‘I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way...’
Robert Zemeckis is responsible for some of the most beloved films of all time. Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and Castaway are all undeniable classics but sandwiched between Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II is a film that perhaps deserves to be remembered as the best of the lot. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was one of the most expensive films ever made upon release in 1988 and despite being full of visual effects, it hasn’t aged a day. Let’s dive into Toon Town…
Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is a booze-addled private detective straight out of a Tom Waits song. Tasked with securing incriminating pictures of local singer and heartbreaker Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), Valiant finds himself embroiled in a sinister conspiracy theory that results in him getting wrapped up with (and handcuffed to) Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer) – a successful comedic actor who also happens to be a cartoon. Elsewhere, Christopher Lloyd is utterly terrifying as the villainous toon hater Judge Doom and Joanna Cassidy is perfectly cast as Valiant’s sometime gangster’s moll Dolores.
What makes Who Framed Roger Rabbit so great is that while it is a film that can absolutely be enjoyed by kids, it’s not a kid’s film. Instead, Zemeckis’ masterpiece is a love letter to the film noir of the ‘40s and ‘50s whilst simultaneously being much more enjoyable than 90% of the films actually released in that era. The effects team seamlessly merge the live action to the zany world that the toons inhabit and this results in a movie that pops off the screen and is as inventive and singular as anything released during the ‘80s. The screenplay is hilarious. Hoskins is perfect. Fleischer throws himself into the role of the rabbit and the whole thing comes together in a film that is funny, smart and even frightening when it wants to be. Who can forget the sight of Doom boiling a cartoon shoe alive or raising himself up from the ground having been squashed by a steamroller?
For my money, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was more of an influence on the films that made up Pixar’s golden era than any Disney princess movie. It’s all there. The visual innovation. The refusal to pander to a younger audience. Iconic characters. This is a film that has it all. A genuine masterpiece.