Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Gary K. Wolf (novel)
Jeffrey Price (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Crime | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

It's the story of a man, a woman, and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble.

Plot:

A toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.

Plot Keywords:

Rabbit | Detective | Roger Rabbit | Murder | Maroon Cartoon

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Bob Hoskins	...	Eddie Valiant
Christopher Lloyd	...	Judge Doom
Joanna Cassidy	...	Dolores
Charles Fleischer	...	Roger Rabbit / Benny The Cab / Greasy / Psycho (voice)
Stubby Kaye	...	Marvin Acme
Alan Tilvern	...	R.K. Maroon
Richard LeParmentier	...	Lt. Santino (as Richard Le Parmentier)
Lou Hirsch	...	Baby Herman (voice)
Betsy Brantley	...	Jessica's Performance Model
Joel Silver	...	Raoul
Paul Springer	...	Augie
Richard Ridings	...	Angelo
Edwin Craig	...	Arthritic Cowboy
Lindsay Holiday	...	Soldier
Mike Edmonds	...	Stretch

Also Known As:

Dead Toons Don't Pay Bills (USA) (working title)
Murder in Toontown (USA) (working title)
The Toontown Trial (USA) (working title)
Toons (USA) (working title)
Trouble in Toontown (USA) (working title)
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (USA) (working title)
Who Shot Roger Rabbit? (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:PG | Brazil:10 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12/9 (original rating) | France:U | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Norway:10 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

Roger Rabbit is described (design-wise) as having a "Warners face", a "Disney body", a "Tex Avery attitude", Goofy's overalls, Mickey Mouse's gloves, and Porky Pig's bowtie. Animation director Richard Williams says he based his Roger color model on the American flag (red overalls, white body, blue tie) so that "everyone would subliminally like it".

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner and Speedy Gonzalez, who appear in the toon crowd at the end of the film, did not appear in any theatrical shorts before 1949, even though Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg insisted that all of the cartoon characters be chronologically correct for the movie's setting of 1947. These two got into the film because they are in fact Zemeckis' favorite cartoon characters. On the other hand, they're not presented as known characters, but merely appear as Toon Town residents in the finale, which is not inconsistent - they live in Toon Town but haven't made it big in the movies yet.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mrs. Herman: Mommy's going to the beauty parlor, darling, but I'm leaving you with your favorite friend, Roger. He's going to take very, very good care of you, because if he doesn't... HE'S GOING BACK TO THE SCIENCE LAB.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2

It's a...deadly...serious...business!

Watching this for the umpteenth time, I am struck by how much this movie resembles Brazil (1985). What, you will say, that was a grim and serious story set in a horrible dystopia. Ah, yes, but one of its main satirical weapons was its over-the-top humour.

Well, Roger Rabbit inverts the formula. We seem to have a zany cartoon comedy. but underlying this is a story about racism and genocide. The cartoon characters, who coexist with humans, are shown as a tolerated subordinated race, good for "singing and dancing and running and jumping". They are called "Toons", which resembles another epithet that used to be a nasty name for black people. And the "solution" is exactly that - a solution of benzene and acetone that will exterminate the Toons by dissolving them.

Both movies are set in something that resembles the 1940's, which gives lots of opportunity for spoofing films noir of the sort that Bogart et al. used to make.

How could something so serious be funny? The best comedy is just a hare's breadth (sorry, couldn't resist) removed from tragedy, which is why Hogan's Heroes is so funny while Disney comedies fall flat from gooey sentiment. Kids love Roger Rabbit, and that should be the ultimate test of whether it's comic or not.

It still amazes me how many grown-ups fail to perceive the underlying message of tolerance and understanding. Perhaps they don't want to...