| Roger Rabbit | |
|---|---|
| Who Censored Roger Rabbit?/Who Framed Roger Rabbit character | |
 Roger Rabbit as he appears inWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). | |
| First appearance | Literature:Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (1981) Film:Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) |
| Created by | Gary K. Wolf |
| Adapted by | |
| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Species | Toonrabbit |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Family | Thumper (uncle) |
| Spouse | Jessica Rabbit (wife) |
Roger Rabbit is a fictionalanimatedanthropomorphicrabbit. The character first appeared in authorGary K. Wolf's 1981 novel,Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. In the book, Roger issecond banana in a popularcomic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private detectiveEddie Valiant to investigate why his employers, the DeGreasy Brothers, have reneged on their promise to give Roger his own strip. When Roger is found murdered in his home, Valiant sets out to look for the killer, with the help of Roger's "doppel" (in the book, comic characters can construct physical copies of themselves using their minds that last for only a few days).
The book and character were later re-envisioned inDisney's hit 1988live-action/animated filmWho Framed Roger Rabbit. In the film version, Roger is acartoon character or "toon" living inHollywood during theGolden age of American animation. The various toons live in aLos Angelesenclave known as "Toontown", and act outanimated shorts in the same way human actors act outfeature films. After Roger is framed for the murder of a famous Hollywood producer and the owner of Toontown, Marvin Acme, he seeks out Valiant to help clear his name. In the film, the voice of Roger is performed by comedianCharles Fleischer, who was known for electing to wear an actual rabbit costume on the set to get into the role over the entirety of production.
The character of Roger was created by authorGary K. Wolf, for his 1981 novelWho Censored Roger Rabbit? Wolf was watchingSaturday morning cartoons as research for new book ideas, when he noticed cereal commercial mascots such asTony the Tiger and theTrix Rabbit. Wolf found it amusing that these commercials had real children interacting with cartoon characters casually and without question, and he decided to explore the concept in book form, eventually combiningpulp fiction andtrue crime elements, and eventually creating the character of Roger Rabbit in the process.[13] Published in 1981,Walt Disney Productions purchased the film rights that same year for $35,000.[13] Wolf retains all story rights related to the characters and is allowed to write new novels featuring them, but Disney andAmblin Entertainment own the intellectual property rights.[13]
BeforeRichard Williams came on board for the film project, early animation tests for Roger gave him a simple and stylized look of a skinny white bunny with a purple nose. In these test animations, Roger was voiced byPaul Reubens.[14] Subscribers toThe Disney Channel (which was asubscription channel back in its early years) were able to see this test footage in the early 1980s.[15]
When the film went into full production, Roger was redesigned in a fashion to take elements from all the major cartoon studios of the period, the philosophy behind the new characters, in general, being a combination of Disney's elaborate animation style, similar characterization to Warner Bros. characters and capable of performingTex Avery-inspired gags.[13] His voice in the film was provided byCharles Fleischer. Before filming, Fleischer was asked to come up with a speech impediment for Roger. He gave Roger a lisp and the stammering catchphrase "P-p-p-please!" as a tribute to all the other famous cartoon characters with speech impediments, which was inspired byHuntz Hall's Sach Jones inThe Bowery Boys.[16][17] He had invented the "cheek flutter" while performing the voice of B.B. inDeadly Friend.[18] His portrayal of Roger was also inspired byScrewy Squirrel.[19] To facilitateBob Hoskins' performance as Eddie Valiant, Fleischer wore a Roger Rabbit costume on the set to get into the role over the entirety of production, and "stood in" behind camera for most scenes. He called it "trans-projectional acting".[18][20]
"He was almost my height, close to six feet, but only if you counted his eighteen-inch ears. He wore only a baggy pair of shorts, held up by brightly colored suspenders. His shoulders stopped so badly, he had to secure his suspender tops in place with crossed pieces of cellophane tape. For eyes, he had twin black dots, floating in the center of two oblong white saucers. His white stomach, nose, toes and palms on a light brown body made him resemble someone who had just walked face first into a freshly painted wall."
— Eddie Valiant describing Roger Rabbit in the novel
Roger in the movie is a skinny white rabbit with large blue eyes, pink nose, a tuft of red hair who wears red overalls, yellow gloves, and a blue bow tie with yellow polka dots. He is an amalgamation of various classic cartoon characters, taking:Mickey Mouse for his gloves;Bugs Bunny for his rabbit form, cheeks and ears included;Goofy for his baggy overalls;Porky Pig for his bow tie;Droopy for his head and red hair; andWile E. Coyote for his expressions.[21][22][23] Animator Richard Williams described the process of creating him like an "American flag" with the red overalls, white fur and blue bow tie so that American audiences would enjoy him subliminally.[24]
Roger is zany, kind-hearted, humorous, energetic, a bit naïve and not very clever. He loves to make others laugh and is good friends with the other Toons, especiallyBaby Herman (hisMaroon Cartoons costar) andBenny the Cab. He is also nervous and is intimidated byJudge Doom, the Dip, and the Toon Patrol as well as many other hazards.
