Stonemagazine. Hollywood had attempted similar
combinations of live and cartoon characters, such as
a dance scene featuring Gene Kelly and Jerry the
Mouse (of theTom and Jerr yanimated series) inAn-
chors Aweigh(1945), as well as a nine-minute Looney
Tunes cartoon, 1940’s black-and-whiteYou Ought to
Be in Pictures, starring Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and
real-life Warner Bros. producer Leon Schlesinger.
To create believable visuals forWho Framed Roger Rab-
bit, more than eighty-five thousand hand-painted
cels were created after plotting each shot. Legend-
ary animator Chuck Jones himself storyboarded the
Daffy-Donald scene (although he later criticized the
film for giving live actors more sympathy than car-
toon characters).
Besides a fine display of new technology,Who
Framed Roger Rabbitwas also a good movie. Copro-
duced by Steven Spielberg and Disney, it was written
by Peter S. Seaman and Jeffrey Price, who based
their screenplay on Gary K. Wolf’s 1981 novelWho
Censored Roger Rabbit?Inspired by the filmChinatown
(1974) and the actual conspiracy to destroy Califor-
nia’s streetcar systems to sell more cars, tires, and
gasoline,Who Framed Roger Rabbitwas an allegory for
capitalism run amok versus an ideal, pastoral, Jeffer-
sonian innocence, and it targeted adults as well as
younger audiences.
Set in 1947 in a world inhabited by both humans
and cartoon characters (“Toons”), the movie is a
strange, funny blend of cartoon high jinks and film
noir. Roger is the nephew ofBambi(1942) costar
Thumper and is distracted from his acting jobs by
jealousy over his wife Jessica. Roger’s boss hires hard-
boiled (and Toon-hating) detective Eddie Valiant
(Bob Hoskins) to look into it, but things get compli-
cated when Roger is suspected of murdering Jessica’s
possible patty-cake partner.
Helping Hoskins juggle all kinds of detective and
cartoon devices—plus crime-drama starkness and
cartoon sunniness—are Christopher Lloyd (as Judge
Doom), Kathleen Turner (as Jessica Rabbit), Stubby
Kaye (as Marvin Acme), Joanna Cassidy (as Do-
lores), and Charles Fleischer (as Roger). Before cast-
ing Hoskins, filmmakers reportedly considered ap-
proaching several high-profile actors for the detective
role, including Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, and
Bill Murray.
Distributed by Disney’s Touchstone subsidiary,
the film was codirected by Richard Williams, who
handled the animated segments. Those moments
featured many other famous cartoon characters from
several studios, including Goofy, Porky Pig, Woody
Woodpecker, Betty Boop, Droopy, and both Bugs
Bunny and Mickey Mouse.
Behind the scenes, the film featured notable voice
actors, including Mel Blanc (Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny,
and others), Wayne Allwine (Mickey Mouse), Tony
Anselmo (Donald Duck), and Mae Questel (Betty
Boop).
Impact Who Framed Roger Rabbitearned $150 mil-
lion in its original theatrical release, won three Acad-
emy Awards, and was nominated for four others. It is
credited with reviving Hollywood animation, paving
the way for Dreamworks, Pixar, Fox, and other com-
panies producing animated features.
Further Reading
Corliss, Richard. “Creatures of a Subhuman Spe-
cies.”Time, June 27, 1988, 52.
Powers, John. “Tooned Out.”Rolling Stone, August
11, 1988, 37-38.
Wolf, Gary.Who Censored Roger Rabbit?New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 1981.
Bill KnightSee also Academy Awards; Computers; Film in the
United States; Special effects; Turner, Kathleen.Williams, Robin
Identification American actor and comedian
Born July 21, 1951; Chicago, Illinois
Williams is best known for the unique, high-intensity,
stream-of-consciousness comedy that has earned him the
reputation as one of the best improvisational comedians of
all time.
Robin Williams overcame his childhood shyness by
becoming involved in drama during high school and
pursued this interest at Claremont Men’s College. In
1973, he was accepted into the highly selective ad-
vanced program at Juilliard, along with Christopher
Reeve, where the two classmates studied under John
Houseman and established a lifelong friendship. At
Houseman’s advice, Williams returned to San Fran-
cisco to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. In Feb-
ruary, 1978, he was cast in a guest role as the space
alien Mork on theHappy Daystelevision series, which
led to a starring role in the spin-off seriesMork and1046 Williams, Robin The Eighties in America