Who Framed Roger Rabbit Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Year: 1988
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Country: US
Language: English

Since the 1940's there have been films which blend live-action and animated elements, typically both interacting with each other. The 1940 Warner Bros. cartoon You Ought to Be in Pictures, directed by Friz Freleng, brought this trend to the mainstream and Anchors Aweigh (1945), in which Gene Kelly dances with an animated Jerry Mouse, set the bar in terms of quality and had many imitators. For me, the best example of this...style? genre? was Who Framed Roger Rabbit

'Toon star Roger Rabbit is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) to snoop on her. The stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a remarkable film; not only because it blends live action and animation, but also because it is a mixture of genres & styles which appeals to both child and adult alike. When I viewed this picture as a child I missed a lot of jokes, as well as Valiant's creeping alcoholism, but as an adult more of the story is visible to me. In retrospect, it shouldn't be that shocking that a guy named "Judge Doom", who is seen harming toons, is the bad guy of the story.

 Director Robert Zemeckis allows us to believe (at least for 90 minutes) that "toons" exist, and that they are capable of interacting with 3-dimensional human beings. For this movie, animation director Richard Williams set out to break three rules that previously were conventions for combining live-action and animation: first, move the camera as much as possible so the Toons don't look pasted on flat backgrounds; second, use lighting and shadows to an extreme that was never before attempted; third, have the Toons interact with real-world objects and people as much as possible. It was a big risk and an incredible gamble, but it eventually paid off despite initially costing $70 million to make.

Even 20+ years after its theatrical debut, the "advanced" 1988 special effects still look remarkable.  Virtually every major cartoon character of the late 1940s shows up, with the exceptions of Felix the Cat and Popeye the Sailor, whose licensees couldn't come to terms with the producer. I couldn't image how difficult post-production should have been. Considering Bob Hoskins wasn't actually interacting with anybody on stage, his acting ability is really impressive. Roger Rabbit is very funny as well. "They're playing patty cake!?" Praise it! 4/5