Despite his traditionally cartoonish behavior, Roger is aware of what most people think of cartoons, facts he's voiced toEddie Valiant, in that making people laugh is often what makes toons' lives worthwhile, but also notes that there are times when making people laugh is the only weapon toons have. He believes that if someone doesn't have a good sense of humor they're better off dead and gets upset over having to sit through things such as newsreels that he perceives as boring.
He truly loves his voluptuous toon wife,Jessica, and always makes her laugh. Roger doesn't take well to alcoholic beverages. It's shown twice in the film that when he has consumed one, he changes color rapidly, at least one of his eyes swells, his head spins, and he mumbles incoherently at a fast pace, before stretching up into the air and whistling like a steam train at a loud enough tone to shatter glass, all the while spinning around.
He is asecond banana comic strip character who hires gruffalcoholicprivate eye,Eddie Valiant, to find out why his employers, the owners of a cartoon syndicate called the DeGreasy Brothers, refuse to give him his owncomic strip or to sell hiscontract to another studio.[25] This has Valiant interrogating several suspects, starting with Roger's co-starBaby Herman, then talking to Roger's ex-wifeJessica Rabbit, and finally Roger's photographer Carol. Valiant also goes to the Rabbit's house and finds Roger's corpse lying over the banister, soaking in a pool of his own blood. Toon policeman Captain Cleaver and a human commissioner then show up at the house. Valiant then encounters Roger'sdopple, who begs the toon-hating detective to prove his innocence and clear his name.
In the 1988Disney/Amblin Entertainment film, he is re-envisioned as a character in 1940sanimated cartoons and a resident of the fictionalLos Angeles enclave, Toontown. He is framed for the murder ofAcme Corporation C.E.O. Marvin Acme and seeks outEddie Valiant to help clear his name.
Roger notably played a significant role in the 1988NBC specialMickey's 60th Birthday. At the beginning, during the taping ofMickey Mouse's birthday show, he is told to bring Mickey's cake to him, but in the process, he mistakes a stick of dynamite for a candle and puts it on the cake. Upon noticing his mistake, he attempts to blow it out but fails miserably and brings down the set in the process. Due to the resulting explosion, Mickey uses Yen Sid's magic to fix the place up and then shows off some more magic to his audience, only to disappear and have Yen Sid cast a spell on him.
At the end, after the curse is lifted, Roger is the first to find Mickey (atDisneylandsMain Street, U.S.A.), takes aselfie of himself and Mickey and is hailed as a hero for doing so on the front page ofUSA Today.
Roger was featured in a series of cartoon shorts following the popularity of the movie. These shorts were presented in front of variousTouchstone/Disney features in an attempt to revive short subject animation as a part of the movie-going experience. These shorts includeTummy Trouble (1989), released in front ofHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (this was also included on the original video release of the film);Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990), shown in front ofDick Tracy; andTrail Mix-Up (1993), shown beforeA Far Off Place.
Despite being produced by Disney, these shorts contained a heavy slapstick style similar toWarner Bros.Looney Tunes orTex Avery cartoons, and MGM characterDroopy cameos in each one.
He makes two cameos voiced byFrank Welker andJoe Alaskey in the show, once withJessica Rabbit.[8][9][10]
Roger is also a character in Wolf's novel,Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?. In the book, Roger Rabbit is sure thatClark Gable has not only stolen the role ofRhett Butler in the soon-to-be-shotGone with the Wind, but he has also stolen the heart of Jessica. Investigating the affair, Eddie Valiant, Toon protector, finds himself up to his fedora in murder and Hollywood corruption.
The book is neither a sequel nor a prequel toWho Censored Roger Rabbit? or the film adaptation by Disney. It is a spin-off story with the same characters, just different situations.
Roger and Jessica both make small cameo appearances.
