Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) User Reviews

"Who framed Roger Rabbit" is a classic

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 8 February 2004]

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

Wow, and I mean wow!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 2 March 2009]

One word, outstanding! i loved this when I was a kid. I'm 16 now and i still love it. The live action with the animation was perfectly blended, and I was howling with laughter at the beginning. The story is perfect, about a rabbit framed for a murder, when he suspects his wife of cheating on him. Bob Hoskins was brilliant as the melancholy drunk private eye, while Christopher Lloyd has great fun as the very scary villain. I would never have guessed the ending in a million years, totally unpredictable, and quite scary too. The real stars were the toons. Some of the funniest scenes were with them, like Eddie in ToonTown, and the weasels were a blast. reminded me of the Untouchables, actually. I didn't know for ages, that Kathaleen Turner voiced Jessica Rabbit, wow that woman is beautiful. Turner voiced Jessica brilliantly. in conclusion, a hugely satisfying part animated comedy, that both kids and adults will love. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Nothing short of miraculous

[La Gremlin · 10/10 · 2 March 2001]

Stop and think about this movie for a minute, and you realize that we are unbelievably fortunate that it even exists.

Think about all the different cartoon characters who have cameos here. Think about how their respective owners had to put aside decades of competing against each other for gags that would last a few seconds of screen time. Realise that, before this movie, the idea of combining fully rendered animated characters with live action footage was considered impossible. And how the hell do you market a movie that includes both murder plots and fuzzy little cartoons?

This movie is a miracle.

I absolutely loved it as a kid, and although parts of it flew over my head I really did not care. I did know that this is what animation can do when all the "rules" are totally ignored. And why shouldn't they be?

Now, as an adult, I appreciate "Roger Rabbit" for its gutsyness. There is absolutely *nothing* like this anywhere. It gets a solid Ten.

The best family film of the 80's

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 31 July 2000]

I say this film is a family film because that is what it is. Anyone in the family will like it. It pitches it's animated rabbit to the kids, and for the teens and adults, they can look for humor in other things. The plot is a complicated one (like most detective mysteries) that brings a drunken detective back to the detective game of cartoons. Sometimes funny, sometimes compassionate, always entertaining. With director Zemeckis bringing one of the best animated films in a film that is half live action/half animated. It is a landmark in visual effects and nothing like this will ever come around again. A+

The Best Film Produced in 1988

[tfrizzell · 1 August 2000]

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" appears to be a film for the kiddies on first glance, but this is a somewhat complicated murder mystery that never gets old or dull. The animated title character has been framed and now he is out to clear his name with the help of a human detective (Bob Hoskins). Robert Zemeckis cemented his ability to make a film with this winner. The special effects, which are remarkable, never detract from the story and in the end they add a great dimension to this fine motion picture. Overlooked in 1988, but the best film from that weak year. 5 stars out of 5.

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

[au_law2001 · 10/10 · 7 January 2005]

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

technical marvel and a great comedy

[goya-4 · 9/10 · 10 December 2000]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of the zaniest and smartest movies to come out in a long time..Directed by Robert Zemeckis who later did Forrest Gump and Castaway among others, it stars Bob Hoskins as a washed up private eye in the 50s who gets dragged into a murder investigation in Toonland to help unravel a mystery and prove the innocence of a toon Roger Rabbit.

One of the real treats of the movie is Kathleen Turner who does the voice of Jessica Rabbit..She is a perfect choice with that sexy sultry voice. The movie is great fun for the whole family..there is a little innuendo but like Jessica says.."I'm not bad..I'm just drawn that way"

A real treat! Holds the record for most credits at the end of a movie (937!) On a scale of one to ten... 9

Lightning in a bottle

[MissSimonetta · 10/10 · 14 June 2020]

That WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT was made at all is a marvel to me-- I'm sure getting all the studios that owned these characters to agree to let them all on the screen was a real feat-- but I have no doubt it was made at just the right time in movie history. The 80s saw an upswing in interest in the classic Hollywood animations of the 30s and 40s, and the 70s nostalgia for classic noir was still lingering, leading to classics like BODY HEAT. Somehow, this led to a perfect combination of ideas. The special effects technology of the 1980s also allowed the fusion of live action and animation to be done in a manner far more sophisticated than past decades.

