BrianKoller's Full Review: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
A blockbuster hit from 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was an achievement in studio cooperation as much as it was in animation. The films of executive producer Steven Spielberg and his protege director Robert Zemeckis are normally distributed by Universal. But Disney Studios had the animation prowess that Universal lacked.
The producers were unable to obtain the services of Popeye and Felix the Cat, whose copyright owners wanted too much money. But Droopy Dog (MGM) and Betty Boop (Paramount) have great cameos, as do all the Disney and Warner Bros. favorites. It was the first time that the stars from the rival cartoon studios had worked together. Donald Duck and Daffy have a wacky piano duet/duel, while Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny kindly offer Bob Hoskins a spare.
Combining animated characters with live actors was not an original concept. Anchors Aweigh (1945) and Song of the South (1946), for example, recently preceded the 1947 setting of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. However, the interactions were both imaginative and inspired, unlike previously soggy Disney attempts like Pete's Dragon (1977).
The quality was probably due to its deliberate targeting of adult audiences. The film's basic story spoofs 'film noir' detective stories. As in Chinatown, a small time private detective (Bob Hoskins) is hired to prove an adulterous affair. The detective is being used, however, and in return he uncovers an elaborate but crooked real estate conspiracy.
The voluptuous, 'femme fatale' Jessica Rabbit was voiced by Kathleen Turner. However, her singing was dubbed by Amy Irving, who was wed to Spielberg at the time.
The role of the insane villain is well cast by Christopher Lloyd, who also starred in the Zemeckis/Spielberg Back to the Future trilogy. His evil scheme to dismantle the public transportation system in place of vast highways was a social phenomenon of the 1940s and 1950s. We know that the obsessive judge is in fact a lunatic when he gushes upon the virtues of his planned freeway, with its endlessly repetitive miles of gas stations and 'beautiful billboards'.
The film's latent social commentary also includes prejudice, segregation, and discrimination. Hoskins emphatically denies that he would ever work for a toon. The toons are employed by the posh jazz club, but are not allowed as customers. They are relegated to living in Toon Town. These are clear parallels between the toons and African Americans from that era. However, these themes are downplayed when compared to its source material, the 1981 Gary Wolf novel "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?"
The film does have some weaknesses. Joanna Cassidy as Hoskins girlfriend has perfected the jaded look and attitude of Marlene Dietrich or Bette Davis. However, she can't seem to keep a straight face. When the cartoon weasels die, they go heaven like the nine numbered cat lives of old Warner cartoons. But they're bad guys: shouldn't they turn into little weasel devils instead? Is there no justice in Toon Town?
The DVD edition has been heavily criticized for its censorship of the film, apparently done to increase its 'family' appeal. The most obvious omission comes early, when Baby Herman looks up a woman's dress. The offending moment has been excised, as well as individual 'R' rated frames of Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop. Also missing is a scene seen in television showings, where the weasel flunkies put a 'toon' pig's head on Hoskins.
The commercial success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? raised hopes that further imaginative combined live action and animation films would be forthcoming. Instead, the looney character of Roger Rabbit was shelved after a few great shorts: Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit and Trail Mix-up.
The more conventional and kiddie-based film The Little Mermaid (1989) instead led the way for future Disney animated features, most of which featured similar, drearily spunky attractive young heroines with impossibly narrow waists.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? did well at the Academy Awards, winning four Oscars. All were technical in nature: film editing, visual effects, sound effects and a special achievement Oscar for its animation. However, the film also received nominations for its cinematography and sets as well as its sound. (84/100)
DVDS. Someone is out to steal Toon Town from cartoon characters -- and to get their hands on the valuable property, they have framed its biggest carto...More at DeepDiscount.com
Someone is out to steal "Toon Town" from cartoon characters -- and to get their hands on the valuable property they have framed its biggest cartoon st...More at Family Video
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.