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Who Framed Roger Rabbit Essay

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“Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was a unique live action meets comedy film created in the 1980’s. The film featured the comedy duo of Bob Hoskins, acting as the straight man Eddie Valiant, and the voice of Charles Fleischer as his wacky sidekick, Roger Rabbit. Throughout the film we are introduce to a variety of contrasting themes, encapsulated by the mise en scene, which is divided between a seedy and dark depiction of 1980’s Los Angeles and the bright and colorful “Toon Town”. These disparities in scene eventually highlight the underlying issues regarding both of the cities, as the cruelties of realism and the whims of fiction clash, ultimately creating a sense of oppression warded off by flimsy escapism. To further this underlying tone, the film incorporates a variety of techniques, ranging from a round character who experiences this effect firsthand, to close ups and low angle shots used to highlight and accentuate …show more content…

The discrepancies between the individual inhabitants with the contrasting individual background helps to set up a backdrop of power and exploitation, as Toons are imported from their colorful neighborhood to the darker side of show business, to which Toons are eventually discarded as they lose their appeal. To firmly illustrate this, the film features a cameo of a black and white Betty Boop, working in a sordid bar, providing drinks as other Toons, which are other notable cameos like Donald and Daffy Duck, berate themselves for the amusement of onlookers. Though colorful, the Toons seem to live a depressed life in the world of reality, avoiding the cruelty of their situation by mere hope that it will one day get better. Though they cannot be harmed through physical means, which the film repeats time and time again,we are shown through Roger Rabbit that even the unreal can be hurt mentally, as Roger slips into depression after “losing” his

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