Who Framed Roger Rabbit Review

I will continue to mention this because Spielberg was everywhere in the 80s. With some of the popular films at that time, he always had his name and production company associated that there was an expectation that it would be good. Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of them. Loosely based on the book Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary K. Wolf, the film is a gamechanger that affected generations after. 

1. Story

        You might think this would be a spoof to the old film noir movies of the past. Since it involves a murder, a deceptively attractive woman, and a nefarious real estate plot. Well, it’s partially that.  We follow private investigator Eddie Valiant, a disgruntled detective who is tasked to investigate a murder. The twist here obviously is that the real world interacts with the cartoons.

        Eddie harbors a resentment to them, since one of them killed his brother. Ultimately, he has to help a washed-out cartoon character named Roger, who was framed in a murder of the owner of Toonworld. A bordered off place where most of animation lives, or the ones that Disney had to pay Warner Bros. and Universal. I’m serious, Disney paid 1000 dollars for each character to make an appearance. 

        What I like about this movie is that it’s played straight. That’s the key thing as to why this film works 30 years later. There’s an obvious divide between the real world and the animated world. While yes, the cartoons do interact with the humans, but they only keep it within a boundary. Such as being in a movie production or in a speakeasy. The character’s bodies react as a cartoon, such as Valiant kicking one of the Weasels in the groin which causes it to fly.

        It’s such a simple thing and Valliant really solidifies that idea. It’s established that he and his brother used to be clowns. Only when the time arrives, does he become animated in the only way he knows. I really like the moments involving him and Roger. Roger doesn’t get annoyingly grating, he mostly is just funny since that’s his character. The moment when he gets concerned is when Eddie opens up about his hatred for cartoons. 

        Judge Doom is the main villain, well with a last name like that one would have the benefit of a doubt. His intentions are clear since he wants to get rid of Toontown to construct a new road. I bring this up because that situation did indeed happen. To make it simple, GM was accused of wanting to phase out the railcars in favor of roads where cars can drive. The point is, a great villain’s plan isn’t to conquer the road, but to exploit land for real estate purposes.

2. Animation

        As I mentioned earlier in the opening, the film was groundbreaking. Now this wasn’t the first time that animation had appeared in a live action production. Back in Walt Disney’s early years, he produced an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. It was groundbreaking since it experimented with animation and live-action. Years later, many other Disney films like Mary Poppins and Pete’s Dragon did utilize the same method, albeit in varying degrees. 

        Just to wrap up the history lesson, Warner Bros. and MGM did do the same thing in some of their films, including the former since they are credited with creating the first sound cartoon. Anyways, the animation in the film still holds up. It has that distinct smooth animation, especially in the beginning when we see the animated short. 

        Most of the work was overseen by animator Richard Williams. This is considered his best work due to the level of technical details that is contained in it. Having seen bits of his other work, he has an extreme attention to detail. There’s never a moment where the animation looks half-assed. The care and attention of the style is shown, especially when the Weasels wield actual colt pistols. 

        There is this one scene where it rightly deserved to win an Academy Award. When Eddie is hiding Roger and his girlfriend questions him. They hit the lamp and it sways. Seeing Roger’s body react to the brightness and dimming of the light must’ve been a nightmare to animate. Also, the moment when some characters share the screen time. It’s strange to see Bugs and Mickey share equal time. In fact, it was requested that both of them share the same amount of time they appear. 

        I almost forgot to mention the one of the most attractive female characters ever animated, Jessica Rabbit. Lord have mercy, her look reminds me of actress Rita Hayworth. For awhile, she was setup to be a femme fatale in the movie. Although, that’s subverted when it’s clear that she’s in a relationship with Roger. Just her whole body is unrealistic, and I read that it was made intentional since the filmmakers didn’t want anyone to guess who was the reference actor.

3. Legacy

        The film was successful and was one of the highest grossing movies in its time of release. I think it prompted Disney to prioritize their animation. Now, there were some animated movies that were coming out before Roger Rabbit, but they weren’t money makers at the time. That period is called the Dark Age in Disney. At that time, they had competition from one of their own animators named Don Bluth.

        Roger Rabbit’s success made animation popular again. Since it included a slate of cartoon characters from the past that gained exposure to a new audience, I think it prompted Ted Turner to create a channel we know now. Now I don’t have the evidence on me, but I think the creation of Cartoon Network was a product of the movie. I say that because the channel was mostly airing reruns of classic Looney Tunes and MGM cartoons before they came out with original content. 

        And with most things, there were the copycats. You had films like the Space Jam films, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and last years Tom and Jerry that attempted the mixture of animation and live action. Most of them were duds, especially the Space Jam sequel since it lacked the thing that made Roger Rabbit successful. It had to have the heart, a love for the material where the care and attention is there. And the balance between the real world and the cartoon characters’ schtick.

4. Overall

        Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of the best movies that utilized two different styles. It’s never abrupt or conflicting. I would say that it still holds up, as timeless as the cartoons that appear.