Who Framed Roger Rabbit – The 3 Rules of Living Animation

(image via IMP Awards)

 

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) is an amazing film on so many levels.

Made at a time when the digital revolution had yet to make its indelible mark on the art of animation, the Robert Zemeckis-dtrected film, which beautifully combined live action and animation in a story in an alternate 1940s world where cartoon characters were every bit as real as their human counterparts.

Sporting a fil noir aesthetic, both visually and narratively, it’s an emotional-rich, visually dazzling accomplishment which as the enormously-talented Kaptain Kristian, a man with a gift for creating details-rich, incredibly-knowledgable mini-documentaries, pushed the boundaries in so many impressive ways.

For example, he points out that the animators, who only began work once all the live-action filming was complete, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the characters relfected every element of their environment from the way the light hit them through to how they reacted when plunged into a sink of water for instance.

 

 

On every level the film is a thing of wonder and beauty, a testament to what can happen when someone “bumps the lamp”, a parlance developed during the creation of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which essentially means to go well and truly above and beyond and create something truly special because someone, somewhere will notice.

This video makes you appreciate the film all over again as Kaptain Kristian explains in luxurious, well-informed detail why it matters so much.

* Kaptain Kristian is a talented creator who relies on the Patreon model to enable to make his amazing videos. It’s a great system and I’d encourage you to think about supporting him and other creative types so they can keep making great art.

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