Jul 13, 2022

See how computer animation was used more than 30 years ago to produce "Rollercoaster Rabbit

Matt Jones' Youtube channel "Shot, Drawn & Cut" has re-released a very late 1980s behind-the-scenes video detailing the making of Roger Rabbit's short film "Roller Coaster Rabbit," produced for the 1990 live action film "Dick Tracy." Rare behind-the-scenes video has been re-released.

The eight-minute short was one of the earliest projects produced at Disney's short-lived animation studio in Orlando, Florida, located in the Disney MGM Studios theme park (later renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios). The studio is known for allowing visitors to walk through an overhead breezeway and observe the animation process below. In the video, visitors' feet can even be seen passing out the window while the artists work.

The 25-minute video includes effects animation, background and character animation, painting, checking, Xeroxing, camera work, editing, sound and music, and perhaps most interesting to viewers in 2022, the Roller Coaster Rabbit team Included is a segment on the early applications of computer animation used for the coaster's tracks, cars, and sinister-looking darts. There is also a surprising focus on the technical process, which is often overlooked in such making-of films.

For those interested in learning more about Walt Disney Animation Florida, a new book will be released this December called Disney Animation Renaissance: Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio Behind the Glass at the Florida Studio. The book was written by the late Mary Lesher, a former Florida Studio employee who was featured in the making-of video for Roller Coaster Rabbit.