So yeah, I consider ROGER RABBIT a great film. The story is both a spoof of noir conventions and a dramatic story you can take just seriously enough, populated by memorable and endearing characters. Everyone does great work, but you have to give it to Bob Hoskins, who toes the line between comedy and hardboiled drama well. It's often described as a kid's movie, though with the sheer amount of sexual jokes and extreme cartoon violence, I am shocked some moral watchdog has yet to complain (at least, I've never heard of anyone complaining about this movie's content, not even from those who think things like HAPPY FEET and HARRY POTTER were directed by Satan himself).

The idea of a sequel was in talks for a few years, but to be real, I am glad they never came to be. In our age of rehashes and reboots and sequels twenty to thirty years after the fact, it's been proven repeatedly that you just can't re-catch lightning in a bottle.

Great movie!Excellent!!!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 20 February 2003]

I have always loved Who Framed Roger Rabbit.Christopher Lloyd is great as Judge Doom and Bob Hoskins was very good. It was so cool to see most of the great cartoon characters together in one film. The music is great by Alan Silvestri! This is cool film and if you haven't seen it yet then I recommend you see it soon!

A unique movie experience

[Atreyu_II · 9/10 · 14 July 2007]

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a wonder in the art of making films. Because it mixes live-action and cartoons, it was a challenge to be made. But that's exactly what makes it so distinguish and unique, especially considering that the idea works out so well. It's a different and original movie experience, a real winner.

Yet, the film is more than a combination of live-action and cartoons. It has a dark atmosphere with lots of suspense, almost like a thriller. Classic humor isn't forgotten either, with numerous funny lines and hysterical gags, as well as humorous characters. The joke about «uncle Thumper» is one of the funniest, but there are many others. There's also a hilarious piano acting with Donald Duck and Daffy Duck, which they play the same piano song as in Tom & Jerry's short "The Cat Concerto" and have their hilariously silly battle. In fact, the soundtrack of the movie is excellent, including Jessica Rabbit's song "Why don't you do right?" and a suspense music very similar to one from the original "Back to the Future".

Other movies that successfully mix live-action and cartoons are "Mary Poppins", "Pete's Dragon" and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". Like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", those three movies combine this "marriage" very well. On the other hand, other movies such as "Space Jam" tried this idea but without the same success.

I believe that this movie was made in a unique moment of inspiration. The sceneries are great, the designs, the cartoons, the backgrounds, the details, the animation, the special effects, the artwork... everything was carefully made and I much welcome that. This is one of the greatest Disney films.

Great actors make the difference too. Bob Hoskins is English but speaks with an excellent American accent, not to mention that he does the amazing thing of acting against the air. Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer, Alan Tilvern, Stubby Kaye, Cristopher Lloyd and Kathleen Turner are awesome too. Kathleen Turner is the voice of Jessica Rabbit, with that sexy and sensual voice. And... guess what! Even the singer Frank Sinatra has a minor role in this film as the hilarious but useless Singing Sword. Even without looking at the credits, who wouldn't recognize that great voice? Frank Sinatra's voice is just as recognizable as Nat King Cole's or Sterling Holloway's.

As for the characters, the weasels are a perfect example of chronical stupidity. They're humorous because they're always laughing, even though they know what happens to someone who can't stop laughing.

Marvin Acme is «the king of the jokes», always humorous and cheerful and at his funniest with his mythical hand-buzzer. Angelo is an idiot, drunk and greedy guy, but funny at the same time. Dolores is a great character. R. K. Maroon is an interesting character with half a dark side and half a good side. Judge Doom is a great villain, humorous, mysterious and somewhat sinister. Roger Rabbit is hilarious and very jolly - that's his only purpose as a cartoon, like he says himself. Jessica Rabbit is a very sexy cartoon, one of the most beautiful and sexiest ever - she's not bad, she's just drawn that way. Benny the Cab is funny. Baby Herman is a bit annoying - he might look innocent at first, but he is extremely rude and he loves to woo women. Eddie Valiant is another great character - grumpy, serious and funny sometimes. And he looks very much like my godfather in appearance.

The movie takes place in Hollywood, 1947. It does recreate the 40's very well. That influence is notorious in many ways, including the cars used.

