One of the best ‘80s movies, as well as a prime example of live-action/animation hybrids working out, director Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is still a landmark hit in the Disney canon. And part of the reason is because the movie is extremely quotable, thanks to lines such as these feeling fresh every time you hear them.
“Marvin Acme. The rabbit cacked him last night.”
As Lt. Santino (Richard LeParmentier) breaks this news to one of the movie detectives you’d call to solve a murder, Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) sees the story, and the tone, shifting into the central murder mystery. It’s a sharp transition from Eddie celebrating a job well done to the conspiracy that’s about to unravel.
“Didn’t you used to be Eddie Valiant? Or did you change your name to Jack Daniels.”
Eddie’s traumatic past has led our hero to have a bit of a drinking problem, which we’re reminded of through some memorable pieces of dialogue. And one of them comes from a forensic tech on the scene (Joel Cutrara), who drops this burn that pleases his crowd of fellow cops.
“Nose? That don’t rhyme with walls?”
One of the perfect set-ups for a double entendre in the Disney universe, Who Framed Roger Rabbit sees one of the Toon Patrol’s finest question Eddie Valiant’s rhyming scheme in a song, which leads to a painful moment that fills in the blank rather comedically.
“I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”
The world still has a crush on Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), and you can bet that part of those feelings come from her way with words. One of the all-time femme fatale lines comes from this moment, which ensured that hearts were stolen and new noir fans were created in the process.
“A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have.”
Something that most people don’t appreciate Who Framed Roger Rabbit for is its brilliant foreshadowing. When Roger (Charles Fleischer) gives Eddie this piece of wisdom while hiding out together, it’s like giving him the keys to ultimate victory. It’s also a heartbreaker, as it helps inform just how much of a lovable clown Roger Rabbit really is.
“That’s it! That’s the connection!”
There’s an electric surge every single time Eddie Valiant figures out the remaining thread that binds the picture’s ultimate conspiracy. A vital pivot point that drives the third act into full gear, the rest of the picture is a relentless and twist filled dash to the finish.
“Is he always this funny, or only on days when he's wanted for murder?”
Everybody in Roger Rabbit’s L.A. has at least a couple of zingers in them. But one of the champions in this cast of characters is Dolores (Joanna Cassidy), a server at Eddie’s familiar watering hole, The Terminal Bar. Her sharp wit keeps things moving, and properly shows off how she keeps Eddie in line, when need be.
“His wife’s poison, but he thinks she’s Betty Crocker.”
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a family-accessible comedy that also deals with a murder plot that threatens the existence of toons. Alan Tilvern’s R.K. Maroon sits on the more somber side of things, especially when using this tasty analogy to fill Eddie Valiant in on why his early picture ‘snoop’ job is so important.
“Yeah, ain't I a stinker?”
In one of Mel Blanc’s final appearances as Bugs Bunny, he basically played one of his own greatest hits in this Roger Rabbit trivia-inspiring moment. The fact that he’s doing so with Mickey Mouse (Wayne Allwine) skydiving along with him is a reason why this movie is still such a big deal in pop culture history.
“I'm gonna listen to you spin the Cloverleaf scenario. A story of greed, and murder. And the parts that I don't like...I'm gonna edit out."
Threats of bodily harm sing if you have the right words, which is another hallmark of the film noir DNA present in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Showing just how much of a tough guy Bob Hoskins was known for playing, he walks the line between threat and action like a pro.
“Oh my god, IT’S DIIIIIIP!”
For most of the movie, Jessica Rabbit is a cool customer who knows how to hold her own among all types. But when she shrieks out in fear about this fatal weapon used by the infamous Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd), it’s a moment that proves just how serious the situation really is.
“Take comfort, son. You're not the first man whose wife played patty-cake on him.”
What a brilliant move to equate marital infidelity to the game of patty cake. Giving Who Framed Roger Rabbit a truly noir motivation for potential murder, this particular treat also allows R.K. Maroon to comfort Roger with a piece of dialogue that proves this was a children’s movie that, in retrospect, wasn’t appropriate for young, unsupervised audiences.
“Remember me, Eddie? When I killed your brother, I talked…JUST…LIKE…THIS!”
Judge Doom’s insidious plot is still as brilliant as the first time it unfurled on a movie screen. And similarly effective is the reveal of his role in the death of Eddie Valiant’s brother, Teddy. Adults and children alike probably still recoil when his voice gets nice and squeaky towards the end of this sentence.
“Look, stars! Ready when you are, Raoul.”
Even in a moment that leads to the capture of himself and his wife, Roger Rabbit still has time to learn something new. And while that ton of bricks allowed the Toon Patrol’s weasels to get the jump on him, at least he can finish making “Something’s Cookin” with the ability to provide those stars the script called for.
“No toon can resist the old ‘Shave and a Haircut’ trick”
The entire bar scene where Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s archvillain tries to suss out his quarry with a rendition of “Shave and a Haircut” is as tense as any grown-up thriller. Watching Roger coil himself up in resistance to this call just looks painful as well.
“C'mon Roger, let's go home. I'll bake you a carrot cake.”
Another one of those lines that kept adults entertained, while leaving kids to discover its true weight upon growing up, Jessica’s promise to Roger sounds innocuous enough to a certain audience. And then that second layer of thought and innuendo kicks in, giving the movie a five-star conclusion.
