Guillermo del Toro has given the animation genre a new shape after his Pinocchio made it big at the Oscars. Netflix presented a stop-motion take on the classic tale and the fans couldn’t stop praising it. Recently we have also seen a surge of popularity among numerous animated films. Sadly, there was a time in the 80s when animation wasn’t a thing for certain stars.
The story traces back to 1988 when the world witnessed Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It presented a beautiful amalgamation of live-action and animation that starred Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and other stars in both live-action as well as voice roles. Initially, the comedy legend Eddie Murphy was also supposed to be a part of the project before dismissing it for all the wrong reasons.
Why did Eddie Murphy turn down Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is still acknowledged for starting the new age of animation. Being a huge hit among the masses, it ensured people’s unending interest in this genre. With its take on complex and mature themes, the preset misconception of “animated projects made only for children” was also removed.
There’s a list of projects that were turned down by Eddie Murphy or eventually missed by the Beverly Hills Cop fame. This includes some of the greatest hits like Ghostbusters, Rush Hour, and Driving Miss Daisy. But probably the most important of them was Who Framed Roger Rabbit which could push Murphy to new levels of popularity.
Reportedly, animation didn’t make any sense to Eddie Murphy when he was offered the 1988 Robert Zemeckis directorial. Speaking about it in an interview in 2003, the actor admitted that he regretted that decision very hard and felt like an idiot thinking about it.
“I was like, ‘What?’. Animation and people sounded like bullsh*t to me. Now every time I see it, I feel like an idiot.”
It can’t be denied that the now 62-year-old Murphy can never get over the guilt of turning down the 1988 film that went on to earn a record-breaking box office figure of over $350 million. On top of that, it also went big at the Academy Awards as the Christopher Lloyd flick took home 4 glorious Academy Awards.
Guillermo del Toro’s love for animation
Recently we have also seen a rising trend in animated projects after several animated flicks proved to be huge blockbusters. The genre saw a major development after the legendary Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio bagged an Academy Award for being the Best Animated Feature of the Year.
Guillermo del Toro is largely known for his love for monsters and horror films. When he tried animation for the first time, the Netflix project turned out to be a successful venture. Not only that but it has also made the Oscar-winning director a fan of the artform. He has admitted that animation was sidelined for a long time but it is a very “mature, expressive, beautiful, complex, art form” and “is ready to be taken to the next step”.
Guillermo del Toro specifically focused on stop-motion animation and his love for it. According to the Shape of Water director, the other forms of animation are either harder or more expensive to pull off. Now it will be looked forward to how the filmmaker explores his love for the genre and what can we expect more from him.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit can be streamed on Disney+ while Pinocchio can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: Independent