Before finishing, let me say that I like rabbits very much. They're adorable and very cute animals, although in the cartoons they aren't as cute - but they're usually funny in cartoons.

This should definitely be on Top 250.

Unique movie that we will never see the like of again

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 16 September 2020]

Hard drinking 1940's private eye Eddie Valiant finds himself caught up in another 'toon' case.

What we have is a double tribute to Hollywood's golden era of animation and film making. It has a comic take on the hard-boiled, film noir detective story and is populated by both live-action human and cartoon characters.

The story works superbly as a compelling mystery and hilarious comedy with both sharp dialogue and sight gags. There is more than a big nod to Roman Polansky's 'Chinatown' as Bob Hoskins' lead character laments over the tragic circumstances of his previous involvement in 'Toontown'.

Hoskins is the perfect foil for the outrageously silly title character and the fantastic Christopher Lloyd steals most of the scenes he's in with an almost Alan Rickman-like deadpan performance as the primary antagonist. The inclusion of many Warner and Disney cartoon character cameos is wonderful and serves the main concept of Toontown perfectly.

From a technical perspective it is a one off. You only have to google how it was made using layers and layers of hand-drawn, animation cells within the optical compositing process to just imagine how labour intensive it must have been.

The reaction this had from an audience at the time I remember vividly as a child of the 80s. When I first saw the scene where Kathleen Turner's Jessica Rabbit sings and struts about the stage interacting with live action characters I thought I was watching actual magic being performed.

Movie making has evolved so far now that visual spectacle is simply expected as part of the cinematic experience. The industry is built on the foundation of technology and expertise that can deliver it without too much difficulty. What puts 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' up there with the likes of 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Star Wars' is that it gave us something we hadn't seen before. What makes it particularly special is that we have never really seen anything like it since.

Modern day audiences may not sense the magic the way I did as a child, but I still enjoy it at forty and so does my four year-old daughter watching with me.

great marriage of cartoon and hard-boiled noir

[SnoopyStyle · 9/10 · 4 June 2015]

Roger Rabbit is a distracted Toon performer in the Maroon Cartoon studio. R.K. Maroon hires Toon-hating private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) to investigate Jessica Rabbit and break up their relationship once and for all. Toons supposedly killed Eddie's brother. A private company called Cloverleaf buys up the public transit Red Car. Bartender Dolores (Joanna Cassidy) is an old friend. At the nightclub to see Jessica perform, Eddie photographs Jessica playing pattycake with the owner of Toontown Marvin Acme. Roger Rabbit is distraught and when Marvin Acme turns up dead, he's the prime suspect. Creepy Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) intends on tracking down the Rabbit and bringing order to Toontown with the use of his dip. Acme supposed to have a Will leaving Toontown to the Toons. Eddie starts finding evidence of wrong-doing as he investigates.

This is a great marriage between the cartoon world and an old style hard-boiled detective story. The only problem is that future live-action animation never lived up to the imagination and shear audacity of this work. The genre becomes mostly kids movies. This is great for kids and for adults who see the influence of classic noirs like Chinatown in this. Bob Hoskins is a great unconventional lead and Jessica Rabbit is the breakout cartoon character.

A real "Breeze!" to watch over and over!

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 23 November 2018]

This is for the kid in all of us, those who grew up with cartoons as part of our movie going in the 1930's, 40's and 50's, and in my case, grew up watching the Saturday morning line-up that automatically featured two hours of "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner" show. It will take more than one viewing to catch all of the famous cartoon characters who appear in this film, mostly ones from the early sound era (in the public domain most likely) and those from Warner Brothers and Disney. This is a mixture of animation and film noir, with the human characters and cartoon characters mixing together as if they were part of the same world, although the presence of an area of the Hollywood Hills known as "Toon Town" makes the cartoon character's world seem "segregated'. The film stars Bob Hoskins as a cynical private detective down to the last threads of an agency, desperate for a case, practically any case, but not one preferably concerning "toons", as his brother was killed by a "toon", which has stereotyped most toons in his book (with the exception of Betty Boop perhaps) as bad.

