Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  Easily one of the coolest movies out there, and a must-watch for anyone who’s a fan of classic animation.  It combines Looney Tunes type of zaniness with a 40’s mystery noir vibe into a blend that makes for solid entertainment.

Roger Rabbit is directed by Robert Zemeckis and executively produced by Steven Spielberg.  This is their second collaboration, their first being Back to the Future (unless you count 1941 as their first, with Zemeckis having written it and Spielberg in the director’s chair).  In addition to having Bob and Steven’s presence, Roger Rabbit is also notable for having its animation directed by Richard Williams, who would go on to become a modern day legend in the field of animation.

The movie focuses primarily on Eddie Valiant (played by the late Bob Hoskins), who’s a detective contacted for what seems to be a bizarre case.  He must investigate a possible affair between the owner of Toon Town, Marvin Acme, and Jessica Rabbit, the wife of cartoon star Roger Rabbit.  After Roger is shown that the two have been meeting up, he becomes heartbroken and vows to make sure he and Jessica will remain together.

I’d totally make that face too.

Afterwards, the story really kicks in when Eddie is called in to investigate the sudden murder of Marvin Acme, a case in which Roger is the lead suspect.  As this occurs, Eddie runs into Judge Doom (played by Christopher Lloyd).  He learns that Doom has Jurisdiction over Toon Town (the town occupied by all the cartoon stars) and is hellbent on capturing Roger.

Let’s face it, I had to find somewhere to use Fantastic Four’s Dr. Doom, so I may as well go for it now because… reasons.

Not long after this, Eddie learns that R.K. Maroon had a will and he must find it as he continues the investigation.  Once he runs into Roger again, crazy antics ensue and he finds himself avoiding Doom’s henchman (err… weasels) while trying to solve the mystery.  From here, there’s plenty of laughs and excitement as the story progresses.

There are plenty of things throughout the film made for die-hard animation enthusiasts, from nods to classic cartoons, to hidden easter eggs in the background.  In addition, there’s plenty of cartoon characters for everybody.  Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Betty Boop, Droopy, Goofy, Woody Woodpecker, and many more.

The animation itself is topnotch.  It’s a shame that there isn’t much hand-drawn animation of this caliber these days.  While there are plenty of indie efforts, occasional stuff from Disney, and innovative art styles in video games, hand-drawn animated films aren’t as abundant as they once were.

The blending of the animation and live-action was done by Industrial Light & Magic.  They hadn’t done any work on cartoon type of projects, which makes this one of their interesting efforts.  They do an incredible job though, giving dimension to all the cartoon characters with lighting, shadows, and other effects.

This scene really stands out to me. Gorgeous ain’t it?

At the time, this revitalized interest in the animation medium and helped usher in what many call the Disney Renaissance, consisting of new hits such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Lion King among others.  It also led to three Roger Rabbit shorts being produced, each of which appeared in theatres before various Disney features.

Overall, it’s fun to watch this and go back to a time when cartoons blew everybody’s minds.  Simply put, animation fans will love this movie, I know I do.

So until next time, always remember to never feed gremlins after midnight, and make sure they don’t get wet.  Seriously, those things are vicious.  ‘Till next time everyone!  o/