The Rocketeer (film)

1991 film by Joe Johnston

The visual effects were designed and created by George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) with Ken Ralston (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Sony Pictures Imageworks founder) serving as the VFX supervisor. Rocketeer director Joe Johnston previously worked at ILM, including on the Star Wars trilogy and Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Rocketeer's attack on the Nazi Zeppelin was filmed in four months near Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Valencia, California, through pick ups. The soundtrack was released by Hollywood Records and features nearly an hour of music with eight tracks of score and two vocal tracks performed by actress and singer Melora Hardin. An expanded edition was issued in 2016 by Intrada Records. The two songs were arranged by Billy May, who had collaborated with Horner several times in the past.

To promote The Rocketeer, Disney made tie in endorsements with Pizza Hut and M&M's/Mars candies. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded The Rocketeer Video Game as its "Worst Movie to Game" of 1992. The studio spent a further $19 million on TV advertising alone. A television special documentary, The Rocketeer: Excitement in the Air, was broadcast on the Disney Channel in June 1991. That month, a young adult novelization written by Peter David was published by Bantam Books, and a similar novelization by Ron Fontes, for younger readers, was published by Scholastic Books for Disney Press. The Rocketeer was premiered at the 1,100 seat El Capitan Theatre on June 19, 1991. This was the first premiere to take place at the El Capitan in more than two years, after a restoration project by Disney.

The home video in 1992 on LaserDisc, VHS, and Beta earned an additional $23.18 million in rentals. The musical score, compiled and produced by James Horner, was released in both audio cassette and CD variants. The Rocketeer was released on Region 1 DVD by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in August 1999. No special features were included on the later DVD release, although the 1992 LaserDisc (#1239 as) has the original theatrical trailer. A 20th Anniversary Edition Blu ray Disc was released on December 13, 2011.

A TV series based on the film premiered on Disney Junior on November 8, 2019. It focuses on Kit Secord, the seven year old great granddaughter of Cliff who receives the rocket and becomes the new Rocketeer. Despite positive reviews, the series was cancelled after one season. The series features numerous references to the film. Billy Campbell, who portrayed Cliff Secord, voices Kit's father Dave in the series. Cliff is seen throughout the series via flashback where it is established that he acted as the Rocketeer in the past. However the series retcons the setting of Los Angeles to the fictional Hughesville, in reference to Howard Hughes, and to give the series a more childlike innocence. In the episode "Scarlett's Search", Cliff's plane is found which features a photo of Jenny Blake, his love interest from the film. The episode "Rocketeer Day" features a recreation of the climax of the film, and Kit mentions the Rocketeer's battle with Lothar.

From the beginning of the process of making The Rocketeer, creator Dave Stevens and screenwriters Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo envisioned it as the first entry of a trilogy. However, with the disappointing box office performance, plans for a sequel were halted in July 1991. Campbell reflected in 2008, "[Unfortunately] the movie didn't make as much money as Disney had hoped. And that coupled with the acrimonious relationship that the director [Joe Johnston] and the studio had, contributed to them not even considering it". Although the calls for a sequel remain unrequited, as with many films of this genre, the film has a cult following The original Dave Stevens comics and the movie memorabilia retained demand. In addition, Johnston's work on this film led to him being hired 20 years later to direct another period superhero film, Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011.

as of 2012, Disney was reported to be developing a remake of The Rocketeer. Saw series creator James Wan has talked about directing the film. In July 2016, Walt Disney Pictures confirmed a reboot titled The Rocketeers, written by Max Winkler and Matt Spicer. It was set to be produced by Brigham Taylor, Blake Griffin of the Brooklyn Nets, and Ryan Kalil of the Carolina Panthers. Reportedly a "reboot sequel" takes place six years after the original film, with a black female pilot in the lead role. The lead takes on the mantle of The Rocketeer after Cliff Secord has gone missing while fighting the Nazis. The new Rocketeer goes on a mission to stop a corrupt scientist from stealing rocket pack technology and shifting the power balance of the Cold War. Peter Ramsey expressed interest in directing and suggested several other directors like Gina Prince Bythewood, Darnell Martin, and Amma Asante. In April 2016, Taylor confirmed it as a sequel. By January 2020, it was announced that Azia Squire had written a new draft. J. D. Dillard was set to direct. In November 2022, Dillard announced that he was no longer attached to direct, as he wanted to take "a breather from period aviation" after having made Devotion.