by Matt Kelly

Created on: September 21, 2010   Last Updated: September 22, 2010

Never before have real world actors and cartoons met so convincingly, drawing in such an eclectic and wide reaching audience. Not only deriving a fan base from young, impressionable children as one might expect but also a more discerning adult contingent who get a real kick out of seeing their former cartoon heroes appearing in such an unfamiliar and unusual setting.

Roger exploded onto the big screen in 1988 and was an instant and unmitigated success with the movie grossing well over $150 million, costing a minuscule $70 million to produce (imagine trying to produce a box office smash for that amount today). Hot on the heels of the original cinema release was supposed to be a handful of prequels including 'Toon Platoon'  which was to be set 6 years before Who framed Roger Rabbit. Although Toon platoon was never completed there were a handful of comedic shorts that were released, starring Roger as well as the gruff, cigar smoking baby Herman and the dazzlingly beautiful Jessica Rabbit. One such short did especially well, it was entitled 'Tummy Trouble' and was released as a prelude to Disney's 'Honey, I shrunk the kids'.

While WFRR received critical acclaim as well as an assortment of awards (including an oscar, a saturn award and a BAFTA) creating and producing the film was fraught with pitfalls and problems, the main reason there hasn't been a sequel since, although recent announcements suggest that one is on it's way in 2012.

Based around a book by novelist Gary K Wolf, Who Framed Roger Rabbit was produced in England after Richard Williams, the director of animation, refused to work in Los Angeles, as protest against the Disney corporations penchant for dragging their feet and interrupting the creative process.

On completion of production, Micheal Eisner (head of Disney Corp in the 80's) expressed a profound reluctance to release WFRR in it's current form, but as the films director (Robert Zemeckis) retained the final cut privileges (or put another way was legally allowed to have the last word) the film made it to release without change.

Disney may have owned the rights bought from the early 80's novelist but Zemeckis still held creative control, which stopped the film being watered down and kept it free from the taint of "Disney-esque Beurocracy".

The story centers on a P.I called Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) who is hired by the owner of maroon cartoon studios, R.k Maroon, to investigate whether the wife of Roger Rabbit (one of his cartoon

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