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{{work}}
[[File:Movie_poster_who_framed_roger_rabbit.jpg|frame|The story of a man, a woman, and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble...]]
{{quote|''"My philosophy is this: if you don't have a good sense of humor, you're better off dead!"''|'''Roger Rabbit'''}}
A brilliant (and very expensive by that time's standards <ref> with a $70m budget, which is roughly $127m in 2012 dollars.</ref>) 1988 film largely responsible for setting off [[The Renaissance Age of Animation]]. It had a huge influence on executives' attitudes toward seeing animation as more than what it had been in the [[Dork Age]] -- Disney's 90s animated films, the ''[[Pixar]]'' films, ''[[The Simpsons (
Set in the city of [[Los Angeles]] during late 1947, during [[The Golden Age of Animation]] to be specific, the [[Hardboiled Detective]] [[Film Noir]] tribute depicts a hypothetical world where [[Toon|cartoon characters]] [[They Walk Among Us|are a real ethnic minority living alongside human beings.]] At the center of the story is Roger Rabbit, a [[Animated Actors|Toon movie star]] on the run from the police after having been accused of murdering Marvin Acme, a human manufacturer of cartoon props, with whom Roger's wife Jessica happened to be playing patty-cake.<ref> Not a euphemism.</ref>
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His only hope is Eddie Valiant, an alcoholic human detective who [[Fantastic Racism|has refused to work for Toons]] ever since one killed his brother by [[Piano Drop|dropping a piano on his head]] during one of their cases. He winds up getting sucked into the investigation after Roger hides out at his apartment. Together, the two of them uncover something much bigger than either of them expected.
The film is (''very'') loosely based on [[Gary Wolf]]'s 1981 novel ''[[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?]]'' It also owes a lot to ''[[Chinatown]]''. The title of the film officially has no question mark at the end; rumor has it this is the [[Executive Meddling|result of a marketing survey]] which said films with question marks in the title make less money. The film is notable for being the biggest crossover of famous Western cartoon characters pre-50's than anything that has come before it (it is the first and only official time Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny appear in a scene together).
While the film was very well received by critics, it has not been without criticism, especially -- and surprisingly -- among actual Golden Age veterans and fans. [[Chuck Jones]] in particular, who worked on the film, ended up [[Creator Backlash|loathing the final product]], citing it as a obnoxious, witless misunderstanding of the old cartoons it set out to homage and even accused [[Robert Zemeckis]] of robbing [[Richard Williams]] of any creative input -- and for apparently ruining the piano sequence that he and Williams had planned together. Cartoon historian Michael Barrier derided the animation direction as "disastrous", and [[Noteworthy Disney Staff|Frank Thomas]] of [[
It also had three [[Spin
It should be noted for historical purposes that the entirety of the animation that appears in the film was done '''''BY HAND''''' -- no computers of any kind were used, except for some blue-screening when Eddie Valiant went to Toon Town, where everything was animated.
A sequel was planned shortly after the booming success of the original, but [[Development Hell|it never came to light]]. The first obstacle was that the film was intended to be a prequel set during World War II, but [[Steven Spielberg]] refused to work on a movie that satirized [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazis]] after finishing ''[[Schindler's List]]'', and he was moving on to start [[
On October 30, 2009, director Robert Zemeckis [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1625215/story.jhtml had confirmed] that a second Roger Rabbit movie was on on the way, with Zemeckis himself returning to direct the film and the original screenwriters, Seaman and Price, returning as well, but with the dismantling of Zemeckis' studio the sequel's fate is now uncertain.
The movie was named to the [[National Film Registry]] in 2016.
Contrast [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s ''[[Cool World]]'', because...It can?
{{tropelist}}
* [[Actually Pretty Funny]]: When Eddie hand-buzzers Judge Doom upon first meeting him, Doom is startled at first, but genuinely smiles (By that this troper means compared to the other times he smiles where it's creepy) at him. It seems he appreciates some classic humor or was at the very least surprised he got played by an alcoholic detective.
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Lena Hyena herself makes an appearance and attempts to pursue Eddie.
* [[Action Survivor]]: Eddie Valiant -- a good and smart one.
* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: The original book, ''[[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?]]'', was about Valiant originally hired by Roger to investigate his bosses' broken promises. When Roger is murdered (or "censored"), Eddie investigates things with the help(?) of Roger's antagonistic wife, Jessica. The movie was basically "An anti-hero and a toon, forced together in a strange bedfellows kind of way, investigate ''someone else's'' death, with a plot built around the Los Angeles Streetcar Conspiracy."
