Who Framed Roger Rabbit

1988

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Screenplay By: Jeffrey Price; Peter S. Seaman

Starring: Bob Hoskins; Christopher Lloyd; Charles Fleischer; Stubby Kaye; Joanna Cassidy

Based On: Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy, mystery, and comedy film. Combining live-action and animation, the film is set in Hollywood during the late 1940s in an alternative timeline where animated characters really exist. The story follows Eddie Valiant, a private detective who must exonerate “Toon” Roger Rabbit, accused of murdering a wealthy businessman.

Walt Disney Pictures purchased the film rights for Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s story in 1981. Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote two drafts of the script before Disney brought in executive producer Steven Spielberg, and his production company, Amblin Entertainment. Zemeckis was brought on to direct the film, and Canadian animator Richard Williams was hired to supervise the animation sequences. Production was moved from Los Angeles to Elstree Studios in England to accommodate Williams and his group of animators. While filming, the production budget began to rapidly expand and the shooting schedule ran longer than expected.

Disney released the film through its Touchstone Pictures division on June 22, 1988, to critical and commercial success, becoming a blockbuster. The film brought a renewed interest in the Golden Age of American animation, spearheading modern American animation and the Disney Renaissance.