It's been over 30 years since Who Framed Roger Rabbit graced the big screen with its wacky presence and to this day it's still a beloved film as it's fun for the whole family. This classic has it all from dark humor and sexual tension to silly cartoon antics such as giving someone a tire for a parachute.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is more than a silly movie though, as it is truly a work of art and made film history. Fans might assume there is not much to know about the goofy classic 80's film, but toons are known for being mischievous and even a little secretive. Here are 10 things you never knew about Who Framed Roger Rabbit:
10 Bob Hoskins was Not the First Choice
Fans of Who Framed Roger Rabbit can all agree that Bob Hoskins was the perfect actor to star as toon-hating private investigator Eddie Valiant as he was the winning combination of funny and gruff. It's hard to picture what the film would have been like with a different Eddie Valiant.
Bob Hoskins was not the first choice however to play the role of the jaded P.I. The creators of Who Framed Roger Rabbit were tossing around other big names such as Harrison Ford, who ended up being too expensive, and Bill Murray who they could not get in touch with. As great as both Harrison Ford and Bill Murray are, Bob Hoskins owned the role of Eddie Valiant.
9 Based on the Book Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
When first watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit, fans might assume it's merely a silly movie, but the plot is actually a tad on the dark side as someone was murdered and an innocent rabbit is being framed all in the of greed. It could have been way darker though.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is based on the 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? written by Gary Wolf. Spoiler alert: Roger actually dies in the book. Probably not the most kid-friendly plot. So creators had to tweak the plot a bit which went through several changes, at one point Baby Herman and Jessica were going to be the villains, before they decided on what would become Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
8 Bob Hoskins Went a Little Loony
Every great artist must suffer for their work at some point whether it's cutting off your own ear or hallucinating a weasel on a woman's hat. While fans can all see the cartoon characters in the finished product, for eight months Bob Hoskins had to simply imagine they were there.
Bob Hoskins stated that after pretending to talk to and see cartoon characters for eight months, it affected his mental health as he saw the characters long after filming was done. He also told the story of when he went to an event once he saw one of the Toontown patrol weasels in a woman's hat. He had quite the array of imaginary friends.
7 Christopher Lloyd wasn't the First Choice
Judge Doom is one of the most menacing characters in Toontown history with his insane red eyes and terrifyingly high-pitched voice. Christopher Lloyd did a fantastic job of portraying Judge Doom as he was frightening, but not overly scary so kids could still enjoy the movie.
Even though Christoper Lloyd was a terrific Judge Doom, he was not the creators's first choice. Before settling on the Back to the Future star, they considered Tim Curry who was too scary and John Cleese who was not frightening enough. Fans can all agree that the creators made the right choice with Christopher Lloyd.
6 There was No Computer Imagery
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was the most expensive movie to date when it was produced in 1988 as it cost $70 million to make which is about $150 million in today's world. A massive amount of work went in to creating the live action/animated film as there were no shortcuts taken.
It took nearly 800 people to bring Who Framed Roger Rabbit to the big screen as there was no computer imagery used in the whole movie which means each time there was a movement made by one of the cartoon characters even if it was a tiny gesture such as light change due to bumping a lamp, it was hand drawn by someone. Creators felt that computer generated images would take away from the 1940's effect they were going for.
5 First Time Disney & Warner Bros Collaborated
Who Framed Roger Rabbit made incredible leaps and bounds in the cinema world and it also made cartoon history as it was the first time big names of different cartoon studios were in one movie. The film included characters not only from Disney and Warner Bros but also from Paramount Pictures, MGM, Universal Studios and others.
Over 30 years later, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is still the only movie to date to have Disney favorite Mickey Mouse and Warner Bros.'s icon Bugs Bunny not only in a movie together, but in a scene together. This was no easy task as it took a lot of work on Steven Spielberg's part, as he was the one who personally contacted the studios to get all of the studios to agree to have their characters in the movie.
4 Charles Fleischer really got into Character
Bob Hoskins might have suffered hallucinations due to filming Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but its arguable whether he was the looniest one on the set. Charles Fleischer who voiced everyone's rabbit took his role as Roger Rabbit very seriously. So serious in fact that even though he was never seen on camera, he insisted on having a Roger Rabbit costume.
Charles Fleischer was so devoted to the film that he would wear his Roger Rabbit costume to set everyday to deliver his lines. He believed it not only helped him get into character, but it also aided his costar Bob Hoskins with imagining a white rabbit in red overalls was real.
3 Dip does Kill Cartoon Characters
For decades, cartoon fans have watched their favorite characters escape death countless times. How many times did Coyote fall off a cliff or blow himself up on Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner? Cartoons are known for being able to survive anything and that includes a refrigerator being dropped on their head 23 times.
However, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit it appears cartoons are not quite as invincible as we thought. The menacing concoction "dip" can destroy any character and this is a true fact. Dip is a mixture of turpentine, acetone, and benzene which are actually paint thinners. This means dip really can "kill" cartoon characters by erasing them off the page.
2 Roger Rabbit is a Hodge-Podge of Several Toons
Roger Rabbit is quite the unique character not only because of his kooky personality, but also because of his overly cartoonish appearances. This famous rabbit has his own style which is actually a combination of several other cartoon characters's styles.
Roger's animator, Richard Williams, was inspired by the big names of cartoon characters from the 1940's including Tex Avery, Disney, and Warner Bros. Roger's face represents Looney Tunes as his orange hair mimics Droopy Dog's and his cheeks are styled after Bugs Bunny. While his outfit represents more Disney classics such as his yellow gloves similar to Mickey Mouse and his oversize overalls inspired by Goofy. If you want to be one of the greats, you have to look the part.
1 Won Several Academy Awards
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a treasured film as the storyline is humorous yet captivating, and months of hard work from almost 800 individuals went into making the beloved 80's movie. This hard work did not go unnoticed.
In 1989 Who Framed Roger Rabbit took home 4 Academy Awards for Best Film Editing, Best Effects: Sound Effects Editing, and Best Effects: Visual Effects. Along with these awards, Roger Rabbit's animator, Richard Williams, won the Special Achievement Award. Fans can all agree these prestigious film awards were well deserved by the talented and hardworking crew of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
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