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 & 21 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

Now was monsters in Toon Judge Doom, Kitten Yzma, King Candy as a Cy-Borg and Ralphzilla only

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Goofs

A live-action model was used in the scene in the Ink and Paint club during Jessica's song parts of her were rotoscoped in order to cover the model up. Jessica interacts with Marvin Acme by pinching his cheeks and then taking his handkerchief out of his coat pocket and polishing his head with it. If you look closely, you will see Jessica's hands briefly grow to human proportions as she interacts with Acme. This occurs again when she interacts with Eddie later in the same scene. In fact, there is a tiny glitch in the animation of her hands as they go from rotoscope to animation after she shoves Eddie's hat into his face. Finally, as the camera closes in on Jessica and Eddie in the final moments of the song if you slow down the film speed, you will see Jessica's dress move ahead of her for a few frames to cover the performance model. Again Jessica's hands are rotoscoped as they pull on Eddie's tie.

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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

At the end of the credits: "Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweetie Bird, Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Porky Pig, Acme, and all other Warner Bros. characters are trademark of Warner Brothers Inc. Copyright 1988 Warner Bros. Inc. used by permission."

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Alternate Versions

The original film had a gag frame of Betty Boop where her dress was drawn too low in the front, revealing her nipples. The scene was edited before being released on video.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2016)

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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

"Who framed Roger Rabbit" is a classic

I was a little surprised that "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" wasn't on the top 250. Almost everyone loves this film. It was a major breakthrough for movies. The cartoon world meets reality.

Bob Haskins is to die for in this film, he plays such a great American detective and he didn't have much to work with. After all when he was talking to Roger, he wasn't really talking to anybody since it was a cartoon character. I love the way he develops his role so much, how he goes from this stick-to-the-book and all cartoons are bad to this lovable goofy guy due to Roger's insatiable love for life and cartoons. It's silly because it's a cartoon, but Roger and Bob clicked so well and are unforgettable.

Christopher Lloyd... shudder! This guy gave me so many nightmares as a kid from his character as the judge. The ending where he reveals his true form, he is just terrifying and effective. Jessica Rabbit is so cool and sexy for a cartoon. She's just too much fun for this movie and is wonderful as a cartoon. "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way". My favorite scene is without a doubt when Eddie(played by Bob) is looking for Jessica and meets the crazy look-a-like in Toon Town. Just great and hilarious.

Come on, fans! This is a terrific movie and deserves to be on the top 250 films of all time! It's a break through for cinema history and movies in general. It's a great one! I'd highly recommend this for the family and friends or just a Saturday with nothing to do.

10/10

Details

Country:

USA

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:

1.66 : 1