InWho Wacked Roger Rabbit?, the third novel in Gary K. Wolf's acclaimedRoger Rabbit/Toontown series, hard-boiled gumshoe Eddie Valiant lands a plum job asGary Cooper's bodyguard while Coop scouts locations for his next movie—a screwball comedy titledHi, Toon! But Eddie's dream job quickly turns into a nightmare. The film's being shot in Toontown, and Coop's co-star turns out to be none other than Roger Rabbit. Eddie's a big fan of Coop. Of Roger? Not so much. Now a sinister hoodlum is threatening to murder Coop if the movie gets made. Before long, Eddie, Coop, Roger, and the ever-glamorous Jessica Rabbit are embroiled in a mystery that could destroy Toontown. When Roger bites off more Toonish trouble than Eddie can swallow, the answer to the question, Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?, suddenly becomes no laughing matter. LikeP-P-P-Plugged, the book is non-canon to either the first book, or the film.
Roger occasionally appears as a meet-and-greet costumed character atDisney Parks across the world. A costumed Roger was noticeably present at the opening ofDisney-MGM Studios (nowDisney's Hollywood Studios) on May 1, 1989.[26]
Roger and company appeared in the 1989graphic novel,Roger Rabbit: The Resurrection of Doom, by Bob Foster and published byMarvel Comics. In the story, Roger and Jessica are thrown out of work when Maroon Cartoon Studios resorts to cheaper animation. Meanwhile, Judge Doom plots revenge as he makes a most unexpected and surprising return.
Roger also starred in a comic book series published byDisney Comics from April 1990 to September 1991 and a spin-off series calledRoger Rabbit's Toontown, published from June to October 1991, which featured Roger in the first story and supporting characters like Jessica Rabbit, Baby Herman, Benny the Cab, and the Toon Patrol. The series continues the adventures of Roger Rabbit, who has since returned to working for Maroon Cartoons, now under C.B. Maroon. The comics were usually split into two stories, with one main feature focusing on Roger's adventures, and a back-up feature presented to look like an actual animated subject. While Jessica Rabbit, Baby Herman and Benny the Cab all appeared in the stories, Eddie Valiant was seldom seen, replaced by a new detective character named Rick Flint. This was given an in-universe explanation in the first issue: Roger had a new case for he and Valiant to team up on, but Valiant told Roger he wouldn't be able to help him, as a result of his heavy workload. So to not leave Roger on his own, Valiant referred him to a "new kid" privatedetective, Rick Flint. The editorial reason for omitting Valiant from the comic was not having the likeness rights toBob Hoskins outside of the first issue. Other new characters introduced were Lenny, a toon plane who was Benny's cousin, and Mel, who was Roger's sentient mailbox. The series had a one-off 3D strip as part of the "Disney's Comics in 3-D" series, which reprinted the back-up features of earlier comics and converted them into 3D. TheRoger Rabbit comic book line lasted 18 issues, ending at the time of the Disney Comics implosion. However, new stories involving Roger and company continued to appear in the pages ofDisney Adventures until after the May 1993 issue.
Aparody of Roger appeared in a 2009 episode of theAdult Swimstop-motion sketch comedy series,Robot Chicken (episode:Love, Maurice). In the sketch, Roger (voiced by veteran-Looney Tunes voice actorBob Bergen) murdersO. J. Simpson's ex-wife,Nicole Brown Simpson, in exchange for O. J. killing Roger's wife, Jessica. The sketch satirizes the infamousO. J. Simpson murder case.[11]
He also makes a cameo appearance in the 2022 filmChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, with Fleischer reprising his role.[27]
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, adark ride featuring Roger, opened atDisneyland andTokyo Disneyland. Roger had also appeared at otherWalt Disney Parks and Resorts as ameetable character but retired as of 2018.
Andy Ape from the animated seriesDarkwing Duck is a parody of Roger.[28]
The Roger Rabbit became a popularfad dance in America during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[29][30] It was named after the floppy movements of the Roger Rabbit cartoon character. In movement, the Roger Rabbit dance is similar to therunning man, but done by skipping backwards with arms performing a flapping gesture as if hooking one's thumbs on suspenders.[31]Bobby Brown popularized the dance move,[32] as seen in themusic video for his song "Every Little Step" (1989).[33]
The popularDisney Afternoon TV seriesBonkers was long rumored to have originally been intended as aRoger Rabbit spin-off series, that ended up being scrapped due to licensing issues fromAmblin Entertainment, withBonkers being created instead. However, in 2008,Greg Weisman, who was a writer and on the series and helped co-created the series, denied this. While confirming that the title character was inspired by Roger, and the Toontown concept had also been influenced by the film, Weisman insists that Bonkers was always meant to be his own character.[34]
RappersMC Lars andKool Keith wrote a song about Roger andJudge Doom on Lars's 2015 album, "the Zombie Dinosaur LP" called "the Dip".[35]
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