History Trivia / TheRocketeer

* DiedDuringProduction: Dave Stevens' cancer made it difficult for him to do any more comics.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: After the initial adventure in California, and one in New York, Dave Stevens' plan for the third story arc would have had Cliff meeting [[{{Franchise/Superman}} a character]] who was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." This team-up would have taken place [[Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds on Halloween 1938, in Grover's Mill, NJ]]. Cliff Secord meeting Clark Kent would eventually happen under Creator/IDWPublishing but with Clark as a child and Cliff a grown man, making it apparent Superman won't be coming into being for some time.

* DarkhorseCasting: Creator/BillyCampbell's casting caused a stir among Disney execs, who wanted a more A-list lead. Likewise Jennifer Connelly was on the rise but still mostly known for her MsFanservice roles (she wouldn't get a proper breakout until ''Film/RequiemForADream'' nine years later). Creator/TimothyDalton was the biggest name in the cast overall, and he was playing the villain.
* DeletedScene: A scene where Neville Sinclair sends a message to Berlin (coded first on an authentic Enigma machine found for the production) was filmed, but cut due to running time constraints.

* ExecutiveMeddling: [[https://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/15stevens.html Part of the reason the movie didn't perform too well]] -- Disney released the film under their own name as opposed to their adult label Creator/TouchstonePictures, in part [[MerchandiseDriven to sell toys]], and this resulted in things being softened up a bit (mostly Bettie becoming Jenny). Dave Stevens later said "All they were interested in was the name." (Ironically, Disney released the film overseas under the Touchstone name in part to attract the teenage audience they hadn't because of the Disney name being attached.)

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Cliff's girlfriend in the comic is called Betty Page, but Jenny Blake in the film. This is because she was named after pin-up icon Creator/BettiePage - who declined to have her name used in the film.

* StillbornFranchise: There were plans for a trilogy, but they were sadly scrapped because of the lackluster box-office performance; it would be 25 years before plans of a sequel were announced.

** Creator/SherilynFenn, Creator/DianeLane, Creator/KellyPreston and Creator/ElizabethMcGovern were among those considered for Jenny Blake.

** The novelization was based off the film's original screenplay, and included a different opening; FBI agents Fitch and Molloy would be carrying the rocket pack in an armoured car, and would stop when they see a stranded female motorist. They would then be ambushed by a crew of gangsters (the woman would be the leader's girlfriend), most of whom would be killed in an ensuing car chase.
** Eddie Valentine had some backstory cut from the film, which explains why he turns against Neville Sinclair a little better; as a teenager he had lied about his age to fight in World War I, and became a decorated hero.
** The comic adaptation of the film contains a sequence where Eddie Valentine and his men chase The Rocketeer to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The Rocketeer saves a falling woman and lands in wet cement, leaving his footprints outside the theatre. This sequence was in the script but there are differing reports over whether it was filmed or not.

** Billy Campbell, the original actor of Cliff Secord's Film/TheRocketeer, voices Kit's father Dave, who is Cliff's grandson.

* CreatorsFavorite: Creator/NicoleDubuc said that [[https://mobile.twitter.com/NicoleDubuc/status/1320052123401269248 Orsino]] was the first villain she created for the show, hence why she's fond of him. One of the writers, Kendall Michelle Haney, helped created Orsino and Deany, hence why she considers them her favorites.

** Parvesh Chena is known for voicing lovable cowards that help the heroes, such as [[WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots Blades]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{TOTS}} Bodhi]] . Deany isn't that different from them in terms of behavior, but he's an assistant to The Great Orsino, a villain.
** Creator/StephanieLemelin voices the extreme sports hero Xena Treme, who's aloof and vain yet otherwise fairly good, much like many of the characters she voices. She crosses into villain territory when stealing Tesh's bike just so she wouldn't lose.

** Kit's surname was originally Seacort, but was eventually changed to Secord, hinting she could be a descendant to the original Rocketeer [[spoiler:This was eventually confirmed in the episode "Rocketeer Day"; he's her great-grandfather]].
** There are two changed elements in regards to "The Haunted House/Halloween Heist". [[https://mobile.twitter.com/NicoleDubuc/status/1320051156039548929 For the latter]] segment, Lillith would've have had dialogue to express her inner thoughts. For the former, [[https://mobile.twitter.com/NicoleDubuc/status/1320048148132212736 Deany]] went through many costume changes before it was decided he should be a cat.