** All other books that followed [[Retcon|retconned]] this into [[All Just a Dream|Jessica Rabbit having a dream]].
* [[Adaptational Attractiveness]]: Inverted. Book!Eddie, as a parody of a pulp hero, is noted by several characters as being very attractive. Movie!Eddie, as a parody of a noir hero, is beaten down and schlubby.
* [[The Alcoholic]]: Eddie, after his brother's death. He's almost a booze-seeking warhead, in fact.
{{quote|
* [[Almost Kiss]]: Twice, between Dolores and Eddie. One time, Roger yells at them. The second, his presence is felt way too much to continue...
{{quote|
* [[Aluminum Christmas Trees]]: According to Lieutenant Santino, the dip is made turpentine, acetone, and benzine, three poisonous chemicals used as paint thinners. In [[Real Life]], the three chemicals are ingredients in a solution used by hand animators to remove ink from animation cells. Probably an inside joke on the writers' part.
* [[Anachronism Stew]]: A number of cartoon characters appear who had not yet been created at the time in which the film takes place.
** [[Word of God]] once admitted to the anachronisms, but stated this movie provided a special opportunity to feature so many different cartoon characters together. As far as production was concerned, [[Rule of Cool]] trumped [[Anachronism Stew]].
** The [[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]] model sheet used in his brief scene was out of date; it had been phased out by [[Warner Bros]] by early 1942. The "modern" model sheet began use in mid 1941 in Bob Clampett's unit and had spread to the rest of the animators by the following year. He reverts at the end, however -- Daffy doesn't.
** Freeways already existed by 1947. Judge Doom's vision is essentially the real-life Pasadena Freeway, which opened in 1940. Could be justified in that freeways weren't exactly commonplace until the 1950s and 1960s... and [[Rule of Funny]]. And that this film evidently takes place in a different universe than ours, what with the sentient toons.
** [[The
* [[Animated Actors]]: Roger and Baby Herman.
* [[Animation Bump]]: The opening sequence is ''very'' lush for even a modern animated short. The entire film is pretty lavishly animated, as necessitated by matching the drawings to the lighting and frame rate of the live action footage. One of the few exceptions is the Toontown sequence, where everything is (relatively) more lax traditional animation with a blue-screened Eddie.
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** This actually makes sense when you look at their careers, Jessica is a lounge singer (albeit more of a high-class one) while Roger is a big name cartoon a-lister like Mickey or Bugs.
** Also, toons might consider humor as more important than good looks.
*** That's the reason Jessica gives Eddie for why she's with Roger: "He makes me laugh."
*** In the original book, Jessica got her start in [[Underground Comics|Tijuana Bibles]] -- she was little more than a porn starlet. Marrying an A-List star? ''Big'' step upwards.
** Toon standards of beauty are also pretty... incomprehensible. Plus, doesn't Jessica flat out say that Roger's good in bed?
*** Considering that in toon terms, "good in bed" refers to how well one can play patty-cake, Roger is probably a sex god.
* [[Badly
* [[Berserk Button]]: Don't sit in Teddy Valiant's chair.
* [[Big Bad]]: Judge Doom.
* [[Big Breasts, Big Deal]]:
{{quote|
* [[Blackmail]]
* [[Blessed
** This is up for debate, as seen in the film when Roger is entertaining patrons in Dolores' Bar.
{{quote|
** Though Roger seems visibly distressed whenever Eddie yanks him around, usually by the ears.
*** Probably an emotional thing. Toons can react physically to a situation that's funny... by the same logic, they probably feel distress from situations that are full of anger or frustration.
*** Could also be likened to how a stuntman works. They know how to take a hit, but catch them off guard...
* [[Bond One
{{quote|
* [[Bond Villain Stupidity]]: Doom leaves his [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] in charge of Eddie.
** As we see later, {{spoiler|Doom is a toon, and has pretty obviously damaged his fake/glass eye (note the way he carefully keeps his hand over it, to keep his toon eye from bugging out). He ''has'' to leave in order to replace it.}}
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* [[Butter Face]]: Lena Hyena perfectly mimics Jessica Rabbit's everything, but her face, for obvious reasons.
* [[California Doubling]]: Literally. It's set in 1940s Los Angeles, but most of the movie was filmed in England. The scene where Eddie enters Toon Town, however, is shot at the famous Figueroa Street Tunnels in Los Angeles.
* [[Caught
* [[The Cavalry Arrives Late]]: The police arrive after {{spoiler|Judge Doom}} is liquidated.
