Thiel-a-Vision Review: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

While the groundbreaking--and still impressive--special effects may have been trivialized in the Age of CGI, several things set Roger Rabbit apart from other live-action/animation combos. First are the strong characterizations. Roger may be a wacky, cartoon bunny, but the script evokes true sympathy for his plight and believable camaraderie between him and the hard-boiled P.I. played by Bob Hoskins. 

Second is Hoskins himself. He takes a potentially ridiculous role and takes it just seriously enough to ground it in reality. Just as importantly, he maintains sight lines with his imaginary co-stars, adding immensely to our ability to believe in their existence.

Third is the inherent darkness of this mixture of Looney Tunes and film noir. This is not a traditional Disney kiddie flick. Amidst the wild takes and pratfalls are murder, sexual innuendo, capital punishment (a cartoon shoe is literally liquidated for the crime of being cute) and less-than-subtle racial overtones. Even the term "Toon" evokes other, cruder epithets, and a nightclub in which said Toons perform for humans reminds us of our own rocky road to civil rights. (And no, that's not an over-the-top reading of the film; all of it is intentional and right there on the surface.)

Finally, there's the landmark team-up between the animated icons of Warner Brothers, Disney and other studios. It's a fanboy's delight to see Betty Boop, Daffy Duck, Donald Duck and the penguins from Mary Poppins all in the same scene, and that's only the beginning. 

The script is intelligent and while it never bothers to rationally explain the existence of living ink-and-paint creatures, it does mull over some of the implications of such a world. Like director Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future series, it strongly adheres to the "set it up, pay it off" school of filmmaking. If a piece of paper is introduced in the first half hour, it will take on greater significance by the final reel.

Special note must be made of Christopher Lloyd's performance as the sinister Judge Doom, a villain that's as serious as a heart attack. The revelation of his true nature makes for a truly terrifying final confrontation.

This is a film unlikely to be duplicated, and I suspect it's a good thing that plans for a follow-up never got past the drawing board. It's a perfect stand-alone story, and a sequel would likely have diminished the premise.

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