* PlayingAgainstType: [[spoiler: Creator/TimothyDalton as the comic book big bad Neville Sinclair, especially because, at the time, he was still under contract to play James Bond and was waiting for the legal battle to clear up to do his third Bond film, making it quite a novelty that the James Bond of the time was living it up in a different film as an over the top villain.]]

** The climax takes place at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Observatory Griffith Observatory]], also seen in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', ''Film/TheTerminator'' and the comic book ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' series.

* HeAlsoDid: Nicole Dubuc, the showrunner, has also worked on ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'', ''WesternAnimation/MyFriendsTiggerAndPooh'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'', ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', ''WesternAnimation/MilesFromTomorrowland'', and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

* BadExportForYou: Inverted: The European and Australian DVD releases have superior picture quality to the American DVD.

* ArtisticAge: Kit is 7, according to press releases, but looks like she could be 10 or 11, at the youngest.

** The film was originally supposed to be preceded in theaters by a ''[[WesternAnimation/RogerRabbitShorts Roger Rabbit]]'' cartoon called ''Hare in My Soup'', but the ''Roger'' shorts were discontinued after the third one.

* ApprovalOfGod: Bill Campbell guest hosted several episodes of this film's ''Movie's By Minute'' podcast.

* DarkhorseCasting: Bill Campbell's casting caused a stir among Disney execs, who wanted a more A-list lead. Likewise Jennifer Connelly was on the rise but still mostly known for her MsFanservice roles (she wouldn't get a proper breakout until ''Film/RequiemForADream'' nine years later). Creator/TimothyDalton was the biggest name in the cast overall, and he was playing the villain.

* DyeingForYourArt: Bill Campbell got a haircut to look how Cliff does in the comic before his audition, which helped him get the part.
* FollowTheLeader: This was one of a number of films with an old school art deco noir-esque style following the huge success of Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/Batman1989''.
* TheForeignSubtitle:
** Mexico: ''Rocketeer: Rocket Man''

* DarkHorseCasting: Bill Campbell's casting caused a stir among Disney execs, who wanted a more A-list lead. Likewise Jennifer Connelly was on the rise but still mostly known for her MsFanservice roles (she wouldn't get a proper breakout until ''Film/RequiemForADream'' nine years later). Timothy Dalton was the biggest name in the cast overall, and he was playing the villain.

* ProductionPosse: From ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'', writer Creator/NicoleDubuc works together again with Creator/MauriceLaMarche, Creator/DCDouglas, Parvesh Cheena, Creator/RobbieDaymond, Creator/EricBauza , and Creator/SteveBlum.

** Sinclair lives in [[http://www.ennishouse.org/ Ennis House]], a Frank Lloyd Wright house in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles that's also seen in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and the ''Film/HouseOnHauntedHill1999'' remake.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Dave Stevens' cancer made it difficult for him to do any more comics.

** Creator/DianeLane, Creator/KellyPreston and Creator/ElizabethMcGovern were among those considered for Jenny Blake.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: After the initial adventure in California, and one in New York, Dave Stevens' plan for the third story arc would have had Cliff meeting [[{{Franchise/Superman}} a character]] who was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound." This team-up would have taken place [[Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds on Halloween 1938, in Grover's Mill, NJ]]. Cliff Secord and meeting Clark Kent would eventually happen under Creator/IDWPublishing but with Clark as a child and Cliff a grown man, making it apparent Superman won't be coming into being for some time.

* TooGoodToLast: Despite decent critic reviews, the show was a victim of poor ratings and awkward scheduling, leading to it getting the axe after its initial season.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Kit's surname was originally Seacort, but was eventually changed to Secord, hinting she could be a descendant to the original Rocketeer [[spoiler:This was eventually confirmed in the episode "Rocketeer Day"; he's her great-grandfather]].

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Unlike most Disney Junior shows, this one wasn't renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere, basically signaling that Disney probably didn't have much faith in it. While series producer Nicole Dobuc has denied the rumor that the show was cancelled after one season, the fact it moved to the 24/7 Disney Junior channel to burn off the rest of the episodes, leading to the OutOfHolidayEpisode conundrum seen above, isn't really sending any good signs of this show being renewed.