Intelligent, Purposeful Toon Chaos Like This Should Never Be Reined In

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2011)

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (hereafter WFRR) is an exhilarating example of a "Hamlet Syndrome" movie. I define a "Hamlet Syndrome" work as one that is so important, revolutionary, and/or complex that it has been endlessly analyzed from multiple perspectives, and therefore impossible to make an original comment upon. In other words, what can I say about this movie that hasn't been said before? For example, I'm sure I'm not the only poster who has seen this movie multiple times in the theater (5 times in my case). Also, many posters must own the VHS or DVD version; in fact, WFRR was my first VHS movie purchase and someday I will purchase the DVD. Like many posters, I adore the masterful, seamless, phantasmagoric merger of live action and animation. Sigh! I think I'll comment upon the main factor that, in my opinion, made WFRR such a success - its matter-of-fact, focused intelligence.
It seems strange to call the anarchic, partly animated WFRR world focused and intelligent, but it is. The dialogue is whip-smart, sizzling, and meaningful at every moment, even when a toon is speaking it. The development of the murder mystery involving the death of Acme Products's practical joker king Marvin Acme is appropriately convoluted, twisty, and elusive. The detective Eddie Valiant is still street-smart, shrewd, and clever despite his descent into alcoholism and despair over the murder of his brother (poignantly summarized by a photo montage). Likewise, his transition from enjoying to hating toons because his brother was killed by one. The implication of the goofy Roger Rabbit in Acme's murder because of his supposed dalliance with his stunning human toon wife Jessica Rabbit. The stubbornly growing relationship between Roger and his reluctant protector Eddie. The sinister machinations of the cadaverous Judge Doom. Even the toons' fantastic feats which as Roger explains can occur only if they are funny. Every aspect of the film impresses you with its intelligence, because it is smarter than its audience.
WFRR is indeed intelligent, and its intelligence extends to pleasing both kids and adults without being condescending or boring to either. Almost inevitably, this means the movie presents risqué dialogue and situations (e.g. Baby Herman's lament about his 40-year-old lust and his 3-year-old dinky, or Eddie's sometime girlfriend and speakeasy owner Delores commenting on the rabbit extending from his pocket). But the movie is agile and lighthearted enough to avoid offending anyone (unlike, say, Rango). The action, jokes, one-liners, and asides are all sharp and really require you to think.
The entire tone of WFRR is smart, too, as well as underplayed and low-key. Even when someone acts crazy, as for example in the climax when Eddie attempts to save Roger and Jessica from being immersed in the "dip" by...I'm not telling, it has a serious objective. Humans interact with cartoons and sometimes even enter Toontown, the toons's abode, but they never BECOME cartoons. The tone bolsters the underlying serious themes of the movie, which are not only will Roger be acquitted, but also whether Eddie will redeem himself professionally and socially. WFRR will also teach you something about '40s film noir and detective movies, if you are observant.
WFRR does something more. Its overall craft and brilliance affirms how great human beings can be, when they set their minds to something. Who would expect a collision of flesh-and-blood humans, irreverent Looney Tunes characters, and boisterous Disney characters to do that?