What’s a “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” sequel without Jessica Rabbit?
The film’s director, Robert Zemeckis, shared his thoughts on a possible follow-up to the 1988 classic that featured the sexy and flirty animated wife of Roger Rabbit donned in her iconic red dress that highlighted her hourglass figure.
While on the Oct. 30 episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Zemeckis, 72, shared that the current Disney would never make a “Roger Rabbit 2” with Jessica Rabbit in it, adding that times have changed.
“There’s a good script sitting at Disney,” Zemeckis said while disclosing that the movie’s original screenwriters, Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, already wrote a follow-up film.
“The current Disney would never make Roger Rabbit today. They can’t make a movie with Jessica [Rabbit] in it,” he said.
Zemeckis claimed Disney would never go there again, pointing out that the company covered her body up for the Disneyland ride Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin ride in 2021 — an update that angered fans.
“Look what they did to Jessica at the theme park,” he said on the podcast. “They trussed her up in a trench coat.”
Disney also gave her a new storyline for the ride — making her a private investigator wearing a trench coat over her iconic red outfit.
“Wait wait wait??? Did they get rid of my girl or is she getting cleaned up and coming back?” one person commented on a post highlighting the update.
“Okay who the heck complained about THIS?!?” wrote another.
“Walt Disney never made any of his movies for children. He always made them for adults,” Zemeckis explained, adding he was “terrified” the first time they played the film for kids.
However, his concerns quickly diminished as he noted the children were “riveted” by “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
“I think the thing that Walt Disney never did was he never talked down to the children in his movies. He treated the kids like they were adults,” Zemeckis shared.
The sultry cartoon character became an instant classic for both kids and adults — and remains one of the most famous Halloween costumes still to this day. The movie was a box office smash, making over $350 million worldwide.
The film was a unique blend of comedy and noir, set in a Hollywood where cartoons and humans coexist. The plot delved into murder, adultery, blackmail, and a range of other adult topics, making it a standout in the film industry.
Kathleen Turner voiced Jessica Rabbit. However, Amy Irving, who was married to Steven Spielberg from 1985 to 1989, brought her sensational singing voice to audiences.
The Post reached out to Disney and Turner’s rep for comment.
