Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

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:

A list of the classic cartoon cameos in the film (which is supposed to be set in 1947, though quite a few post-1947 characters appear), grouped by studio: Disney: - Mickey Mouse - Minnie Mouse - Pluto - Donald Duck - Goofy - Pegleg Pete - Horace Horsecollar - Clarabell Cow - the merry dwarfs from The Merry Dwarfs (1929) - the flowers and trees from Flowers and Trees (1932) - the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf from Three Little Pigs (1933) - Peter Pig from The Wise Little Hen (1934) - Toby Tortoise, Max Hare, and the girl bunnies from The Tortoise and the Hare (1935) - Mickey's orphans from Orphan's Benefit (1934) - Little Red Riding Hood from The Big Bad Wolf (1934) - Jenny Wren from Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935) - Elmer Elephant from Elmer Elephant (1936) - Snow White, all seven dwarfs, and the Old Hag/Witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Wynken, Blynken and Nod from Wynken, Blynken & Nod (1938) - Ferdinand the bull from Ferdinand the Bull (1938) - Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio (1940) - the broomsticks, the cupids, the baby Pegasuses, an ostrich, and a hippo from Fantasia (1940) - the Reluctant Dragon and Sir Giles from The Reluctant Dragon (1941) - Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo, Casey Jr., and the crows (as Jessica's backing band in the Ink and Paint Club) from Dumbo (1941) - Bambi from Bambi (1942) - Chicken Little from Chicken Little (1943) - Jose Carioca from Saludos Amigos (1942) - Monte the pelican from The Pelican and the Snipe (1944) - Peter from the "Peter and the Wolf" segment of Make Mine Music (1946) - Br'er Bear, the groundhogs, and the Tar Baby from Song of the South (1946) - the singing harp from the "Mickey and the Beanstalk" segment of Fun & Fancy Free (1947) - the animals from Johnny Appleseed (1948) - Danny the lamb from So Dear to My Heart (1948) - Mr. Toad and his horse Cyril from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - Tinker-Bell from Peter Pan (1953) - Maleficent's goons from Sleeping Beauty (1959) - the penguins from Mary Poppins (1964) Warner Bros (Looney Tunes): - Bugs Bunny - Daffy Duck - Porky Pig - Tweety - Sylvester - Yosemite Sam - Foghorn Leghorn - Marvin the Martian (first appeared in 1948) - Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote (first appeared in 1949) - Marc Anthony the bulldog from Feed the Kitty (1952) - Sam Sheepdog from Don't Give Up the Sheep (1953) - Speedy Gonzales (first appeared in 1953) Max Fleischer/Paramount: - Koko the Clown (Out of the Inkwell (1919/I) - Betty Boop Walter Lantz: - Woody Woodpecker MGM: - Droopy

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: After Roger blows his nose on the handkerchief, it's obvious R. K. Maroon didn't grab the handkerchief out of his hand. It appears he was reaching down to get the handkerchief. However, Maroon's handkerchief would have presumably been dirtied by Roger's tears and nose blowing. A person would normally try to retrieve such a handkerchief by taking it gingerly by a place presumed to be unspoiled. This reaction is further verified by the fact that Maroon immediately places the handkerchief in the wastebasket.

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:

Spoofs The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

Stars and Stripes Forever

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...