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Rating: 5 out of 5
One movie that easily breaks into my top five of all-time favorite movies is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This film is epic in my eyes, and the film which started a new and exciting era for Disney. The film was a monster hit for Disney which sparked the Silver Age of American animation and the Disney Renaissance. I don’t think there would be a Disney Renaissance without this film. This film helped spark new films and ideas for Disneyland. Toontown was created based on this film, which is where the Roger Rabbit ride currently resides. The film is also the first and only film where Mickey Mouse and Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny appear on the screen at the same time. Many Disney and Warner Bros cartoon characters grace the screen together. It might never happen again, but Disney pulled it off.
Dropping on the world in 1988 and directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, the film is based on the 1981 novel, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf. In an alternative world, Toons live among humans in 1947 Los Angeles. Where else would you have toons living than sunny ass Los Angeles. Roger Rabbit is a mid-level toon who seems to not be able to get his birds right. Eddie Valiant (Hoskins), a private detective, was once a staunch ally to toons, but when his brother was killed by one, he turned to the bottle and didn’t trust any toons. Eddie is contacted and hired by R.K. Maroon, owner of Maroon Cartoon Studios, to investigate Roger’s toon wife Jessica and if the rumors are true if she is having an affair with Marvin Acme, owner of both the Acme Corporation and Toontown. After watching Jessica perform at the Ink and Paint Club, Eddie secretly photographs her and Acme playing patty-cake. He shows the pictures to Roger, who becomes distraught and flees in tears. The next day, Acme is found murdered by having a safe dropped on him. Quite ironic. All evidence points to Roger being the culprit. Eddie meets the sinister and stone-faced Judge Doom (Lloyd) and his Toon Patrol made up of five weasels who are after Roger. They plan to execute Roger with the deadly and infamous, the Dip. When Eddie returns to his office, he finds Roger waiting and hiding out. Roger insists he was framed, and Eddie must find a way to prove that Roger was set up. Who would want to frame a rabbit?
This film is one of the best comedy movies of all time. The film is beyond innovative and entertaining. This was the first film where I saw cartoon characters and live-action together, and it worked perfectly. It was innovative because the cartoon characters would touch objects, and they would move. The whole piano scene where Donald and Daffy fight shows them touching the keys, but you know they are not real. It was remarkable what Disney did as it showed that the company could be innovative with its storytelling. Thinking about it, Steven Spielberg was involved in this film. What better person than Spielberg? You want to talk about innovation with films, he is the best bet. It is legendary because Mickey and the Disney crew are on the same screen with Bugs and the Warner Bros crew. I read they each needed the same amount of screen time to work.
Let’s talk about the story. Even though it is a comedy and cartoon film, it is also a murder mystery where a Toon has killed a prominent human. You have Eddie, who somewhat hates Toons because his brother was killed by one five years ago, teaming up with a Toon to prove that he was innocent. What I love about the story is that it blends comedy and mystery together. You have a big shot while having an affair and suddenly die with a safe falling on them. How many cartoons have we seen where the safe falls on a character. You listen to Roger, who says that Toons cannot harm humans. A fact that is questioned by Toon Patrol. You wonder if Roger did it or not because everything is stacked against him.
While it is a murder mystery, the film is entertaining with comedy aspects. Like I said earlier, the fight between Donald and Daffy is iconic. That is only the star. There are jokes in the film that will make you laugh at every turn. Every little hit and joke that you saw as a kid will make sense now that you are an adult. Hell, the film even starts with the whole Tom and Jerry vibe. The mom leaves Roger in charge of the baby, and the second she dips out, all hell breaks loose. All the funny scenes seem to be annoying Eddie. The whole scene with Roger being locked in the bar and he says once you make someone laugh, they are on your side, which happens, but we also see Roger having a drink, which is hilarious.
I want to say, and this is probably like most boys or men, Jessica Rabbit was my sexual awakening and has screwed me up for a lifetime. When Eddie first talks about her and goes to the club, all the men are like howling wolves. You wonder what the big deal with a rabbit was. When she first stepped out, my gawd, did the Earth stop spinning. Jessica Rabbit is FOINE, and her hair over the eye screwed me up for years to come. I must give Kathleen Turner her due because she was the perfect voice for her, and her iconic line tells it all about her. It is one of the best lines ever made.
For the two main human stars, I have to give it up for Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. With Hoskins, I don’t know if this movie would’ve worked without him. He was the perfect type of grumpy and annoyance needed in the film to counter Roger’s wild and crazy ways. I like the progression of his character, from a man who disliked Toons to someone who wanted to help Roger and ensure all the toons were safe. His song and dance were priceless.
Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom was excellent. I remember Lloyd as Doc from Back to the Future. How can you be afraid of Doc? When I saw this film, I was a little terrified of Lloyd. He had such a stone face, and he looked like the Grim Reaper. He was straight-up mean and terrifying. I didn’t want any part of him when he took that toon shoe and gave it the dip. That twist ending made me look at Lloyd in a different way.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is one of the best and most iconic films. The story is on point, with a blend of comedy and mystery. The actors are great, from Hoskins and Lloyd to Turner, who made every man’s dream come true by voicing the iconic Jessica Rabbit. Disney created a film that brought them to the forefront of moviemaking and set off the iconic Disney Renaissance. Watch this film and love every minute of it.
BONUS CLIP!!!
