"Who framed Roger Rabbit?" Real life meets art.

Although it doesn’t get mentioned very regularly these days, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” is one of the most important movies of all time, not only because of what it represented in technical terms by so organically blending traditional animation with live action, but because it is a perfect example of the cynicism that permeated the cinema of the eighties, and, honestly, many filmmakers today could learn a thing or two from it.

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“Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” is a 1988 film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, which, based on a novel called “Who censored Roger Rabbit?”, shows us a world where humans and cartoon characters coexist, as we unravel a crime of which Roger Rabbit (an animated rabbit loosely inspired by characters like Bugs Bunny and Goofy) is accused.

While like many I first saw this film as a child, I was surprised by the amount of things I found revisiting it as an adult, not only because its special effects are still impressive (a testament to the months of effort, as well as the level of perfectionism of Richard Williams, who supervised the animated portions), but because it has a sharp nature and a great script that has survived the passage of time very well. Zemeckis (who many know for gems like Back to The Future) knew how to find the perfect balance between film noir and the slapstick elements of traditional animation, paying homage to the industry but subtly attacking its most controversial aspects.

And beyond the technical, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? It's a solid, fun story, with a cast full of excellent actors (Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd and Charles Fleischer, to name a few), and the historical mix of multiple icons of animation and popular culture such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Betty Bop and Bugs Bunny, something that was only possible thanks to a series of contractual agreements between Warner Brothers and Walt Disney.

Ironically, while at the time it seemed to not align with the themes and ideals that a company like Disney promoted (that's why it was released under Touchstone Pictures and not Walt Disney Productions), it is a perfect example of a philosophy that would be great to see more regularly today, not so much for its irreverent nature, but for its ability to squeeze a unique premise to create a wonderful story around it.

This score was taken from my letterboxd account