It was the middle of a three-film collaboration between Robert Zemeckis and Christopher Lloyd that started with Back To The Future (1985) that a combination live-action and animated adventure comedy hit the movie theaters. That film, largely marrying cartoons from the Warner Brothers and Disney Company houses, asked one simple question that became the movie name. The question? Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)?
(Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant with the animated Roger Rabbit in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
The leading man in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit is Eddie Valiant, the alcoholic detective with a story as played by Bob Hoskins. The film itself is set in 1947 in an era before the advent of the Interstate Highway System, a fact that becomes central to the plot of the film. Before learning how, we come to learn that Eddie has an unfavorable attitude towards the cartoons who inhabit the world of this film. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the cartoons have lives outside their films, shows, or shorts.
(Joanna Cassidy as Dolores in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
We learn through Eddie’s love interest, Dolores, that Eddie’s brother died at the hands of a cartoon when a cartoon, acting of his own accord, killed Eddie’s brother by dropping a piano upon the two Valiant brothers. Eddie was fortunate in that he escaped the piano incident with a broken arm; conversely, he became the alcoholic who couldn’t keep his life together owing to the grief over losing his brother.
(Alan Tilvern as R.K. Maroon in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
We learn some of an animosity that exists for Eddie and cartoons slightly after Eddie arranges with R.K. Maroon of the Maroon Cartoons to take compromising pictures of the wife of animated bunny Roger Rabbit, one wife of animated yet voluptuously drawn human Jessica Rabbit. To get things right monetarily with Dolores, Eddie has agreed to take compromising pictures of Jessica Rabbit. Eddie Valiant gets pictures of Jessica playing a literal game patty-cake with Marvin Acme of the Acme Corporation, Acme cartoons and Toontown.
(Stubby Kaye as Marvin Acme with the animated Jessica Rabbit in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
A right complete adventure follows one day after Roger Rabbit learns of the patty-cake pictures and responds in a betrayed manner to the notion that Jessica possibly would have been unfaithful. A complication that ensues the pictures makes Roger look guilty, which brings about the question of Roger’s guilt and if he had been framed. Roger enlists Eddie Valiant’s support in exonerating him. In the process, Judge Doom becomes established as a counterpoint to Roger, Eddie, Dolores and those interested in Roger getting a fair chance to acquit himself of the charges in addition to reclaiming his love.
(Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
Judge Doom has introduced a brew of toxic chemicals capable of killing any cartoon. Doom’s “Dip” universally scares all cartoons, whereas mundane things like falling refrigerators simply bring about confusion, circling birds, circling bells or circling stars. Dip in action is shown to have a deadly outcome for cartoons. Eventually, Eddie Valiant braves Marvin Acme’s Toontown while taking a charming step that either saves or fails to save the day. Being the smart guy without spoilers that I am, how things work out is one thing I will leave for you as encouragement to watch the film.
(Robert Zemeckis, pictured here with an animated version of Roger Rabbit, directed the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit).
I appreciated the combined efforts of director Robert Zemeckis and live action actor Christopher Lloyd in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That the plot playfully offers an adult sensibility in a PG-13 makes this film not appropriate for all children, including those who might appreciate cartoons or films like Toy Story (1995), Frozen (2013), or cartoons from Hanna-Barbera. These three are partly examples of cartoons that came to exist after the film, or whom were not included in the cartoons represented in the film.
Overall, my grade for Who Framed Roger Rabbit belies the appreciation of a film well-crafted and a story well-executed. Kathleen Turner as the voice of Jessica Rabbit with Charles Fleischer as the voice of Roger Rabbit also worked for me. I rate Who Framed Roger Rabbit at 4.00-stars on a scale of one-to-five.
Matt – Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Matt Lynn Digital 