“My problem is I’ve got a 50-year-old lust, and a three year old body.”
Baby Herman (Lou Hirsch) is a complicated man, which is shown by the fact that he will apparently always look like a three-year-old. Puffing a cigar as he relays this problem to Eddie Valiant, it’s one of those moments you can actually feel sorry for the gruff man baby.
“I didn't know where your office was. So I asked the newsboy. He didn't know. So I asked the fireman, the green grocer, the butcher, the baker, they didn't know! But the liquor store guy... he knew.”
Roger’s story about trying to track Eddie down winds through a laundry list of sources that could have helped him out. And in true Who Framed Roger Rabbit fashion, the booze wins in the end.
“Oh Roger, you were magnificent. … Better than Goofy.”
Both Jessica and Roger Rabbit hold Disney’s Goofy in such high regard throughout the adventure that unfolds around them. One has to assume that’s because Roger admires his acting skills, and based on Jessica’s taste in men, she might have a bit of a crush.
“Who needs a car in LA? We’ve got the best public transportation system in the world!”
One of the many brilliant pieces of foreshadowing happens in a scene that seems harmless enough, as Eddie Valiant hitches a ride on the Red Car with some kids who had the same idea. Admittedly, the line where Eddie thanks these kids for some loose cigarettes may have distracted some audience members from really taking this puzzle piece into their minds.
“Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
Eddie Valiant may have asked Dolores to cut the comedy in this Who Framed Roger Rabbit scene, but her quick wit was welcomed in a scene that would turn serious soon enough. With the way she likes to wisecrack, you have to wonder if she’s been around toons more than Eddie was in his past.
“I’m looking for a murderer.”
Christopher Lloyd is an actor whose range can both chill and comfort, with his legacy mostly being represented by the manic Doc Brown from Back to the Future. However, with this single line, he showed just why he was cast as the major antagonist in this thrill ride who knows when to laugh and when to gasp.
“Hey. I seen a rabbit. … He’s right here in the bar. Well, say hello, Harvey.”
Despite being a total jerk to Eddie, barfly Angelo (Richard Ridings) is actually a more trustworthy fellow than most would have thought. While our detective thinks the rough-and-tumble jokester would sell Roger out in a heartbeat, Angelo shows off his own sense of humor, and also an appreciation for toons.
“No, not at any time, only when it was funny.”
As Roger and Eddie spend a good portion of Who Framed Roger Rabbit linked together by handcuffs, the cartoon figure’s ease in slipping them off justifiably upsets his human friend. Which only gets slightly more frustrating when Roger offers this adorable, but still inconvenient, excuse.
“They’re not kid gloves, Mr. Valiant.”
Robert Zemeckis didn’t waste any time getting the audience to hate Christopher Lloyd’s Judge Doom. Right in the very sequence he’s introduced, he’s a hard case from frame one; culminating in this still traumatic death of an innocent cartoon shoe. Offering only this thinly veiled promise of zero tolerance, it’s always been a chilling cap to a harrowing moment.
“Smile, darn ya, smile! You know this whole world is a great world after all!”
It’s hard not to smile at this impromptu sing-along that breaks out among Toontown’s various citizens. Which is probably why it’s reprised at the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, when the day is truly won, and the audience could use an upbeat note to leave the theater on.
“That lame-brained freeway idea could only be cooked up by a Toon.”
Modern life has shown us the necessity of the freeway concept, despite the good city of L.A. not always possessing the need to have one. Eddie Valiant’s line hits like a comedic pie to the face every time, as anyone who’s ever been stuck in traffic clearly knows the truth.
“Listen, when i say ‘I do,’ it means I do!”
Leave it to the classic Looney Tunes model of reverse psychology to save Roger Rabbit’s skin. Being the method that Eddie Valiant uses to convince his companion to trigger a violent reaction to alcohol, it gets Roger to slug some bourbon and freak right out of Judge Doom’s clutches.
“My God, it'll be beautiful.”
After waxing on about his plan to turn Toontown into a desolate landscape that’ll make way for the California Freeway, it’s enough to make any James Bond villain teary-eyed with joy. But for us the sane, non-megalomaniacal audience, landing on these five words sews up a chilling monologue that turns stuff we’re familiar with into a rather dystopian vision.
“Here’s to the pencil pushers. May they all get lead poisoning, huh?”
If Eddie Valiant ever needed to switch professions, toastmaster might be a good change of scenery. Attempting to drink to a friend laid off in the midst of Judge Doom’s freeway scheme, this quote is still something you could break out when imbibing with the right crew.
“What's wrong with Toontown? Every Joe loves Toontown.”
At this point in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, we don’t know about Eddie’s tragic backstory for why he hates toons. After R.K. Maroon puts this very question into the air, it primes the audience to keep searching for those answers, even if the story isn’t so beautiful.
“I can’t believe they locked me up for driving on the sidewalk. It was just a couple of miles.”
Somehow, Benny the Cab (Charles Fleischer) is a better driver than Roger Rabbit. Though, to be fair, the traffic violation in this gag is less destructive than what we’d see later as proof of Roger’s lack of skills behind the wheel.
