A late 1980s surprise, Roger Zemeckis and Richard Williams' Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was a true oddity: an original animated film that appealed to both children and adults and was a mainstream hit in the United States. This was possibly the first time since Yellow Submarine that adults were specifically lured into theaters to see a non "adult" (read Bakshi) animated film. Originally written off by some critics as gimmicky, Roger Rabbit retains its importance as a crucial animated film, as well as its ability to entertain. It helped to influence the direction that animation would take in the 1990s.
Zemeckis' story was deceptively simple. In the late 1940s, detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) must clear the name of cartoon Roger Rabbit who, along with most of the other cartoon characters of the 1940s, is a real entity. This formula allowed Hoskins to interact not only with the legends of both the Disney and Warners' studios, but to meet with a series of Tex Avery-inspired characters: Roger and Jessica Rabbit, Baby Herman, and a slew of evil weasels. The result is a series of inspired vignettes in which (among other things) Daffy and Donald duet on twin pianos and Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse finally appear on screen simultaneously. In addition, many minor supporting characters from Disney films and Warners shorts appear in the background. While much of the comedy was clearly lifted almost verbatim from classic shorts, the film is genuinely funny and appealing. Despite the ominous corporate "merger feeling" one might get from seeing Disney and Warners team up, the film never comes across as a commercial for product the way that the later Space Jam did. Rather, Roger Rabbit is a tribute to the spirit of the Golden Age of Animation.
One of the original selling points of Roger Rabbit was its hybrid of live actors and cartoons. While there had been previous attempts at such a film (including the wonderful short You Oughta Be in Pictures starring Porky Pig), Roger Rabbit presented a more sophisticated level of human-cartoon interaction In hindsight, many of Roger Rabbit's technical breakthroughs (while still stunning) no longer seem to be technical marvels. The computer assisted live action-animation special effects have since been successfully exploited mainly in TV commercials.
Roger Rabbit proved that the public was still interested in cartoon characters whose best work was some 40 years behind them. Although Roger is a Disney-owned creation (the film was released under Touchstone Pictures) it was the Warners studio that seemed to benefit the most from the film. Many (perhaps all) of the leads and supporting characters from Warners shorts found themselves in TV shows like Tiny Toons and Tazmania. Disney benefited from improved relationships with their audience, and subsequent Disney features had no trouble attracting adults as well as children.
Roger Rabbit is worthy of purchase. The film succeeds largely due to Bob Hoskins' amazing ability to evoke Lou Costello and Humphrey Bogart simultaneously, and to the well-developed original characters. Roger, Jessica, and Baby Herman hold their own against Bugs and Daffy, which is perhaps the highest praise one can offer to an American cartoon.
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Other NonAnime Reviews Prince of Egypt Review* Quest for Camelot Review Sleeping Beauty Review * Space Jam Review Tex Avery Screwball Classics Review* |
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