Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

A toon-hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Gary K. Wolf (novel), Jeffrey Price (screenplay)

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy

Won 3 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bob Hoskins	...	Eddie Valiant
Christopher Lloyd	...	Judge Doom
Joanna Cassidy	...	Dolores
Charles Fleischer	...	Roger Rabbit / Benny the Cab / Greasy / Psycho (voice)
Stubby Kaye	...	Marvin Acme
Alan Tilvern	...	R.K. Maroon
Richard LeParmentier	...	Lt. Santino (as Richard Le Parmentier)
Lou Hirsch	...	Baby Herman (voice)
Betsy Brantley	...	Jessica's Performance Model
Joel Silver	...	Raoul
Paul Springer	...	Augie
Richard Ridings	...	Angelo
Edwin Craig	...	Arthritic Cowboy
Lindsay Holiday	...	Soldier
Mike Edmonds	...	Stretch

Storyline

'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect. Groundbreaking interaction between the live and animated characters, and lots of references to classic animation.

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Plot Keywords:

roger rabbit | maroon cartoon | private detective | year 1947 | rabbit | 

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Taglines:

JEEPERS! Look who's returning to theaters like never before?

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's plot is a spoof/homage of Chinatown. Actor Bruce Glover appeared in that film, while his son, Crispin Glover, appeared in Robert Zemeckis's previous film, Back to the Future.

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Goofs

Many of the liquor and beer bottles were of an incorrect shape or had labels that were not used for another couple of decades. Examples being the Wild Turkey he shoots with the tomahawk bullet and the Budweiser behind the bar when Doom tries to apprehend Roger.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Herman: Mommy's going to the beauty parlor, darling, but I'm leaving you with your favorite friend, Roger. He's going to take very, very good care of you, because if he doesn't... HE'S GOING BACK TO THE SCIENCE LAB.

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Crazy Credits

Porky Pig closes out the movie telling the characters "That's All, Folks" and then saying the same thing to the viewers. Tinkerbell then appears fading the entire screen to black.

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Alternate Versions

Some versions include an extra sequence (called the "Pig Head Sequence"): Eddie Valiant had gone into Toontown, ambushed by the weasels and had a pig's head "tooned" onto his. He went home and took a shower during which Jessica walks into his apartment. This scene was cut from the original release, but did appear in theatrical trailers and a television broadcast. A scene cut from the theatrical version where Jessica rolls up her dress to reveal her stockings as she sits cross-legged is included in this sequence.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 20 Terrifying Deaths in Disney Movies (2021)

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Soundtracks

The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
Written by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin
Performed by Charles Fleischer and Bob Hoskins

User Reviews

Boy, this is something I'll treasure and remember always.

Oh, this is the first movie I've seen to have live characters and cartoons come together, maybe not for the first time, I've seen Jerry dance with Gene Kelly once, but that's another movie! Anyways this was my childhood favorite and perhaps an all time, and will always be a favorite to me. Every time I watch there is a magic moment, that the cartoons we all loved as kids are still the best today, even though we are into computer animation, Batman, X-Men, or anime, we can never say we hate those old Looney Toons or Disney shows. And the antics and jokes and gags and gimmicks they did will always remain the funniest, even though we dig jokes from Saturday Night Live or sex jokes these days. This is also the first time I've seen Disney and Warner cartoons for the first time! And not to mention Betty Boop and Droopy! Overall, this is the best animated and live movie the whole family can enjoy, and fans of the old cartoons will love. Recommended to all fans of cartoons of the golden years of Disney and Warner. Thank you Disney, thank you Warner. And if liked this, I recommend you play the video game Kingdom Hearts, this time it's Final Fantasy/Squaresoft and Disney together! >>>> 10/10

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Who Shot Roger Rabbit?

Filming Locations:

2715 N Vermont Canyon Road, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,226,239, 26 June 1988

Gross USA:

$156,452,370

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$329,803,958

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Silver Screen Partners III

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) Dolby SR (1995 Re-Release) DTS (Digital DTS Sound) (1998/2002 Re-Release) Dolby Digital (1998/2002 Re-Release) SDDS (1998/2002 Re-Release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1