* [[Chained Heat]]: Roger and Eddie.
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** Doom got to be a judge by buying the election with a fortune in Toon cash.
* [[Chekhov's Skill]]:
** Not a "skill" per se, but Roger's... destructive reaction whenever he takes a shot of bourbon is put to good use later. Not so much Chekov's Gun as Chekov's Shot.
** If you blink you miss it, but a quick reference to Eddie growing up in a circus with his father being a clown ends up helping him stage a comedy dance routine to make the Weasels laugh themselves to death.
* [[Chewing the Scenery]]: '''OH MY GOD, IT'S DIIIIIIIIIIIIP'''!!!!
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* [[Cloudcuckooland]]: Toontown.
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Roger. Of course, most Toons are this in some shape or form, but since Roger has the biggest role it's definitely most notable with him.
* [[Cobweb of Disuse]]: Eddie keeps the desk of his late brother and partner Teddy untouched since his death as a [[Shrine to
* [[Comedy
* [[Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are]]: Judge Doom trying to flush out the hiding Roger Rabbit with "Shave and a Haircut."
* [[Contractual Genre Blindness]]: Most toons, including {{spoiler|Doom}} at the end.
* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: In the famous deleted "pig head" scene, Doom and the weasels punish Eddie for getting too involved in the case by dragging him kicking and screaming into Toon Town and putting an animated pig mask on his head.
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*** {{spoiler|All the easier to conceal his true form under layers of dark, rubbery clothes.}}
* [[David Versus Goliath]]: Eddie Valiant (5.3' feet tall, chubby) vs. Judge Doom (6.1' feet tall, slight build, {{spoiler|a super strong, nearly-immortal Toon}}) Guess who won.
* [[Dawson Casting]]: Parodied. Baby Herman looks and plays a mindless newborn baby, but is actually in his fifties.
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Eddie Valiant.
{{quote|
'''RK Maroon:''' Let's call the other fifty a carrot to finish the job.
'''Eddie:''' You've been hanging around rabbits too long. }}
** Roger gets in a few as well.
{{quote|
* [[Dead Partner]]: Eddie's brother, as noted up top.
* [[Death Trap]]: complete with [[Monologuing]] and leaving the room at a crucial time.
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* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Eddie and Jessica.
* [[Deliberate Values Dissonance]]: Some kids are implied to be smoking cigarettes early in the film, which would have been perfectly acceptable in 1947.
* [[Diabolical Mastermind]]: {{spoiler|What Doom really is}}.
* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: The movie has a masked reference to the real-life [
** Another example: in the aftermath of Doom's demonstration of the Dip, his rubber glove is coated in green (from the concoction) but the hand is dripping ''red'' from the dissolved red shoe. His body language and the other characters' reaction suggest a parallel to blood.
*** Jessica Rabbit playing pattycake with another man is apparently the toon equivalent of her having an affair. (It's also a pun on the kind of harboiled [[Private Eye Monologue]] that uses "playing pattycake" as a euphemism for infidelity.)
* [[Dolled
* [[Doomy Dooms of Doom]]: Judge Doom.
* [[Dope Slap]]: Eddie Valiant delivers one to Roger Rabbit.
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* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: All Toons, whether they are driving human vehicles or Toons like Benny the Cab.
** Benny the Cab drives ''himself'' like crazy!
* [[Duck Season! Rabbit Season!]]: Just before Roger is about to get "dipped", Eddie does this to trick him into drinking another shot of [[Gargle Blaster|bourbon]] to produce [[Wild Take|the same effect]] the stuff had on Roger at R.K. Maroon's office.
* [[Ears
** Since toons operate on [[Rule of Funny]], it's safe to assume they can do whatever they want as long as there's a chance it'll be funny. [[Jerkass|Eddie]] jerking [[The Woobie|Roger]] around wasn't funny...
* [[Empty Chair Memorial]]: The other chair in Eddie's office is his brother's. When Roger tries to sit down in it, Eddie goes bonkers.
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* [[Era Specific Personality]]: Most of the classic cartoons act according to their shorts the film's timelime represents. Most notable with Daffy, who acts much more akin to his [[Cloudcuckoolander]] persona from the 1940s (he gets in his later "You're Dethpicable!" catchphrase once though). Occasional references from later appearances are made however, see [[Anachronism Stew]] above.
* [[Escalating War]]: [[Donald Duck]] vs. [[Daffy Duck]] at the Ink and Paint Club.
