One of those movies that gets better and better with each viewing; empowered by a single, reiterating question: how did they do it?

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2011)

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is one of those movies that gets better and better with each viewing. It amazed me the first time I saw it; it amazed me even more the second and wait eagerly for my third encounter with this dazzling little wonder of a movie. Apart from being wonderful entertainment, it is also a first-class example of Hollywood's greatest special effects done with purposeful and pleasing imagination. It's also a movie that you will find yourself going back to many times not merely because it is so endlessly entertaining, but to try and answer a question you find yourself asking over and over again as you watch it: how did they do it?
The movie is (very) loosely based on a book by Gary Wolf called "Who Censored Roger Rabbit." For the film version, directed by Robert Zemeckis, the setting is changed to Hollywood, 1947, in an imaginary alternative where humans and animated cartoon characters exist together in the movie business. Bob Hoskins stars as an alcoholic gumshoe with a grudge against toons who is hired to investigate the activities of a cartoon star named Roger Rabbit. When the owner of the town where the toons live is found murdered and Roger Rabbit is framed, the gumshoe finds himself reluctantly teeming up with him to try and solve the case, which becomes much more complex than one might expect from a movie blending live action with animation.
The first impression I got was that this movie would be directed at kids, but it is actually more fun for adults. Partially because of some dark undertones, but mostly because adults can really appreciate the craftsmanship and will wonder the most on how the filmmakers could have done it. Of course, this was not the first time animation was combined with live action, but this was the first time it had been done so effectively. For example, when a cartoon character steps on a floorboard, the (live-action) floorboard squeaks. When a toon touches a coat, the (live-action) coat moves. When they pick up a gun, the (live-action) gun moves. The camera is constantly in motion; the shadows are ever-present. And no matter how hard you look, you can't spot any wires or strings or operators and you find yourself wondering if that was even how it was done.
That's the magic of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Not merely because the special effects are good, but because they are done with the intent of amazing and befuddling the audience. You can guess how about half of the special effects were done. You'll probably be right about half the time there. And as for the other half, you can't even guess. And at the same time, you don't want to know because it's more fun to wonder.
However, there is much more here to give people reason to see the movie. Mr. Zemeckis was reportedly given more than 40 scripts to choose from and chose one that is complex, whimsical, funny, imaginative, and nostalgic. The plot is much darker and more complex that you'd expect, the jokes are not the typical below-the-belt humor we usually get, the writing is witty and sharp, and every gag delivers a laugh. Furthermore, the casting choice as far as the humans go is solid. The great Bob Hoskins plays his role like a straight man and not a comical figure trying to upstage his animated costars. There are many other great choices as well, but most entertaining is that the movie has one of the most fun villains in cinema history. Christopher Lloyd gives one of his performances as a sardonic, gargoyle-like judge who is both fearsome and yet strangely entertaining at the same time.
Some of the animated characters are new, but many come from our childhood memories. Different characters from different studios make their way into the film. Some of which haven't been seen on the screen in years, such as Betty Boop, who was last seen in 1939. A personal favorite scene of mine is where Donald and Daffy Duck have a little piano square-off. Not only is the combination of animated characters and live-action pianos seamless, but it is handly exremely well and the nostalgia that was bubbling through my conscience was intoxicating.
Perfectly matched to Director Zemeckis and produced by passionate souls such as Steven Spielberg, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a first-class example of entertainment. Hollywood rarely even finds the nerve to try and attempt a movie like this anymore, but we are so appreciative of them when they do.