Director Rob Minkoff and his team meet the challenge
of matching the great start of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Mother (April Winchell)
once again leaves Roger (Charles Fleischer) to watch Baby Herman (Winchell as a
baby, Lou Hirsch as the Adult), who immediately swallows his favorite rattle. Roger
hurries him to the hospital (“St. Nowhere”) and chaos begins.
Charles Solomon said in his review, “The animators use
Roger as a rubbery physical comic. His eyes swell to the size of kettle drums
when he is surprised, and his nose, tail, ears and tongue stretch with the
Silly Putty elasticity of Daffy Duck in Bob Clampett’s wilder “Looney Tunes.””
Solomon continued, “But Roger’s personality is closer
to that of the monumentally inept Wile E. Coyote of Chuck Jones. His misplaced
faith in his ability to solve any problem makes him the architect of his own
defeat.”
At the end of the short, Roger and Baby Herman walk
off a live-action set, repeating the story of the what we just saw. That trait
works nicely, however the cartoon would be complete without it.
“Tummy Trouble” is the first Disney animates short
that was released after almost 25 years. Solomon noted, “Its manic pace and
slapstick humor burst with the zaniness of the Warner Bros. cartoons and Tex
Avery’s MGM shorts, rather than Disney’s more restrained “Silly Symphonies.””
For decades, animators and fans have requested that short
films that were once the support of the American animation company return.
Solomon mentioned, “As audiences rediscover the pleasures of watching a cartoon
before a feature, instead of a Coca-Cola commercial, they may start demanding
them.”
Disney animators immediately started working on the
second Roger Rabbit short, “Roller Coaster Rabbit.” “Tummy Trouble” was a tough
short to follow.
If you are a fan of Roger Rabbit and loved “Who Framed
Roger Rabbit,” then you should see this short. It’s available on Disney+, so
you can easily sit through this one. You will love it and laugh throughout; I
can assure you that.
Tomorrow I will be looking at the next “Roger Rabbit”
short, “Roller Coaster Rabbit,” in the continuation of “Disney Month 2025.”
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