Product: Who Framed Roger Rabbit [VHS] (1988)
Rating: 5.0
There can be a film where animation + live-action really work together, and this is one of them.
Films that feature both live-action and animation generally haven't done so well (Cool World, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, etc.), all except two. From the best of my knowledge, Space Jam and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? have held up all these years. But before there was Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, there was Bob Hoskins and Roger Rabbit. This is a dark, silly, and extremely fun film with a whole lot of humor and a whole lot of (cartoonish) action. The special effects are especially top-notch, and none of it looks dated. The cartoon characters look authentic, as if they're actually there onscreen with the real actors. Christopher Lloyd is dead-on as Judge Doom, while Bob Hoskins delivers the goods as Eddie Valiant. Charles Fleischer has the right voice for Roger Rabbit, while Jessica Rabbit look nice as Roger's girlfriend (even though I think that she's not very attractive as a cartoon woman).If you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking film, then this is not the perfect choice. What it is, however, is a wildly fun movie with lots of brilliant effects and perfectly-timed humor. I wouldn't necessarily say that it's for really small kids, but hey, it's good for the rest of us.Grade: A-