Why 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is Way Better Than You Remember Part 2: Anybody know you're here
You can read Part One HERE.
Imagine you're 1940's detective with a considerable amount of trauma. Imagine a Toon murdering your beloved brother. Imagine then being involved with another Toon-murders-human case with one of the suspects in said murder and this Toon happens to be one of the most obnoxious in existence. Such is the existence of Eddie Valiant.
Now, further imagine you are Bob Hoskins brilliantly acting to thin air.
I watch a lot of 80's movies. I think, for the most part, the vast majority of them have held up incredibly well, so much better, in fact, than more modern films. Practical effects have a much longer shelf life than CGI, and because of their three-dimensional nature, register more with our brains as being "real." Who Framed Roger Rabbit is no exception.
Whist the sheer stunning magnitude of Hoskins' emotional performance is not to be understated, his physical performances and the believably in which he acts next to nothing is unbelievable.
In preparation for writing this series, I took the liberty of finally watching behind-the-scenes and the "making of"s for this movie.
Click to viewI am even more in love with and impressed by this movie after having watched these.
First of all, the effects in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, being completely devoid of CGI, have held up incredibly well, and are still wholly believable. I know the rational and adult part of your brain knows ("knows") that this is not real, but the other part of your brain believes it, because of how well the effects were executed. I didn't realize the level of realism and detail that were attended to in the making of the film---from the real life objects moving and reacting to Toons, to the Industrial Light and Magic lighting effects on the characters. I didn't even realize until watching the behind-the-scenes specials how well execute and consummately integrated all of the effects were. You don't even think about the possibility that it might not actually be Roger jumping on the bed and making dents in it or crashing into the dresser.
If you don't want to have the magic spoiled for you in any way, do not watch the above video.
We will never see a film like Who Framed Roger Rabbit again. It's not just because we recently lost Richard Williams or because we are never going to see Mickey and Bigs on screen together again. It's not that the world no longer cares about hand drawn animation (which is making a comeback--YAY!). We will never see anything that magnificent, of that scale, with such attention to detail, ever again. We don't make movies to tell stories or to make art anymore. CGI ages like milk, and will never lose its uncanny valley because it is not tangible. Acting to green or blue screens is not believable. Movies are made now with the sole intention of making money, so we no longer take risks. The only films as of late that have remotely come close have been the Paddington and Peter Rabbit films, and while they have really nailed the storytelling and the heart and humor, the CGI still doesn't cut it. They still do not have the believably that films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mary Poppins, or Bedknobs and Broomsticks, have. There is an inherent organic quality to traditional, hand-drawn animation, and matched with the sheer brilliance of the mime-work in Who Framed Roger Rabbit that cannot be replicated.
Hoskins lost the Golden Globe that year to Tom Hanks in Big, which is such a gross injustice. We are never going to see anyone of that caliber with the capabilities of both pathos and comedy and nuance Hoskins showcased in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
In Part 3, I'll be talking a lot about Jessica Rabbit.