Typical Storyline Vainly Masqueraded With Animation

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2013)

A trendsetter when originally released, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? contains a mixture of live action/animation which holds a legacy of starting the renaissance of feature length animations. For those of a certain age who may associate Who Framed Roger Rabbit? with their childhoods it must have been one of wonder and originality, but that's only speculation on my part. Not being born until the early 90s I was widely exposed the surge of Pixar and Disney animations through out my childhood. This is one way of explaining why my spectatorship of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was at times indifferent.
A reason regarding my indifference is reflected in the storyline. Detective Eddie Valiant is hired by Cartoon Studio owner R.K. Maroon on a routine investigation on behalf of Roger Rabbit, yet true to form the case is not so cut and dried as Valiant is forced into a scenario of murder and corruption. It's a plot which is been recycled dozens of times before and since creating no suspense to the Noir/Crime influenced narrative.
Even the characterisations rely on stale stereotypes with Valiant being the alcohol – addicted and emotionally conflicted private eye and in a lesser role, his suffering on/off girlfriend Dolores who desperately longs for reclaiming Valiant's affection. Considering the personalities of the characters and the storyline can be compared to a range of films, it becomes difficult to appreciate its worth specifically in terms of the overall story. Part of this also relies on the acting, which only Christopher Lloyd gave a standout performance as Judge Doom with deadly determination and evil demeanour conveying himself as a horrific antagonist.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? seemed overly relevant on its animated characters to steer towards a fresh direction when no significance was being applied to the live action. Though it is very harsh to criticise its crippling reliance on animation since it was intended to be a large part in the film's character, it did give Who Framed Roger Rabbit? an enhanced quality, which is an advantage. In a car chase sequence where Valiant and Roger Rabbit use an animated talking car to escape, zig zagging through traffic and pulling off impressive stunts, most notably extending in height to finally evade the villainous Toon police. Having the animation did give an extra dynamic to the action and helped create the surreal atmosphere where humans and cartoons co – existed. Also in brief the inclusion of Jennifer Rabbit as a sultry woman whose animated presence I saw as a cherished tribute to the notable females of film noir.
On the flip side of what was stated earlier regarding the typical plot devices and stereotypes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, it was clever in attracting an older audience in building up certain expectations only to be humorously surprised. The pinnacle of this subversive humour was watching Valiant from a distance taking pictures of his suspects as part of an investigation with distant mutters of "pattycake" and enthusiastic shouts of enjoyment hinting at a sexual encounter, only for older spectators to have this idea turned on its head when it's revealed the children's game of pattycake was being played. The magnitude of sexual innuendo within Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is both great humour and shockingly risqué for children's film by today's standards.
In spite of its lacking originality in plot and characters, the ambitious scale of animation and its various uses to distorting perceived reality to create a surreal universe amongst an unoriginal narrative can still be appreciated to an extent.