The film opens with a hysterical spoof of the Warner Brothers cartoons with Roger Rabbit the baby sitter for a cookie craving toddler who endangers Roger's life simply by crawling out of his high chair while Roger isn't looking. After this, we learn the truth about "toon actors" (he's a 50 year old toon with a 3 month old "dinkie", the actor playing the baby garbles), and then get to meet Roger's wife, Jessica, an animated film noir vixen who sings like Amy Irving but talks like Kathleen Turner. Is Jessica a murderous femme fatale who killed off toon town owner Stubby Kaye? Or is she an innocent patty caker who is just content to stay at home and make Roger a carrot cake? As we learn from Betty Boop, work has been hard for some toons ever since cartoons went to color, and the fact that Jessica is the lucky one because Roger Rabbit is a huge star. The dueling Daffy and Donald Duck piano playing sequence proves that not all ducks come from the same pot and that not all of them cackle or squawk in a practically un-hearable manner.

Then, there's the evil darkly dressed judge (Christopher Lloyd) who seems to somehow be a distant relative of Disney's evil queens, sorceresses and stepmothers, obsessed with destroying toon town because of his creation of some obscure traveling idea called "a freeway". "Billboards as far as the eye can see!", Lloyd proclaims, and in order to get this through the valley, he needs to destroy toon town, and that means stopping anybody who can get ahold of Kaye's will. His crew of evil howling hyena henchmen will do anything for either a laugh or a quick buck, and as the audience learns, they literally have the ability to laugh themselves to death.

Where there's a femme fatale in film noir, there's also the tired, big hearted waitress, and here, it's Hoskins' long suffering girlfriend, Joanna Cassidy. While Jessica is an animated Rita Hayworth style character, Cassidy is a modern day compilation of Joan Blondell, Ann Sheridan or Alice Faye who essayed that archetype throughout the 1930's and 40's. The details here are fabulous with references to many aspects of the entertainment world of the 1940's, even a reference to the invisible rabbit Harvey. The most popular animated rabbit of all time, Bugs Bunny, does appear, paired with the single most popular mouse in animation history, Mickey. To see these two legendary characters together is ingenious, right after Hoskins encounters a "piggy picking" Tweety Bird. Of course, with energy lacking dog Droopy as the elevator pooch, Hoskins already has his hands full when he enters this toon town apartment building.

This film created a huge buzz in 1988, having long runs in its premiere and filling up the massive Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. for weeks. Several cartoon short sequels followed, but unfortunately, there was never a sequel, with director Robert Zemickis realizing perhaps there was no way he could top this, so why try? Thirty years after its premiere, it holds up as a classic in every way, with the mixture of animation and live action superb and the 1940's atmosphere brilliant. Even a haunting musical score by Alan Silvestri makes you feel like you've driven into a time tunnel. There are few films that are absolutely perfect, and this would certainly be in most people's top 10 listing of films that are. Whether you are a return viewer to this film for the umpeenth time (and get teary-eyed over the nostalgia that it brings back) or a first time young viewer out to find out why this is so brilliant, it is guaranteed to bring on a smile, many a laugh, and certainly for first time viewers, become a film you will want to revisit again and again...and again.

This may be a perfect movie

[pmtelefon · 10/10 · 22 March 2020]

I didn't see this movie in the theater. Shame on me. What was I thinking? "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a true classic. Director Robert Zemeckis & company took a great script and made a borderline masterpiece. Everything works perfectly. "Roger Rabbit" is a wildly entertaining movie. It is laugh-out-loud funny and very exciting. The cast is terrific. Bob Hoskins should have been nominated for an Oscar. He is the glue that holds this movie together. It's an amazing performance. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is one of the greats..

One of the best of all time

[klaypariah · 10/10 · 12 November 2004]

When this original movie was conceived and released in 1988, it was seen as a movie for the kids, but it soon found its way into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere. This was a landmark movie, cementing skills from all areas of Hollywood, from the budding special effects industry, to the acting skills of Bob Hoskins, to the SUPERB directing skills of Robert Zemeckis, to create one of the most impressive movies in Hollywood.

While this movie was not the first of it's kind, it was definitely the first to have cartoons and real actors interact so seamlessly, and it is impressive that it was made over 15 years ago. Another impressive part of this movie is the soundtrack, using the classic 20's jazz song "Why Don't You Do Right?" to bring back the old jazz club scene, to make for a truly authentic feel from a cartoon character, as well as the detective music used all originally composed. All around, this movie is one that I Grew up with, and children and adults will be enjoying for decades to come, because Who Framed Roger Rabbit will be a classic in the movie world for a long long time.

