differently throughout the room, notably to illuminate Roger Rabbit. The presenters had to draw and redraw Roger Rabbit in a way that corresponded to the rapid fluctuations in the lighting of the scene. The team knew that the lack of effect would not bother most spectators, but they were so dedicated to their job that they stuck to it. The expression thus signifies the considerable effort for an aesthetic characteristic that will probably never be raised.
Address: State Cinema, Grays, Essex, England
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Cult! movies: 100 mythical places of cinema [French Edition]
Since the dawn of cinema, films have invaded the world and highlighted sometimes unexpected places. Every film location has its secrets. The latter are sometimes as exciting as the feature films themselves.
Did you know that the cemetery where the final duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was built from scratch and that no body lies there? Or that the bus ofInto The Wild has been moved to discourage fans from spending the night there? From the story of the construction of The Bridge on the River Kwai to the incredible encounter during the shooting of the last scene ofIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeembark on an exciting world tour with the greatest stars of the seventh art. Shiver in the real haunted house ofAmityville and discover the terrifying anecdotes of the making ofApocalypse Now in the Philippines. Visit the building of Blade Runner before stopping at Hogwarts and finally landing in Jurassic Parkin the middle of the Hawaiian archipelago. What if we also took you behind the scenes of the making of the Hobbits’ village of Lord of the Rings ?
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! movies tells the secrets of the places that made the history of cinema.
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By Damien Biju
Passionné par le cinéma, les séries d'animations et les jeux vidéo, il rêve secrètement de voyager à travers le monde à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture à bord d'une Delorean.