Who Framed Roger RabbitI believe it was Donald O'Connor who said, "make'em laugh"...or was that Donald Duck? Movies have always had a special relationship with cartoons, the likes of Porky Pig and Betty Boop preceding films of the Golden Age of Hollywood, characters like Mickey Mouse recognized the world over, as popular as legends like Cary Grant and Barbara Stanwyck--more even. The key difference is, of course, that cartoons are not flesh and blood--they are paint and ink--and are not alive. Who Framed Roger Rabbit draws the story a little differently, presenting a Forties-era Los Angeles where people and "toons" walk side by side.
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Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a unique film for many reasons. First, it is a landmark hybrid of live action and animation, blended seamlessly into the tale, giving the movie a magical charm, as though the idea that cartoons could live in our world was possible. The success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit would inspire a flock of followers (and varying degrees of imitators) as well as rejuvenating interest in serious animated features going forward. The film is also novel for being a fascinating cross between slapstick comedy and a detective story in the film noir style. In fact, after the tepid response for the the follow up to Chinatown--A Tale of Two Jakes--the idea for a third (and final) piece of this would-be trilogy was scrapped. Much of that story--notably the real estate land-grab and the "Cloverleaf" conspiracy is integrated into this film. Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is a gumshoe drinking his sorrow over the murder of his partner and brother at the hands of an evil toon, leaving him with a sour disposition toward those of the animated persuasion. His recruitment into the story--and into the conspiracy to follow--is eerily similar to other film noir tales, only this one has cameos by the likes of Yosemite Sam and Droopy instead of character actors like Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. What is fascinating about Who Framed Roger Rabbit is how the Hollywood of the film is self-aware and yet exists in a fantasy world, an alternate reality version of 1947--it is the Hollywood of the movies, where concepts like "freeways" are foreign, and toons are integrated into society, albeit with a bit of a social stigma. It is not so far to even interpret some kind of civil rights commentary in the portrayal of toons in the film. Even the city itself resembles a Hollywood set, so artificiality is simply the way of the world in this film. So what makes a toon any less real? Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd)--who is absolutely, positively not the villain, with a name like that--is the cold-hearted administer of justice for toons who go rogue--or any toons in his way--with his brand of turpentine, benzine, etc, affectionately called "Dip". While the Los Angeles of the film is already paved and modernized, Doom sees a future where everything is industrialized, and the frivolities of toons and their inefficiency are eradicated. One might say that his Dip is a toxic by-product of his grand designs, adding a layer of an ecological hazard in his pursuit to eliminate all that is funny and human.
The star of the show--introduced with aplomb via an animated short prior to the film proper in that time-honored tradition--is the eponymous Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer), a star in the employ of animation mogul, R.K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern). Roger is zany and not only unafraid to take a bash on the head with an anvil, he is enthusiastic, especially when rewarded with laughs. His brand of wild, screwball antics put him more firmly in the Warner Bros. camp of cartoon characters, although his voluptuous wife, Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner) could best be described as the Disney princess who doesn't get invited to Christmas dinner. Like all good detective stories, the truth isn't what it seems to be at first, and the plot thickens when someone gets bumped off, and the wacky rabbit gets hung out to dry. What is interesting about the tone of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is that while it is a detective story, it remains fairly optimistic in contrast with the persistent cynicism which always seems to accompany film noir, even though its plot and style would make them appear as brothers--only this one wears a clown nose to the family portrait. It's funny to think of Who Framed Roger Rabbit as a PG movie; not because there is a significant amount of objectionable content--although Jessica Rabbit might cause a few young men to hip-hop a few paces closer in maturity--but because the film has a kind of unnerving quality to it, especially where the threat of death at the hands of a demented toon suddenly becomes a perceivable one. Hearing the antagonist screech with his high-pitched squeal, his hand turning effortlessly into a vicious buzzsaw aimed at Eddie is a frightening image. The film remains tense in spite of the presence of cartoons running amok. Just as the idea of a Tom and Jerry-esque take on The Big Sleep seems both anachronistic and yet somehow in keeping with the spirit of those animated satires, so too does Who Frames Roger Rabbit occupy a similar position in cinema history. While the film marked a breakthrough for animation and the combination with live action, it is a movie which does not pander to a specific demographic; it might be said that it panders to film buffs and animation enthusiasts, it being such a send up to both. It is hard to envision a movie like Who Framed Roger Rabbit being made the same way today, with its suggestive and scary bits alongside its slapstick and mystery, but its the unique combination of all of these colors which gives the film a palette all its own.
Recommended for: Fans of animation and detective stories, working side by side in the Golden Age of Hollywood. There's plenty of mystery and even suspense, as well as lots and lots of inside jokes and familiar faces from Saturday morning cartoons popping up to make a cameo, as if they belonged in our world all the time.
The star of the show--introduced with aplomb via an animated short prior to the film proper in that time-honored tradition--is the eponymous Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer), a star in the employ of animation mogul, R.K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern). Roger is zany and not only unafraid to take a bash on the head with an anvil, he is enthusiastic, especially when rewarded with laughs. His brand of wild, screwball antics put him more firmly in the Warner Bros. camp of cartoon characters, although his voluptuous wife, Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner) could best be described as the Disney princess who doesn't get invited to Christmas dinner. Like all good detective stories, the truth isn't what it seems to be at first, and the plot thickens when someone gets bumped off, and the wacky rabbit gets hung out to dry. What is interesting about the tone of Who Framed Roger Rabbit is that while it is a detective story, it remains fairly optimistic in contrast with the persistent cynicism which always seems to accompany film noir, even though its plot and style would make them appear as brothers--only this one wears a clown nose to the family portrait. It's funny to think of Who Framed Roger Rabbit as a PG movie; not because there is a significant amount of objectionable content--although Jessica Rabbit might cause a few young men to hip-hop a few paces closer in maturity--but because the film has a kind of unnerving quality to it, especially where the threat of death at the hands of a demented toon suddenly becomes a perceivable one. Hearing the antagonist screech with his high-pitched squeal, his hand turning effortlessly into a vicious buzzsaw aimed at Eddie is a frightening image. The film remains tense in spite of the presence of cartoons running amok. Just as the idea of a Tom and Jerry-esque take on The Big Sleep seems both anachronistic and yet somehow in keeping with the spirit of those animated satires, so too does Who Frames Roger Rabbit occupy a similar position in cinema history. While the film marked a breakthrough for animation and the combination with live action, it is a movie which does not pander to a specific demographic; it might be said that it panders to film buffs and animation enthusiasts, it being such a send up to both. It is hard to envision a movie like Who Framed Roger Rabbit being made the same way today, with its suggestive and scary bits alongside its slapstick and mystery, but its the unique combination of all of these colors which gives the film a palette all its own.
Recommended for: Fans of animation and detective stories, working side by side in the Golden Age of Hollywood. There's plenty of mystery and even suspense, as well as lots and lots of inside jokes and familiar faces from Saturday morning cartoons popping up to make a cameo, as if they belonged in our world all the time.