December, 2019:

Where would Furry Fandom be without animation? For that matter, where would the Walt Disney Company be without animation? Strange as it may seem today, that very odd notion was on the table back in the 1980’s… and in his new book Pulling A Rabbit Out Of A Hat: The Making Of Roger Rabbit, author Ross Anderson takes a detailed look at what happened instead. “By the 1980s, animation seemed a dying art. Not even the Walt Disney Company, which had already won over thirty Academy Awards, could stop what appeared to be the end of an animation era. To revitalize popular interest in animation, Disney needed to reach outside its own studio and create the distinctive film that helped usher in a Disney Renaissance. That film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, though expensive and controversial, debuted in theaters to huge success at the box office in 1988. Unique in its conceit of cartoons living in the real world, Who Framed Roger Rabbit magically blended live action and animation, carrying with it a humor that still resonates with audiences. Author Ross Anderson interviewed over 140 artists to tell the story of how they created something truly magical.” The book is available now — and make sure to check out the author’s web site, dedicated to this film and other animation matters.

image c. 2019 University Press of Mississippi