Brian McCaughey’s blog

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Robert Zemeckis (”Forrest Gump”/”Beowulf”/”Contact”) directs this
highly innovative visual effects film that seamlessly merges live action
and animation. It’s based on the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary
K. Wolf and is written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. In this zany
production, cartoon characters become involved in a Dashiel Hammett-like
film noir whodunnit. Even if the improbable story rolls along as childishly
as a 1940’s cartoon, the dialogue is snappy, the sight gags are terrific,the
action is hilarious and the entire venture is very entertaining. Also the
technical work is brilliant. It has become deservedly recognized as a cinema
classic.

Distraught down-on-his-luck human gumshoe Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins),
taken to drink that his beloved brother was recently killed when an unknown
Toon (a derogative term used by humans to call the underpaid and discriminated
cartoon characters) dropped a piano on his noggin, is hired by the human
studio mogul R. K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern), the boss of Maroon Cartoons,
to get the dirt on Jessica Rabbit (Voice of Kathleen Turner, Singing voice
of Amy Irving) because he’s concerned that her hubby, the studio’s Toon
star, Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer, Voice of Roger Rabbit), who has
the color of the American flag, is having trouble concentrating on his
work. Jessica is a sexy nightclub torch singer, who is so hot she even
turns Eddie on. Eddie takes the case only because he’s hard up for the
cash and tries to overcome the dislike he has for Toons by being professional.
Eddie brings back photos of Jessica playing Patty Cakes in the back room
of the nightclub with the jokester human toy manufacturer Marvin Acme (Stubby
Kaye), the supplier to the studios of gag gadgets. The next day Acme is
found dead and Roger Rabbit has to go into hiding because he’s the prime
suspect. 

In the Hollywood of 1947, the cartoon characters live in segregation
in the LA suburb called “Toontown” where their movements are policed by
the villainous Toon-hating human Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) and his
Toon policemen flunkies. Since Eddie can’t stand the sinister and creepy
Judge Doom, he accepts Roger Rabbit’s employment offer to find out who
framed him and reluctantly grants him sanctuary while he investigates.
His investigation leads to a ”Chinatown” scheme for the real killer to
take control of the pristine Toontown because he learned a soon to be built
Freeway will pass through the area and that will mean a business boon for
Toontown.

The technical achievements were simply amazing by the likes of British
animator Richard Williams (recommended to executive producer Steven Spielberg
by Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones; it was coproduced by the studios
of Disney and Spielberg) and with the aid of effects artists, headed by
Ken Ralston, at Industrial Light and Magic who composited the live-action
with the animation. Zemeckis and his team of special effects people put
forth great visual effects, animation and matched it with great camera
movement for the live action; they also presented the cartoon characters
with a glowing 3-D effect. It was a monumental effort in technology that
still doesn’t seem dated.

The innovative film proved to be a landmark movie in animation, and
though it was a big-budget film (reportedly made for over $70 million)
it was a smash hit and turned in a handsome profit.