* [[Eternally Pearly
* [[Eureka Moment]]: Eddie Valiant's revelation while listening to the newsreel in the theater.
** Then again when Judge Doom tells the Weasels, "One of these days, you idiots are going to laugh yourselves to death!" Comes complete with the eureka "ping".
* [[
** Even as a toon, there's the possibility she changed her dress.
* [[Evil Albino]]: Judge Doom.
* [[Evil Gloating]] / [[Motive Rant]]
* [[Evil Plan]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom wants to run a free way through Toon Town.}}
* [[Evil Sounds Deep]]: Completely [[Inverted]].
* [[The Exit Is That Way]]: "That's the closet!"
* [[Eye Shock]]: In the nightclub scene when Jessica Rabbit was on stage, combined with [[Wolf Whistle]].
* [[Failed Attempt At Drama]]: ...but Roger's a toon. If it would've been successful, he wouldn't be a toon.
* [[Family
** The cute little cartoon shoe that is shoved in the dip, ''slowly and gradually as it squeals in pain'', is rather painful to watch, especially after Doom emphasizes beforehand that, unlike usual cartoon deaths, [[Killed Off for Real|this is very real]].
** Arguably {{spoiler|RK. Maroon being shot by Doom, with a long bleak shot of his corpse afterwards. Adds a slightly dark tint since [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|Eddie inadvertently assisted it]] via his [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]}}.
* [[Fan Service]]: Just about any scene involving Jessica. Subtlety doesn't come into it.
** [[Fan Disservice]]: Lena Hyena, the exact opposite to Jessica.
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** Repeatedly when the record player skips, resulting in several broken dishes.
* [[Film Noir]]: The underlying plot is almost classic film noir: "I'm going to listen you spin Cloverleaf's scenario -- the story of greed, sex, and murder."
* [[Five
** [[Big Bad]] -- Smart Ass (though, [[The Dragon]] to Judge Doom, the real [[Big Bad]])
** [[The Dragon]] -- Greasy
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** [[The Dark Chick]] -- Stupid
** [[The Man Behind the Man]] -- Judge Doom
* [[Flanderization]]: Roger, compared to his original book counterpart. While the Roger Rabbit of the original book had some notable eccentric traits, he was also somewhat shifty and definitely not the [[Nice Guy]] he pretended to be. The Roger of the movie is a lot wackier and more, well, cartoony, and is [[Took a Level In Kindness|genuinely]] a [[Nice Guy]]. [[Recursive Adaptation|In the sequel to the book, Roger is a lot more like his animated counterpart.]]
* [[Foreshadowing]]:
** When Valiant comments wondering how Doom could be a judge, one of the cops mentioned that he bought the election in Toontown. {{spoiler|Likely with the money he stole during the robbery that killed Eddie's brother.}}
{{quote|
** "Someone musta ''made'' her do it!"
** "Stop that laughing! You know what happens when you ''can't stop laughing?'' One of these days, you're gonna ''die'' laughing!"
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* [[For the Funnyz]]: Toons operate on this principle in general.
** [[For the Evulz]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom}} and the Weasels.
* [[Freak
* [[Fun
* [[Furry Confusion]]: Benny the Cab drives a non-sentient [[Alleged Car]] that Roger was driving.
* [[Gag Boobs]]: Jessica Rabbit. "Nice booby-trap".
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** Then there is Baby Herman, with his "50 year-old lust but 3-year old dinky".
** Eddie showing rather than telling Smart-Ass what rhymes with "walls."
* [[Glass
* [[Good Guy Bar]]: The Terminal Station Bar, sort of.
* [[G
* [[Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress]]: Eddie figures this out firsthand upon his return to Toontown in the "Mickey/Bugs" scene.
* [[Groin Attack]]: At least four different ones during the course of the movie. Two of them were cut off from the 20-years celebration edition DVD.
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* [[Hardboiled Detective]]: Why, Eddie Valiant.
* [[Happily Married]]: Roger and Jessica.
* [[Hates the Job, Loves
* [[Held Gaze]]: Eddie and Dolores have one before their [[Almost Kiss]] that is [[Moment Killer|interrupted by Roger]].
* [[Hello, Nurse!]]: Jessica Rabbit.
* [[Heroes Want Redheads]]: Jessica.
* [[Hidden Depths]]: One reason the movie goes over so well with multiples ages is because, underneath the very mature, hard-boiled tone, all the good guys have redeeming depths. Eddie's still got a tiny bit of humor left and still respects those he hates, Roger's forever optimistic, Jessica truly loves him, Baby Herman thinks of Roger as a good friend and supports his innocence, and Benny helps Eddie and Roger despite being a loudmouth.
