Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Review

“A laugh can be a very powerful thing” – a review of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. 

The year is 1947 in Hollywood. Toons and humans live side by side. Detective Eddie Valiant is down on his luck and burnt out when he is approached to help Roger Rabbit, at first to discover whether his beautiful wife Jessica is having an affair, and who is then falsely accused of murder. What follows is a noir comedy full of conspiracy and a firm reminder that joy and laughter truly matter.

One of the joys of this film is the blending of the real world with the animated one in such a believable way. Roger, and his sultry wife Jessica, are both animated, yet they interact with human actors as if they were really in the room. Not only do the cartoons cast shadows, but they can also touch – when they pull on a jacket of a real actor, the jacket moves, when they bump into someone, that person may be knocked down. They interact with props and seem to take up real room in each shot. The seamless blend of animation and reality is a truly difficult effect to achieve, but this film does it brilliantly, and you find yourself forgetting often that the animated characters aren’t actually really walking around Hollywood.

Another great thing about this film is that it really is fun for everyone. Children enjoy the slap stick comedy and the appearance of well-established characters like Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, and for adults there are plenty of jokes and one liners intended to be understood and appreciated by a more mature audience.

The Hollywood presented in this film isn’t all glitz and glamour, rather a peek into a comedy noir setting, with smoky rooms and criminal undertones. This is partially achieved due to the acting, as the actors don’t adopt to become more toon like; instead, human actors are straight faced and serious, contrasting with hilarious results with the goofy toons around them. This helps remind audiences that whilst this is a comedy, it’s also a noir, and that a murder has occurred.

Of course, this is all switched up when you see humans enter Toon Town, and the noir is switched with slapstick. There’s something so charmingly funny about watching a straight-faced detective fall flat on his face after being pranked by a beloved cartoon character. Not all the animated characters are friendly though, with Judge Doom being a genuinely creepy animated villain who legitimately gave me nightmares as a child.

The plot is fast paced and packed full of fun references and inside jokes. Despite the humour, there are moments of depth as you watch Eddie learn to laugh and love again after experiencing loss some years previously. Another heartfelt moment comes when Betty Boop makes an appearance, working as a cigarette girl, explaining that “times are tough since cartoons went to colour”. Given that Jessica Rabbit is someone who still has a special place in the hearts of many to this day, Betty had a point.

There are moments of edge of your seat tension, thrilling and hilarious chase scenes, and out of pocket moments which are sure to make you laugh out loud. The cinematography is clever too; it would have been easy to use static cameras, but instead the cameras move with characters, helping with the noir feel and the realistic nature of the toons. Sound design adds to moments of comedy of course, but the voice acting of the characters shouldn’t be overlooked either, with animated characters giving some dramatic and emotional scenes, as well as Jessica’s singing which cements her as a femme fatale. However, even this isn’t a regular trope, as Jessica proves herself to be more than just an attractive woman; her kindness, loyalty to her husband and heroic deeds prove her to be an excellent character in her own right.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a funny, moving, action packed film for the whole family. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen it, and to this day it will still make me cry with laughter, and isn’t that important? After all, laughter can be a very powerful thing.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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