It's a...deadly...serious...business!

[Prof_Lostiswitz · 10/10 · 17 January 2004]

Watching this for the umpteenth time, I am struck by how much this movie resembles Brazil (1985). What, you will say, that was a grim and serious story set in a horrible dystopia. Ah, yes, but one of its main satirical weapons was its over-the-top humour.

Well, Roger Rabbit inverts the formula. We seem to have a zany cartoon comedy. but underlying this is a story about racism and genocide. The cartoon characters, who coexist with humans, are shown as a tolerated subordinated race, good for "singing and dancing and running and jumping". They are called "Toons", which resembles another epithet that used to be a nasty name for black people. And the "solution" is exactly that - a solution of benzene and acetone that will exterminate the Toons by dissolving them.

Both movies are set in something that resembles the 1940's, which gives lots of opportunity for spoofing films noir of the sort that Bogart et al. used to make.

How could something so serious be funny? The best comedy is just a hare's breadth (sorry, couldn't resist) removed from tragedy, which is why Hogan's Heroes is so funny while Disney comedies fall flat from gooey sentiment. Kids love Roger Rabbit, and that should be the ultimate test of whether it's comic or not.

It still amazes me how many grown-ups fail to perceive the underlying message of tolerance and understanding. Perhaps they don't want to...

Generational Enjoyment

[view_and_review · 9/10 · 24 February 2020]

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a classic. A test of a classic is if it maintains its relevance and/or excellence over time. In other words, it's not dated. I just watched it with my daughter who is roughly the same age I was when I first watched it over 30 years ago and the two of us enjoyed it equally. Although I felt like I failed as a father when she didn't recognize Yosemite Sam, Tweety Bird, Daffy Duck, and the other Looney Tunes characters.

I remember first seeing it and being amazed that there could be such a crossover with cartoons and live people. There was "Mary Poppins" and maybe some others, but WFRR was even more innovative. It was funny, creative, and had a brilliant plot. I'm sure my daughter can watch this movie in 30 years with her own kids and they would enjoy it just the same.

Great fun for kids and adults alike.

[linkola · 9/10 · 9 January 2000]

I'm a fan of both cartoons and film noir movies, and so Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a great experience to me. Set in the 1940's, in a shadowy atmosphere reminiscent of Bogart classics such as The Maltese Falcon, the movie blends in cartoon characters and live actors almost seamlessly. For me, one of the most interesting aspects of the movie was seeing Disney and Warner Bros cartoon characters in the same scenes - for the first time in film history, I believe. Who could forget the piano duel of Donald and Daffy? The live actors were a bit theatrical and over-dramatic at times, but not to an extent that would have made the film unbearable or bad. The cartoon characters saved a lot, too.

Fast-paced, entertaining film that can be viewed by anyone. I liked it very much.

Great fun film for both adults and older kids

[bob the moo · 28 December 2003]

Down on his luck Eddie Valiant is hired by cartoon studio producer RK Maroon to help get his main star, Roger Rabbit, to focus on the job rather than his wife. To do this Valiant is told to get photographs of Jessica Rabbit with another man. He does this but it only serves to send Roger into a rage and he storms off the lot. When the man that was photographed with Jessica turns up dead the next day, Roger is wanted by the police and the toon hating Judge Doom. Roger goes to Valiant to help him, but is there more to the story than meets the eye?

I saw this film years ago in the cinema as a child and loved it then just as much as I do now. The plot is a classic bit of noir - complete with drunken, bitter private dick, a beautiful but untrustworthy femme fatale, plot twists and a patsy. The twist here is that this is a kids film (more or less) and that it features cartoon characters! This works well - making it accessible for kids but still clever enough for adults.

That's not to say that the adults won't like the cartoons too. With so many famous characters making cameos there is plenty of cartoons for adults to enjoy. The humour of the film is quite violent and may not be appropriate for younger children - especially the steamroller scene near the end which I found a little upsetting when I saw this as a preteen. Regardless of that the film is still pretty funny and can be enjoyed by most, even if kids won't get the plot or references to other movies.