* [[High
* [[Hoist
** And before that, Eddie tries to use the giant magnet on Judge Doom's sword, perhaps hoping to disarm him. Doom simply doesn't let go, resulting in Eddie dragging Doom closer. He reverses the magnet to stop the judge from getting any closer, so it wraps around his waist and attracts the nearest metallic object behind him-- a trash can-- which slams into Eddie's back, causing him to be immobilized.
* [[Hourglass Hottie]]: Jessica Rabbit
* [[Human
** Notably the Romance between Roger and Jessica Rabbit was more important than Eddie's romantic subplot.
** Justified, as it would have cost a lot more to give the toons more screen time.
* [[Humanoid Abomination]]: {{spoiler|Probably the only adequate description of Doom's true nature. With a morphology that makes him like an amalgam of toon and human at once, able to warp his body into weapons at will and personal ethics which ignore the [[Rule of Funny]] (the primary tenet of any toon's existence), he leaves the story unexplained and haunting viewers for years to come.}}
** {{spoiler|Note that we never actually see what Doom really looked like (aside from the eyes). He was wearing a rubber mask and that full body outfit to make himself appear human.}}
* [[The Hyena]]: Well, weasels in this case. Their hyena cousins were mentioned. Poor guys, [[Foreshadowing|laughed themselves to death]]. Thankfully, this was released before ''[[
* [[Hypocritical Humor]]:
{{quote|
* [[I Fell for Hours]]: Eddie Valiant's long drop from the top of a skyscraper in Toontown, in which he encounters Bugs and Mickey on the way down, falling for a long enough time to have a short conversation with them.
* [[Illogical Safe]]: Done with a fridge.
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* [[Incessant Music Madness]]: The director is arguing with Roger after he blows his lines when he finally shouts, "[[Left the Background Music On|Can we lose the playback please!?]]"
* [[Insistent Terminology]]: The slang word "simoleons" is used to describe both the currency Doom used to buy his way into being elected Toontown's Judge, and the money stolen by the bank robber who killed Teddy. Almost a [[Chekhov's Gun]], actually, and a good way to make sure the audience puts the mystery together.
* [[Interacting
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Duh.
* [[Ironic Echo]]: "You'll laugh yourselves to death!"
* [[It Will Never Catch On]]: Judge Doom's vision of the freeway after its construction. {{spoiler|One reason Eddie isn't that surprised to learn Doom is actually a Toon is because, as he sees it, only a Toon would have come up with such a scheme.}}
* [[
* [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]: Eddie does this to RK Maroon.
* [[Jaw Drop]]: Eddie Valiant's first vision of [[Ms. Fanservice|Jessica Rabbit]].
* [[Jerkass]]: That elevator operator in Toontown. Seeing as how it's Droopy Dog, this is to be expected.
** Both [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Bugs Bunny]] could be viewed like this during the famous falling scene, but could be [[Fridge Brilliance]] in that they knew Lena would be there to catch him.
* [[Jerk
* [[Judge, Jury, and Executioner]]: "I will find the rabbit, Mr. Valiant and I will try him, convict him and execute him."
* [[Just Between You and Me]]
* [[Just Whistle]]: "If you should ever need a ride, just stick out your thumb!"
* [[Kick the Dog]]: Judge Doom testing out his Toon-erasing concoction on a shoe at the Acme warehouse swiftly lands him past the [[Moral Event Horizon]].
* [[Killed Mid
{{quote|
* [[Kill the Cutie]]: As a display of how deadly the Dip is, Doom snatches a cute little toon shoe, and places it slowly into the concoction as it squeaks in agony.
* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: Eddie Valiant.
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* [[Kryptonite Factor]]: Toons are virtually unkillable, except by contact with Doom's deadly paint-thinner-based Dip.
* [[Lady in Red]]: Jessica.
* [[
* [[Large Ham]]: Judge Doom. He's plenty scary, but bless him, Christopher Lloyd just cannot play a role without lending it the piquant aroma of a lovely maple glaze.
** Also, Roger: ironically, both when he's acting and out of the set.
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* [[Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot]]: Eddie Valiant's picture taking -> {{spoiler|murder and attempted genocide.}}
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: When Judge Doom and the Weasels are present...
* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Jessica Rabbit. Okay okay, she's integral to the plot, but seriously... ''look'' at her. She gets a [[
* [[Multi
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Judge Doom. Say it with me. [[Doomy Dooms of Doom]].
