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A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have.
- Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Robert Zemeckis, 1988) is an animated film that broke many of the conventions of its genre. While it was certainly not the first film to combine 2D animation with live-action film (that honour goes to the Disney short Alice's Wonderland [Walt Disney, 1923]), it was the first to portray interaction between humans and hand-drawn characters in a plausible way. The viewer can believe that a live-action cynical detective is sharing space with an illustrated, wacky rabbit; that the detective is actually reaching out and grabbing him. The film was also notable for taking characters from rival animation studios and placing them together in the same environment. Warner Bros.' Daffy Duck and Walt Disney's Donald Duck can engage in a fierce piano duet, and Disney's Mickey Mouse and Warner's Bugs Bunny are capable of skydiving together. Any rivalry or competition between these characters is good humouredly put aside; these classic cartoon characters are able to coexist, as if all cartoon characters originated from the same universe.
Yet the most noticeable and intriguing element that separates Who Framed Roger Rabbit? from your average animation/live-action romp is the combining of elements from aesthetics that could not be more disparate: film noir and the Golden Age of animation. Indeed, the quote at the beginning of this article encapsulates a recurring theme throughout the film - the need for laughter in a noir world of danger and intrigue.
Contrasting genres
The Golden Age of animation really began in 1911 with cartoonist Winsor McCay, 'who was also the first American animator of consequence, [and who] made films that people wanted to see'.1 From that point onwards, the genre struggled to survive and gain mainstream acceptance until the release of Steamboat Willie (Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, 1928), a Mickey Mouse short that featured synchronised sound - a rarity at the time. Steamboat Willie cemented Disney's status as the leader of the young genre and inspired many imitators, some of whom, including Leon Schlesinger of Warner Bros., soon discovered that 'they were definitely "not making Disney cartoons"'.2
Film noir, on the other hand, emerged in the...