Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Dir. Robert Zemeckis. 1988, 104 mins. 35mm. With Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer, Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy. Zemeckis’s wondrous riff on Chinatown, set in 1940s Hollywood, features utterly convincing, Oscar-winning special effects mixing animation and live-action and a layered, sophisticated screenplay. Using the long-festering feud between Tinseltown’s animated toons (who exist in this world as real actors) and its flesh-and-blood humans as a clever metaphor for industry racism, the film follows private dick Eddie Valiant (a remarkable, very game Hoskins), who finds himself falling deeper into danger by reluctantly protecting and defending big-time star Roger Rabbit, who’s been accused of murder. Visually extravagant yet written with a sharp eye for small details, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the rare blockbuster that’s also a quirky, personal, movie-mad homage, and it works brilliantly on every level. (Released June 22, 1988)  

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.