* [[A Nazi
* [[Neck Lift]]: Judge Doom does it to Roger in the bar. More justified than most examples in that he can easily close his fist around Roger's neck because it's so compressible.
* [[New Era Speech]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom's vision of freeways.}}
* [[Nice Character, Mean Actor]]: Baby Herman.
* [[Nightmare Fuel
* [[No Name Given]]: The unspoken names of the Weasels are Smartass, Wheezy, Greasy, Psycho, and Stupid. [[Meaningful Name|Guess who's who]].
* [[Non
{{quote|
'''Eddie:''' Got a thing for rabbits, huh? }}
* [[Not Growing Up Sucks]]: "I gotta 50-year-old lust and a 3-year old dinky."
* [[Not Evil, Just Misunderstood]]: Jessica Rabbit:
{{quote|
** This also lampshades her status as [[Ms. Fanservice]].
* [[Not So Different]]: There's a brief scene where both Roger and Eddie are looking over photographs and reflecting over happier times, to highlight the similarities between the two. They also happen at the same time.
* [[Nothing Is Scarier]]: The fact we never see what {{spoiler|Doom ''really'' looks like makes him even scarier because bright red glowing eyes is all we see, leaving the rest of his true form to the imagination...}}
* [[Not the Fall That Kills You]]: From [[Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress]], above, Eddie would've splatted on the ground, had not [[Lena Hyena]] ''caught him on the ground''. But then, they were in Toontown, so [[Rule of Funny]] applies.
* [[Not What It Looks Like]]: Dolores [[Caught
{{quote|
* [[Not So Above It All]]: You might think because of her more in-control [[Femme Fatale]] personality and the fact that she's more of a "mature" toon that Jessica Rabbit isn't quite as looney as the others. The movie sets her up like that, and then wittily breaks down the assumption.
{{quote|
'''Valiant:''' [[Sarcasm Mode|Makes perfect sense...]] }}
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: "We toons may ''act'' idiotic, but ''we're not'' stupid!" ''Acting'' like an idiot is standard operating procedure for a toon, according to Roger.
** Roger shows a more subtle version of this earlier on when he drops a rather [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]] and backhanded comment regarding Eddie's alcoholism.
{{quote|
* [[Obviously Evil]]: [[Dark Is Evil|Black clothes]], [[Sword Cane|skull-topped cane]], [[Scary Shiny Glasses]], surname [[Doomy Dooms of Doom]]. Say hello to the villain, folks. {{spoiler|Then again, [[Fridge Brilliance|Toons aren't known for their subtlety]].}}
* [[Oh Crap]]: Eddie Valiant does this when he realises the woman he mistook for Jessica Rabbit is actually Lena Hyena. Then a second one when he escapes into the out-of-order restroom.
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* [[Older Than They Look]]: "Baby" Herman.
* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom's true nature.}}
* [[One
* [[One
* [[Opera Gloves]]: Jessica.
* [[Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?]]: Dolores, referring to the bulge caused by Eddie hiding Roger under his coat.
* [[Pain
* [[Paper People]]: This is how we learn the truth about Judge Doom.
* [[Parental Bonus]]: The [[Film Noir]] Parody, several of the [[
** "Didn't you use to be Eddy Valiant? Or did you change your name to Jack Daniel's?"
* [[Perverse Sexual Lust]]: Jessica Rabbit is the trope pin up girl.
* [[Piano Drop]]
* [[Plot
* [[Portable Hole]]: Portable Holes is an Acme Product. During the film's climax, Eddie became pinned against a steel drum by a cartoon magnet while fighting the Big Bad; he freed himself by wrapping a Portable Hole completely around the magnet, causing the magnet to break in half.
* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]: Apart from the premise of Toons living alongside humans, a few characters, and a similar set-up (Toon rabbit suspected of killing a human and enlists help from a human private eye) the movie really doesn't have much to do with ''[[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?]]
* [[Pretend Prejudice]]: Eddie's attitude to Toons in general.
* [[Proscenium Reveal]]: The cartoon short starring Roger Rabbit and Baby Herman at the start of the movie is cut short by a human director calling "Cut!" This is followed by shots establishing that the animated characters are working on a live-action soundstage, thus setting up the concept of humans and toons living in the same world.
* [[Psychotic Smirk]]: Judge Doom often has this.
* [[Punched Across the Room]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom}} to Eddie Valiant using his "anvil hand".
* [[Punctuated!
