Such a frustrating disappointment

Powerful

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

As Good As It Gets

Is this strictly a children's film? No. Is this a typical adult orientated flick? No. It's in that niche area where everyone of all ages can find enjoyment out of this. A detective is caught in the midst of a murder where a toon named Roger Rabbit is framed, they then team up to unravel the mystery. This could've easily been a by-the-numbers children's plot, but to make it a murder mystery instead was bold. Incredibly bold, yet it works so well. It's just genius. The whole concept of toons interacting with humans and how their worlds are linked is nothing short of brilliance. The technology used at the time was groundbreaking. Green screen aplenty, stunt work with wires and perfect sound effects editing, this is a technical masterpiece. The compelling plot with memorable characters is the icing on the cake. The whole "being forced to work together to save the day" concept has been done many times and is a rather tired formula, that is literally my only complaint. Oh, and certain scenes where animation and reality didn't blend particularly well (very very very minor gripe). But my God this film is amazing. I think what's more impressive is the idea that these rivalling animation studios (Disney, Hanna Barbera etc.) actually agreed to have their properties in one film. Together. Which really creates the perfect "ToonTown" so to speak. It harks back to my childhood. Having Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse on screen together, I would never have thought it. The nostalgia just took over the film and made it a much more personal viewing for me. The cartoonish antics of objects falling on them, running into walls or inanimate objects being able to speak. It's just oh so beautiful to watch. Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd were fantastic, although the latter does have a pretty ghastly scene towards the end that might be slightly too much for children! Robert Zemeckis just keeps pumping out engaging movies, a severely overlooked director. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

In this film, the iconic Roger Rabbit is charged with murder and will have to resort to a human detective who hates cartoons to prove his innocence. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Jeffrey Price, the film features performances by Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd, as well as the voices of Charles Fleischer and Lou Hirsch.This film did something that, until then, was extremely rare: put human actors interacting with animated characters. And this was done with quality and a welcome realism. I excused to say, I believe, that the cartoons are the strong dish of the film, as well as the countless comic situations they star in. Bob Haskins shone in his role, skillfully balancing a comic character who maintains, throughout most of the film, a serious and even grumpy attitude. Of course, his most angry phrases eventually turn him into something even funnier. Christopher Lloyd comes late but in excellent performance, as villain. Cold as ice, insensitive to no end, he gave life to a memorable character with personality traits worthy of a Nazi executioner. Among the cartoons, Roger Rabbit and his sculptural wife, Jessica, deserve all the highlight.This is a family film that will easily appeal to all ages. The bright colors of the cartoons are appealing, contrasting with the more serious environment of the "real world" and flesh and blood actors. The special, visual and sound effects are excellent. The costumes are good and help the public to locate the story around the forties. The soundtrack is good and the music sung by Jessica, a jazz classic "Why don't You Do Right", is memorable.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was not the first movie to combine cartoon with real things. It was just the best movie to do so and still remains the best. Who Framed Roger Rabbit helped popularize the double usage. Yogi Bear, Smurfs, Casper, and Alvin & The Chipmunks are some of the best known movies like Roger Rabbit of recent times. The first reason Roger Rabbit surpasses those is because of the kind of animation that is used. The pure CGI stuff used in Yogi Bear and Smurfs is easy as hell in comparison with this. The 80s was when people needed to draw out cartoons by hand. I highly doubt there were 50 frames drawn by hand per-second used for the cartoons, but whatever. I saw a special feature that looked through how the actors would be communicating with the cartoons, and that was enough. Roger Rabbit provides constant asking "How do they do that?" I don't want to know anymore behind-the-scenes tricks because the magic would be lost. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is not specifically for children. Kids under the age of 9 should be accompanied by adults. There's sexual innuendo, drinking, smoking, and profanity out of youngsters' reach. Besides, adults would appreciate the work that went into it and understand the story better. This is a neo-noir, so the story is guaranteed to be complex. Bob Hoskins plays a down-on-his-luck detective named Eddie Valiant who is sent to spy on Roger Rabbit's wife Jessica who is suspected of cheating on him with the owner of Toontown. It is true and Roger is heartbroken. The next day, the man is murdered and Roger is the prime suspect. Baby Herman explains Roger is innocent and mentions the man's plans of Toontown. Soon, Valiant uncovers a deadly conspiracy of betrayal, lies, deceit and murder in which Roger and his wife are just a small piece of the puzzle.This is a truly funny movie and all characters are lovable. This uses every film noir trick in the book but adds warmth and hilarity with wonderful cartoons.

I watched "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" so often growing up, and few movies from that age still maintain this level of (re)watchability. It's so well-worn, yet still entertains on a surprising level.And really, what's not to like about this movie? It's imaginative, colorful and a little bit insane; like stepping into an alternate reality. That mix of a beautifully-realized 1947 Los Angeles and manic toon world is well handled and makes this a great place to spend 100 minutes in. The animation is first-rate; luminous and mingles believably with the human world (and vice versa). It's a technical marvel, but really, the key to all of this actually working is Bob Hoskins. He does the legwork and makes you believe that he's really talking to a toon (and not a placeholder for ink-n-paint to be added later).To this day, this is still one of my favorite movies, and one of the very best I've seen from Disney. The craft that's on display here is highly polished, and treats like this do not come along often.Especially these days.10/10