Hoskins is good - he fits the rundown noir mould well but can also clown when he has to. Lloyd is a great bad guy - scary enough to bother kids but not comic to the point that he is a clown character to adults. Jessica Rabbit sticks in the mind, likely one of the best femme fatales if she were real, she is voiced really well by Turner and the animation fits her voice well. Fleischer's Roger is good for a cartoon character but it is often the other cartoon characters that are more enjoyable; not only the various cameos but also the weasels and the taxicab.

Overall this is a good movie but maybe not for young kids due to the dark edge and some scary scenes. However for older children and adults this is real good fun - a good plot, a noir atmosphere and a clever twist on the creation of cartoons in the real world.

A film Classic like no other

[rogerebert · 1 August 2001]

To make a great classic film i think it has to work on several different levels and this one not only plays on many different levels It scores tremendously.

It is a great childrens movie. With zany classic characters such as Roger, the Weasles, and Benny the Cab. They are original crazy and fun. Also it is a mystery. It plays perfectly as one of those Old 50's detective stories. It is a milestone in film making. The scenes of the "toons" and humans sharing a world is great. I think the best scene as special effects go, is the one where Eddie and Roger are handcuffed together in his office. It looks so real!!!!! This movie is fun and creative and will go down in movie history. I don't know what else to say it is simply the best.

Also do your self a favor and steer clear of the bad rip off Cool World.

A wonderful film...just not for all ages.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 27 October 2020]

There are close to 300 reviews for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and it's pretty much accepted in nearly all of them that this movie is a classic. I certainly won't argue that nor the how the film seamlessly integrates live action and cartoons....this is really a given. The film is great entertainment and fun.

That being said, I should point out one important thing. Despite being a Disney cartoon, it is NOT for all ages. Some of the jokes are needlessly crude but more than that, the violence in the movie is just too much for young viewers. I let my daughter see it when she was young...and in hindsight, that was a mistake. A great film....just not one for kids under age 7 or 8.

An Absolute Gem

[vidarandre-96341 · 10/10 · 26 December 2018]

Made in a time when everything didn't have to be PC. The fact that all the respectable cartoon "owners" came together and gave their accept to this movie is nothing short of a miracle.

The combination of playfull cartoons and a murder plot, drinking and smoking etc, is outstanding and I find it hard to imagine that this could've happend in today's "perfect" society, sadly.

Great movie, great animation, great actors and great plot. 10/10.

Smile Darn Ya Smile

[Valeen_the_II · 10/10 · 17 November 2006]

This movie is excellent! It's funny, suspenseful,& witty. The leads, Roger & Eddie are likable in their own unique ways and the FX are breathtaking! Bob Hoskins & Chris Lloyd deserved Oscar nods IMO.

WFRR is what most of today's CGI films "pretend" to be! A mature, family film that people of many generations can enjoy!

Anyone who hasn't seen this film I definitely recommend it! If you like quirky comedies,fantasies, suspenseful films, or are a cartoon geek watch WFRR!...

As a huge fan of all things comedic, I love the film's message about laughter!

When the film opens, detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is this disenchanted, cynical alkie who hasn't gotten over the murder of his brother who was killed by a toon...Because of this Eddie[ who was once known for his penchant for solving toon-related cases, getting the colorful playful creatures out of trouble] resents ALL toons now and refuses to work for or with them.

Too bad Roger Rabbit doesn't know this. He is a toon who is wanted for a murder he didn't commit and hounded by the creepy & corrupt judge/jury/executioner : Judge Doom. Thus he seeks Valiant's help. During their search for the true killer and their evasion of Judge Doom & his weasel cohorts, Eddie wonders how Roger can have such an exuberant clownlike spirit in the face of possible death. Roger tells Eddie "a laugh can be a very powerful thing, why sometimes in life it's the only weapon we have."

The tone of the film is a mixture of dark noir frenetic tooniness a sultry yet strong damsel (the one and only Jessica Rabbit) and social racial allegory.

The film's theme of minorities (the toons) vs. genocide & "the man" (Judge Doom)....And of Eddie's prejudices against toons (due to his brother's murder) disappearing at the end, thus he overcomes his alcoholism and grief or Roger's very motto of "Laughter is a powerful weapon" and how that helps Eddie in the final showdown (by killing the weasels with laughter and thwarting Judge Doom with a toon prop that malfunctions his diabolical machine).

