STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”

There seems to be something wrong in Toontown.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman, and based on the novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the story of private detective Eddie Valiant who is hired by to a studio head to take photographic proof of Jessica, his biggest star, Roger Rabbit’s wife, having an affair with a businessman who is the owner of Toontown.

The next morning, the businessman is found dead in his factory. Cause of death: a safe fell on his head. It sounds like something a toon would do. Since Roger is the main suspect, Roger wants Eddie to help clear his name, since he is the only detective who is, or rather used to, be sympathetic towards toons.

It’s a mystery film, so I’m not going to explain any further.

The film is a classic among animation fans, and a creative use of the noir story, specifically, Chinatown, which we’ve covered before. A detective takes photographic proof of a cheating businessman, who is found dead the next day. He was used, so now he wants to find out the real conspiracy.

The plot points and settings are based on real life events around 1947 Los Angeles. The idea of a freeway is in its concept stage, toons themselves being a metaphor for minority groups, in particular, African Americans, the Ink and Paint Club where they only serve humans, but features only toon acts, the list goes on and on to form a world that is creative and feels realistic.

A lot of work (and money) was put in to make it real, and part of that is the licensing of classic cartoon characters scattered throughout the film. An interaction with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, and a piano duel between Daffy Duck and Donald Duck are surreal scenes that have never happened again since the film’s release.

There are even some clever Easter eggs spread throughout the film. My favorite is one that is close to me: the Acme Corporation, which is the company Wile E. Coyote uses when he wants to catch the Road Runner. The owner of that company, Marvin Acme, is the guy who owns Toontown, the one who dies. It proves that the filmmakers knows their animation history.

While all of the pre-established cartoon characters retain the same characteristics that we’re used to seeing them, the original characters, such as Jessica Rabbit, Benny the Cab, and Baby Hermann, up the ante of how cartoon characters should look, sound, and behave. They’re abrasive, they curse, and they look sexy and aware of it. For my experience, it was a surprise to witness.

Speaking of Benny, there's just something about seeing a cartoon car driving a real car that's just so hilarious to me.

It's scenes like these that proves that the animation and special effects look impressive, and the interaction with toons and real life props look seamless.

I forget when I first discovered the movie because I was very young, like elementary school. It was either shown to us, or it was on TV. Like probably most kids, the iconic look, sound, and death scene of a character that happens in the film is what I remembered most. I don’t feel like it traumatized me, but it was intense.

Anyone who is a fan of film and animation has Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on their list of must-see films. It doesn’t have to be anyone’s favorite, but it is something to watch and learn the techniques from. It also has just a good, if predictable, story set in a world that animation fans wish it was real. And really, that’s what a good, entertaining film should be.