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| Jessica Rabbit | |
|---|---|
| Who Censored Roger Rabbit? andWho Framed Roger Rabbit character | |
.png) Jessica Rabbit as she appeared inWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) | |
| First appearance | Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (1981) |
| Created by | Gary K. Wolf |
| Adapted by | |
| Voiced by |
|
| Performance model | Betsy Brantley[5] |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Jessica Krupnick |
| Species | Toon human[citation needed] |
| Occupation | Actress and performer atThe Ink and Paint Club |
| Spouse | Roger Rabbit (husband) |
Jessica Rabbit (néeKrupnick) is a fictional character in the novelWho Censored Roger Rabbit? and its film adaptation,Who Framed Roger Rabbit. She is depicted as thehumancartoon wife ofRoger Rabbit in variousRoger Rabbit media. Jessica is renowned as one of the best-knownsex symbols in animation.[6]
AuthorGary K. Wolf based Jessica primarily on the cartoon characterRed fromTex Avery'sRed Hot Riding Hood, though he also based her attitude onTinker Bell and her design onMargaret Kerry.[7][8]
The film version of the character was inspired by various actresses.Richard Williams explained, "I tried to make her likeRita Hayworth, we took her hair fromVeronica Lake, andRobert Zemeckis kept saying, 'What about the lookLauren Bacall had?'" He described that combination as an "ultimate male fantasy, drawn by acartoonist".[9] Before Zemeckis was brought on board as director, Jessica had a different design, and was to be voiced byRussi Taylor. Taylor would go on to provide the voice in test footage from 1981.[10] When Zemeckis was hired, he brought alongKathleen Turner to voice Jessica, whom he had worked with inRomancing the Stone. In a 2017 interview, Turner, who went uncredited, stated that she accepted the role because she was pregnant and "just had to show up and do her voice".[11]
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Jessica was an immoral, up-and-coming star, and former comic character with whom her estranged husband (comic strip star Roger Rabbit) became obsessed.
Roger's wife Jessica is dramatically different between adaptations, too. Interestingly, she has far more depth and dimension as a character in the movie than the novel at that. In the novel, she's a shameless golddigger that uses her looks and charisma to seduce men into giving her what she wants or pitting key political figures against each other. Once one figure is out of the picture, she monkey-branches to someone else in order to gain their wealth, power, or whatever other effect. Behind her charismatic glamour, she's a petty and hard-to-please diva.
She is re-imagined in the film as a sultry, but moral and kind-hearted, cartoon singer at a Los Angelessupper club calledThe Ink and Paint Club. She is one of several suspects in the framing of her husband, who is a famous cartoon star accused of murder. She is voiced byKathleen Turner.Amy Irving was cast to sing "Why Don't You Do Right?" (a blues song made famous byPeggy Lee) for Jessica's first scene in the movie. According to animation directorRichard Williams, other than being a sexy, long legged female human toon temptress, she deeply loves her husband Roger. She calls him her "honey-bunny" and "darling." She claims that he makes her laugh, is a better lover than a driver and that he is "better thanGoofy" after Roger attempts to save her fromJudge Doom and the Toon Patrol. As proof of her love, she tells Eddie that she will pay any price for Roger and she even helps prove him innocent by helping in the investigation.
Even though she is a redhead stunner, Jessica is shown to have a few of the comedic cartoon antics typical of other Toons. One such example is her cleavage having ahammerspace ability, as one of the weasels searches her (with obvious perverted intent) for Marvin Acme's last will and testament, only to comically get his hand caught in abear trap, with Valiant commenting on the event with a pun ("Nice booby trap"). Another could be her restrained "wild take" (as she shouts, "Oh, my God, it's Dip!") seeing Judge Doom's scheme involving the Dip, while a subtle effect was added by animator Russell Hall: The bounce of Jessica's bosom was reversed from that of a real woman so that it would bounce up when a real woman's breasts bounce down and vice versa. Furthermore, when she blows kisses (as seen to Eddie in one scene) the lip-kisses are also done in a cartoonish style.[12]
After the film, Jessica also appeared in the Roger Rabbit/Baby Herman cartoonsTummy Trouble as a nurse,Roller Coaster Rabbit as adamsel in distress, andTrail Mix-Up as a park ranger. Although inTummy Trouble andRoller Coaster Rabbit, she rarely made impressions, inTrail Mix-Up, Roger fantasizes over her, calling her a "babe in the woods" and panting like a dog. She also appeared frequently in the Roger Rabbit comic book series, and she had her own feature in most issues ofRoger Rabbit's Toontown such as "Beauty Parlor Bedlam," where she comes face to face with female weasel counterpart, Winnie.
