One of a kind - a joy to watch

Rating: 10/10 (11 February 2012)

I watched this as a kid fairly often, but hadn't seen it in probably 15 years. I finally got my hands on a copy, and I have to say it is pretty special.
The setting is 1940's Hollywood, where cartoon characters coexist with people. They live in a neighborhood called ToonTown, but are usually found on the back lot of film studios. Bob Hoskin's plays private detective Eddie Valiant, hired by a production company to reconcile Roger Rabbit with his wife Jessica because Roger's broken heart is causing him to lose focus on his latest picture.
What starts out as a quick and easily wrapped up case for the PI turns into something more when Roger is suspected of killing Acme Incorporated owner, his wife's "patty-cake partner", Marvin Acme. When Eddie discovers a motive that no toon would kill Acme for, he teams up with Roger to hopefully bring the real murderer to justice.
Robert Zemeckis, who brought us the amazing Back to the Future Trilogy, does another amazing job directing. The writers did a remarkable job working in jokes and zany anecdotes that somehow make total sense in a cartoon/real world crossover. The actors are very convincing; it's as if they are really interacting with toons. Considering that this movie was released in 1988, the animation/live action crossover is excellent; you really believe that the toons are manipulating the "real" environment.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a joy to watch – I can't think of how it could be any better. I don't know of another movie like it that actually reaches the standards of this film, it is simply superb.
If you ever get a chance to watch this movie (again, or for the first time) don't turn it down. I don't think you'll be disappointed.