{{quote|
* [[Put Down Your Gun and Step Away]]: A rare heroic example: Roger to the weasel leader Smartass, while threatening Judge Doom.
* [[Questioning Title?]], only ''without a question mark''.
* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: The Weasels, a.k.a. "the Toon Patrol".
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom}} after he's revealed to be a toon, and the toon who killed Eddie's brother.
* [[Redheaded Hero]]: Roger has a tuft of red hair, though the rest of his fur is white.
* [[The Renaissance Age of Animation]]: Widely credited to have had a monumental role in starting it
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* [[Roger Rabbit Effect]]: [[Trope Namers|Named it]], [[Trope Codifier|made it famous]], and probably perfected it.
* [[Rule of Funny]]: Explicitly spelled out by Roger:
{{quote|
'''Roger:''' No, not at any time, only when it was ''funny''. }}
** Also, Toon Town operates on the [[Rule of Funny]] which can make it very dangerous -- a bathroom stated to be 'out of order' turns out to be totally non-existant.
* [[Scary Shiny Glasses]]: Doom pulls off one of the scariest live action invocations of this trope when staring down Eddie.
* [[
* [[Selective Magnetism]]: The Acme magnet Eddie uses {{spoiler|against Judge Doom}}.
* [[Sexy Silhouette]]: Subverted. When Eddie visits Toon Town and thinks he's stumbled on to Jessica Rabbit undressing, he actually runs into [[Abhorrent Admirer|Lena Hyena]] (from the old ''[[
* [[Shave and
* [[Shout
** One [[Shout
** Not to mention {{spoiler|Doom's final words of ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
** When the cable car pulls up at the studios ten minutes in, the prominent destination at the top reads "[[Sunset Boulevard|SUNSET BLVD]]", another [[Film Noir]].
** "Well, say hello...[[Harvey]]!"
** During the car chase between the heroes and the weasels, the weasel driving sneers "I'm gonna ram 'im!"... then, when the attempted target of their vehicular assault dodges, he and his mooks scream as they hurtle towards a crash. Just like the scene with Biff chasing a skateboard-riding Marty in ''[[Back to
* [[Show Within a Show]]: The Maroon cartoon "Somethin's Cookin'", starring Roger Rabbit.
* [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]]: Jessica and Roger.
* [[Sickly Green Glow]]: The dip.
* [[
* [[Significant Green
* [[Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids]]: Eddie literally has this attitude toward Roger.
* [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]: Jessica and Roger.
* [[Slipped the Ropes]]: Roger Rabbit can slip out of his cuffs at any given moment, but ''only'' if it's funny.
* [[Soap Punishment]]: The lead weasel is threatening Eddie to tell him where Roger is and to "cut the bullschtick". Eddie tells him to watch his mouth or he'll "wash your mouth off" and shoves a bar of soap into his mouth.
* [[The Sociopath]]: Judge Doom is a particular nasty one.
* [[Spared
** In the official comic book adaptation (published by Marvel), R. K. Maroon is mentioned to have survived being shot, and is recovering at the hospital.
* [[Species Surname]]: Subverted with Jessica Rabbit, who turns out to be only a Rabbit ''by marriage''.
* [[Sphere Eyes]]: Roger.
* [[The Spook]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom}}'s true identity is never revealed and we never even find out what he really looks like, except for his [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|blazing red eyes]].
* [[Squashed Flat]]: Occurs even with the live-action actors (Valiant in the elevator, {{spoiler|Doom ran over by a steamroller.}})
* [[Start of Darkness]]: The graphic novel sequel ''Roger Rabbit: The Resurrection of Doom'' revealed Judge Doom's at the beginning.
* [[Steven Spielberg]]: One of the executive producers.
* [[Still Got It]]: [[Betty Boop]].
* [[Story
{{quote|
* [[Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion]]:
{{quote|
'''Roger:''' Nose!
'''Smart Ass:''' 'Nose'? [[Lampshade Hanging|That don't rhyme with 'walls'!]]
'''Eddie:''' No. [[Groin Attack|But this does!]] }}
* [[Sudden Musical Ending]]
* [[Sword Cane]]: Judge Doom owns one.
* [[Tap
* [[Tempting Fate]]: "No one gets the drop on Roger Rabbit!" CONK!
** And when he holds Doom at gunpoint, he says, "We toons may act idiotic, but we're not ''stupid''! We demand justice! Why, the ''real'' meaning of the word would hit you like a ton of bricks!" What do you think lands on him [[Laser
** Near the beginning, when asked if he has a car, Eddie says the he doesn't need one in L.A. since it "has the best public transportation system in the world." {{spoiler|Turns out that a major plot point in the film was that Doom was buying the Red Car so that he could dismantle it.}}
* [[That's All Folks]]
* [[Technically a Smile]] / [[The Un
* [[This Is a Drill]]: Judge Doom at the end.
