Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit Movie Review
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 live-action/animated fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. It’s an absolute classic.
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“I’m not bad.
I’m just drawn that way“
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In 1947 Hollywood where cartoon characters and people co-exist, it follows Eddie Valiant, a private detective who must exonerate “toon” Roger Rabbit, who is accused of murdering a wealthy businessman. That’s the basic premise of this twisty and unique film which is entertaining to watch from start to finish.
There have been quite a number of live-action/animated hybrid movies before and after, but nothing has ever come close to the level of this film’s polish and genius. This is by far the greatest hybrid flick ever produced, and it will probably stay at that top position for a long time to come.
Why is that? Well, for one the mixing of the two mediums is simply perfectly achieved here. I never at once questioned humans and toons interacting together for real as the mixing is so well done thanks to amazing effects and a great eye for detail. Both mediums work in unison here, and we get many scenes mostly set in live-action and mostly in animation, but when they are mixed, I’ve had the biggest blast.
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Let’s first talk about this animation. It’s brilliant. It perfectly evokes the classic nature of those timeless cartoons of the 30s to 50s period owing to tremendous character designs and a polished, colorful nature to it. It looks nostalgic, endearing and immensely satisfactory in every possible way.
But the live-action part ain’t shabby itself. On the contrary, this is where the movie contrasted the familial cartoon side with a truly atmospheric, adult tone. I am of course talking about its terrific neo-noir approach and execution which is so great that it might be the best neo-noir film out there unexpectedly so.
I loved the darker look to the film contrasted so well with the brighter cartoon part of the story. And it’s simply incredibly dark as a story too with that one sequence with a toon being tortured and murdered being chilling to the bone. That scene always gets to me emotionally and it fucks me up in a way that I could never expect from such a film.
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Let’s finally talk about each and every character here. Eddie Valiant is your typical grouchy, overly serious noir type guy with a very sad backstory that made him so angry and empty. I found that backstory the most emotional part of the film and it really worked both in emotion and characterization. Bob Hoskins was phenomenal in the role too and perfectly cast.
Christopher Lloyd is so damn good as the maniacal, crazy, over-the-top villain Judge Doom. He’s the best kind of cartoony villain who really makes an impact on the story, he’s genuinely creepy and capable of bringing it, and I really appreciated that about him.
But the toons themselves are also absolutely awesome. Roger Rabbit himself is your standard classic cartoon character with his energetic persona and lispy speaking. He’s not only very endearing, but also funny at times with his obsession with his girlfriend and his many fears. The relationship between Eddie and himself is just great and wonderful in every way.
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As for Jessica Rabbit, I was amused by the two’s romance as she seemed to genuinely care for the rabbit. That romance made the movie hilarious and just iconic. Even though I prefer the central relationship between Roger and Eddie, I still loved the interactions between these two, even though they were fewer in screen time. She is not only ridiculously sexy, but a genuinely cool and likable character which was also important.
The film is famous for featuring a bunch of iconic Warner Bros. as well as Disney classic characters. The sequence between Daffy Duck and Donald Duck is so funny while the scene with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny steals the show how funny and perfectly in-character it is both in voices and catchphrases. I also loved seeing Betty Boop, she was so cute. Tweety is hilarious per usual. And Pinocchio, Dumbo, Three Little Pigs and so on and so forth… It was just lovely seeing all of them here, and the references to ACME Corporation I found brilliant and it was well woven into the story too.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit not only looks great, but it sounds amazing too with a terrific score and awesome sound effects – cartoony and fun. The film has a perfect runtime for its story, and it’s so engaging throughout that it flies by. The dialogue is fantastic, the sexual/violent nature to the film made it suitable for adults while the cartoony side is perfect for kids and animation enthusiasts. The humor’s great too, and it’s simply a hugely iconic, memorable movie.
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit not only has iconic characters in Roger Rabbit, Eddie Valiant and Jessica Rabbit, but their relationships are so well established too. The film is fun in its cartoon sequences, but genuinely atmospheric, noirish and dark in the live-action department. The score is great, the animation’s brilliant, the story is very intriguing, and the twist is so memorable whereas some moments here are incredibly dark. The villain is genuinely creepy and competent while the world building is stupendous. It’s by far the greatest live-action/animated hybrid ever produced thanks to perfect, never trumped mixing of the two mediums. It serves as a wonderful homage to the Golden Age of Animation and it remains a timeless classic that only gets better as time goes by.
