Review of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) by Tiberio S — 13 May 2017

Honk! Honk! Here comes Benny the Cab, we're racing through ToonTown -- along the way is Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Daffy, Bugs, Pepe, Yosemite, Dwarves, Dumbo, Broomsticks, and so many more. For the first time ever, we're seeing Disney and Warner Brothers characters in the same film, and oh my what a funtastic treat more delectable than a bowl of colorful sweet candy. Also, though not the first time, we are seeing the most sophisticated blend of live action and cell animation, the likes of which Gene Kelly and Jerry, or Pete's Dragon couldn't dream of.

The film happens to be about a conflict between toons and humans, a slight allegory to racial tensions amongst people. A toon, legendary film actor Roger Rabbit, is accused of killing a person - that's about as sensitive as a black man killing a white woman. Private Investigator Eddie Valiant is tasked with the job of finding out whether or not any of it is true. A conspiracy against Rabbit begins to unveil that has us suspecting several players, including his wife Jessica, and the man who tasked Valiant to begin with. But it's clear there's one man in town who hates toons above all else, Christopher Lloyd's phony toothed, wild eyed Judge Doom.

The film maintains consistent whimsicality, even with darker story points, like Eddie's dead brother killed by a falling piano! Jokes about extramarital affairs are treated not with sex, but a game of Patty Cake, which has Roger bawling in despair. Yet there's no shortage of sexuality either; Jessica Rabbit is the ultimate cartoon sex symbol. One memory that stuck out in the long span between viewings was the violent third act in which Doom gets flattened by a cement roller, only to reveal he can outlandishly pump himself back up - then we see those crazy googly eyes, and we learn he's been a toon all along, the "I hate my own kind" villain. Again, everything is done with a slapstick sense of humor so that violence amongst humans looks similar to a cartoon.

Along the way we're treated to delightful cross-promotional pairings, such as Daffy and Donald Duck on the dueling pianos, or Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny sky diving beside free-falling Valiant. Most of the famous voice actors are reprising their roles, including the legendary Mel Blanc (Daffy, Tweety, Bugs, Sylvester, Porky), credited with 1,142 works, just one year before his death. Nobody is dancing around the rights here, we feel the total authenticity of these characters, thanks in part to Steven Spielberg's solid communication with Warner. It's as special as seeing any great ensemble cast, which is pretty incredible when you think that only our imagination makes them real. The end ensemble of the cartoon universe is very special for any enthusiast. To some it will just be a bunch of drawn up nonsense, to others it's a symbol of unity and breaking the borders of ownership.