* [[Tiny Guy, Huge Girl]]: Roger and Jessica. Also, Eddie and Dolores, rather less pronounced.
* [[Took a Level In Kindness]]: Both Roger and Jessica, compared to the original book. Eddie's about the same in both versions.
* [[Toon Town]]: The [[Trope Namers]] (or [[Trope Codifier]], depending on [[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?|how you look at it...]])
* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Roger and Jessica... from a human's point of view. From the Toons' point of view, Jessica lucked into a real catch with Roger.
{{quote|
'''[[Betty Boop]]:''' Yeah. What a lucky [[Joisey|goil]].''(closes Eddie's mouth) [Exit]'' }}
* [[Unwilling Suspension]]
* [[Vapor Wear]]: Jessica Rabbit.
* [[Very Loosely Based
* [[Victoria's Secret Compartment]]: Greasy Weasel tries to search Jessica's cleavage for Acme's will, and gets his hand caught in a [[Bear Trap]]. She's ''definitely'' not happy to see him.
{{quote|
* [[Vile Villain Saccharine Show]]: An
* [[Villain Ball]]: Right when it seems like victory is in his hands, Roger and Jessica are tied up, and Eddie is held at gunpoint, [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?|rather than just have him be shot]], Doom instead orders that Eddie be forced to watch his Toon friends die. {{spoiler|In his brief absence afterward, Eddie proceeds to take out the Weasles one by one.}}
* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: Judge Doom towards his Weasels:
{{quote|
** Mind you, this was released six years ''before'' ''[[The Lion King]]''!
** He also has one at the climax. He's normally quite composed but {{spoiler|when he gets run over by a steamroller and reveals himself as a toon, he goes completely and openly [[Ax Crazy]].}}
{{quote|
* [[Visual Pun]]:
** The movie's poster. Roger Rabbit is "framed".
Line 419 ⟶ 421:
** In Toontown, Eddie runs over a pie with a cow's face on it.
** Roger sits on a soap box while making a speech about the power of laughter.
**
* [[Weaksauce Weakness]]: Toons can be killed with a substance known as ‘Dip’, which acts like acid for them. {{spoiler|Being part toon, one would’ve think Judge Doom might have known that before getting into contact.}}
* [[What Do You Mean
* [[What Does She See in Him?]]: Why does Jessica Rabbit love Roger as a husband? He makes her laugh.
* [[White Dwarf Starlet]]: [[Betty Boop]] (shown in black and white) is an unusually upbeat version of one, working at the Ink-n-Paint Club.
{{quote|
'''Eddie:''' ...Betty?
'''Betty:''' ''(putting down a tray of cigars and cigarettes)'' Long time no see.
'''Eddie:''' What are you doing here?
'''Betty:''' Work's been kinda slow since [[Technology Marches On|cartoons went to color]]. But I [[Still Got It]], Eddie. Boop-boop be-doo boop! ''(winks)''
'''Eddie:''' ''(smiling)'' Yeah. You still got it. }}
* [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]]: Doom has at least two chances to kill Valiant and instead chooses to wait or take a less practical approach. {{spoiler|Justified since he is an over the top toon villain.}}
* [[Wicked Weasel]]
* [[Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises]]:
** Happens to Jessica in one scene.
{{quote|
** It happens again when {{spoiler|Judge Doom gets an emergency release valve full of Dip in his face.}}
* [[Will]]
Line 439 ⟶ 442:
* [[Wingding Eyes]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom.}}
* [[Wrong Parachute Gag]]: Eddie is falling from a great height and is joined by [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Bugs Bunny]], both wearing parachutes. Eddie asks for a spare, so Bugs gives it to him. He opens it... and out comes [[Exact Words|a spare tire]].
* [[X
* [[You Are What You Hate]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom}}. You probably have guessed that by now.
* [[You Killed My Father]]: {{spoiler|Judge Doom is the same toon who killed Eddie Valiant's brother.}}
----
{{quote|
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:The Renaissance Age of Animation]]
[[Category:Films of the 1980s]]
Line 453 ⟶ 456:
[[Category:The Forties]]
[[Category:Animal Title Index]]
[[Category:Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]▼
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:This Index Asked You a Question]]
[[Category:National Film Registry]]
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