Though Jessica did not physically appear in the 1996 Disney filmAladdin and the King of Thieves, a cardboard cut-out of her body (from the neck-down) was visible for a few seconds whileGenie was picking wedding dresses forPrincess Jasmine, to which he did theWolf-whistle. She was mentioned in the 1991Tiny Toon Adventures episode "New Character Day," while her legs were briefly seen out a limo door in the episode "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian."
In May 2022, Gary K. Wolf, the original creator of Roger Rabbit, publishedJessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business, which explores Jessica's origin story.[13]
With the success of the film and upon the opening ofDisney's Hollywood Studios on May 1, 1989,[14] the film's characters featured prominently in the company. After taking theStudio Backlot Tour, various props decorated the streets including two different photo opportunities with Jessica: a glittery cardboard cutout and "The Loony Bin" photo shop which allowed you to take pictures in costume standing next to an actual cartoon drawing of characters from the film. There was also a plethora of merchandise including Jessica Rabbit rub-on stickers called "pressers".[citation needed] The Jessica Rabbit Store, entitled "Jessica's", was once part of Pleasure Island, Disney's nightclub attraction and shopping area. The store included a giant two-sided neon Jessica sign with sequined dress and swinging leg and featured nothing but Jessica Rabbit merchandise. The store closed in 1992.
Her line "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way" became one of the most popular quotes from the film, and was nominated as one of the 400 greatest movie quotes byAFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes, ultimately failing to make the final list.[15] Jessica Rabbit was named number six onEmpire's list of the 50 Best Animated Movie Characters in 2010.[16]
Kathleen Turner, the original speaking voice of Jessica Rabbit, stated in a 2017 interview that she is asked more often to sign photos of Jessica Rabbit than herself.[11]
Jessica Rabbit has received positive reviews and is described as a sex symbol among classic animated characters, commonly ranked among other animated characters such asBetty Boop andRed Hot Riding Hood. According to research byCadbury Dairy Milk[citation needed], Jessica Rabbit remains the most alluring character in cartoons. Her red dress was also among the most recognized clothing worn by an animated character along withSnow White's dress. In 2008, Jessica Rabbit was selected byEmpire as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All-Time, explaining that despite being drawn as a classicfemme fatale, one of the movie's strengths is to allow the character to play against the stereotype".[17] She was also ranked as the sixth greatest animated character by the same magazine stating that "there's more to her than just the sort of lines that would clean sweepAmerica's Next Top Model. There's a pure heart and ready wit beneath that magnificent exterior."[18]Internet Movie Database had a poll that ranked her as the most alluring Disney character according to votes from audiences of the page.[19]
With theLaserDisc release ofWho Framed Roger Rabbit,Variety reported in March 1994 that Jessica was depicted nude for a few frames of animation, undetectable when played at the usual rate of 24film frames per second, but visible when advancing through the film frame-by-frame;[20][21]Snopes examined it, and reported that although a scene does exist where Jessica's dress is hiked up and her underwear disappears for a few frames, it could be either intentional or a coloration error.[22] The scene drove sales of the LaserDisc release: many retailers reported that due to reports on the nudity from media includingCNN and newspapers, their entire inventories of the LaserDisc release sold out in minutes.[23] Sources from Disney toldVariety that the company was unlikely to do anything about the frames, and that the film is not intended for children regardless.[20]
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