'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'

Living in the middle of nowhere with limited movie-going opportunities, getting to see Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was an extreme joy. I still remember it vividly despite it being 21 years ago (shit, I'm old).

I also remember well not understanding the film. I didn't know what "framed" meant. Much of the 1940s lingo and culture was lost on me. The plot was a little too much for my eight-year-old brain.

I just liked the cartoons. And I especially loved the end with all the cartoons together.

I'd eventually understand everything about the film as I grew up, especially all of the sexual innuendoes.

I recently interviewed Max Howard, an animation administrator with the film. He talked about the dozens of really dirty things the animators put in the film, in honor of the old animators who would purposely draw Betty Boop's dress to high to show her goods.

Rumors were that the Laserdisc of Roger Rabbit shows Jessica Rabbit's junk. If this were entirely true, then we would have all seen it by now.

The story behind the making of the film is fascinating. The pre-production with getting funding for a half-cartoon, half-real preson movie. Getting all of the companies to "lend" their characters to Disney for them to make even more money.

The film is overly original itself. The interaction between the cartoons (and their world) with real people is an interesting concept. Where giant hammers or anvils are accessible in the cartoon world, they're not what humans typically carry around. These being corporeal things to humans seems like the natural thing if some "cartoon world" existed.

This is a very, very good film. But it's better with a little age.