American Pop-culture & escapism ARE powerful weapons against misery, hatred & life's hardships in general. And they help unite all different walks of life.

WFRR takes place in the WWII era towards the 50s...While the 40's were a time of American unity, escapism & pop-culture (what the "toons" represent) The 50's were more about cold hard, capitalism technology & being superior..I feel that the megalomaniac villain represents THAT as well as the racial/cultural insensitivity that came with the 50's.

But no matter how you interpret WFRR it's an American masterpiece! There seems to be some controversy on what age it is appropriate for....Be warned this film IS violent loud climatic and more likely than not, will scare a young child. But if you are a parent you have to know your kid and realize what will give him or her nightmares. Having said that, even if you won't let junior watch it, that doesn't mean you, yourself can't enjoy it, the next time it comes on Encore Mystery.

There are a lot of "Judge Dooms" these days...People who are perpetually serious & full of themselves & really have NO sense of humor at all...Don't be a Judge Doom...Watch this movie!

Beautiful, Belligerent, and Bountiful Nostalgia Run Amock

[LeonLouisRicci · 10/10 · 8 January 2016]

Virtually a "Stand Alone", Extravagant, Exuberant, and completely Nutzoid Movie that was, at the time, Audacious, Ambitious, and anything but the usual Stuff released Weekly by the Hollywood Big Shots.

In its Initial Release it Pleased most Moviegoers, especially those old enough to have Grown Up with Disney, Warner Brothers, and the other Competing "Toon" Studios.

Just about All of the Toon Characters that Appear in Cameos and Background were Popular in the Full Animation Period that lasted until about the Early Sixties when Hanna Barbara's Cheap and Flat Style took over Television and Killed the much more Expensive, but more Impressive Predecessor.

Eye-Popping, Fantastic, and Frenetic, if the Film has a Fault, it may be its over Enthusiastic Inclusion of so Much in so Little Time. Much of the Frame is constantly being "Fought Over" for Screen Time by the Myriad of "Toons" Squeezing in and out of Scenes.

Also, some have Problems with the Main Character, Roger Rabbit's Irritating and Grating Voice and He doesn't quite Measure Up to the Legendary Appeal of the Supporting Cast of His Animated Cousins.

But maybe, He was "Just Drawn That Way". Anyway, His On Screen Wife Jessica never has that Problem and is one of the Movie's Standouts (Her Action Figure was an instant sellout) and is Infamous for early home Video freeze frames.

The Film has been given its Due by Fans and Critics even after the Initial Wonder Dissipated. It may not be as Impressive Today but few Films as Groundbreaking and Innovative as this that Push the Boundaries of the Art-Form to New Levels and New Directions Rarely are.

Overall, slightly Underrated but cannot be denied its Status as a Belligerent, Beautiful, and Wonderful Experiment that gave Movie Patrons a Platform for its Joyful Nostalgia, and yes, it did and does make People laugh.

nice monkey suit......

[FlashCallahan · 9/10 · 2 March 2011]

It is 1940's Los Angeles. In a world were Humans and Cartoons co-exist. A famous toon known as Roger Rabbit has life easy, until he discovers that his wife, Jessica Rabbit is having fun with the head of Maroon Cartoons.

Then things take a turn for the worse for Roger as he is know accused of murdering Mr. Maroon. Roger turns to a down and out detective named Eddie Valiant, who has a vendetta for toons.

He helps Roger (against his own will), escape from an uncompromising Judge Doom, and even try to clear Roger's name. In order to do this, he must travel all over L.A. and even into Toontown.

Even though this is a groundbreaking movie, it hasn't aged well sadly. But this homage to film noir, is one of the most original blockbusters ever made. Hoskins is great as valiant, and he has great chemistry with thin air/Roger rabbit.

The jokes and innuendo come thick and fast, and despite some very disturbing scenes (still cannot watch the shoe part, and i'm 33) this is one film to get the family to watch.

The animation is good, but by today's standards, it suffers with continuity. Editing is good, and the film almost contains every animated character ever to grace the big screen, apart from Michael Jackson.

Judge doom is very dark indeed, and makes the film a little too sinister for some, but then the pay off is even more sweeter.

It's 100 minutes of pure Hollywood fun, the kind of film that will never get boring or predictable, no matter how many times you watch it.

great stuff.