By Sevanah Sandoval
Listen, I know everyone claims that anything people don’t know much about or don’t fully appreciate is underrated. But, this movie isn’t just an unknown band or book that people wrote off before giving a chance. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a masterpiece that was far ahead of its time in production and still retains its comedic value.
Released in 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was directed by Robert Zemeckis, a seasoned director known for films such as Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away. The film takes place in 1947 Hollywood, following private lawyer Eddie Valiant. Valiant is recruited by the wealthy cartoon producer R.K. Maroon to investigate an adultery scandal between Marvin Acme, the mayor of ToonTown, and the toon, Jessica Rabbit. Shortly after Valiant publishes his exposé, Acme is murdered. A villainous character named Judge Doom then enters, discussing his hypothesis that Roger Rabbit killed Acme, and his plan to eliminate all toons with a toxic substance named “dip.” He also explains that because Acme failed to leave a will, the town will be bought up by Cloverleaf Industries, a big corporation that has been taking over the small businesses of Hollywood, and turned into a system of highways.
This film was far ahead of its time. Watching it today, it’s hard to believe the production quality. The editing of cartoon characters in the live action film is near seamless, and it allows for a cohesive watching experience. Further, this film offers something very rare –- a collaboration between multiple production companies, most notably Disney and Warner Bros. This uncommon team provides the film with a vibrant cast of characters and interactions seen nowhere else –– from Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny skydiving together, to Daffy and Donald Duck performing a piano duet.
Another beautiful thing about Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the level of detail put into the humor. While the clear jokes are funny, the hidden ones that reveal the attention to detail in the script really highlight the strengths of the movie. For example, at one point Eddie Valiant asks “Who needs a car in LA? We’ve got the best public transit system in the world!” In case you didn’t know, LA’s public transit system would later fail.
This careful writing doesn’t only apply to jokes. Dip, the substance Judge Doom uses to disintegrate toons, is said to be made up of turpentine, acetone, and benzine. This list of ingredients goes over a lot of people’s heads, however with a little inspection, you can find out that these are actually common paint thinner ingredients.
Ignoring the production quality, comedic value, vibrant cast, and unique storyline, Who Framed Roger Rabbit follows an inspiring character development as former alcoholic Eddie Valiant learns to laugh again. The movie has a great balance of silliness, suspense, and meaningful moments.
I’m not the only person who has realized how spectacular this movie is. In fact, it has won the Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Cinematography.
Whether you’ve watched it or not, I highly recommend you turn on Who Framed Roger Rabbit to experience all it has to offer yourself. The movie is less than two hours long, and is available on Disney+ and Prime Video. It’s one of my favorite films, and it isn’t nearly as well known as it deserves to be.
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