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One of the wackiest Disney movies to ever hit the big screen has to be 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. The live-action/animation hybrid from Robert Zemeckis merged the world of Disney cartoons with racy film noir. For those of us who were exposed to the film as kids, the memory of the film is almost like some kind of fever dream that we’re not sure actually existed. But it totally does, and Christopher Lloyd is here to remind us of a particularly cruel scene.
The Back To The Future actor played the villain -- Judge Doom -- in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, who is an evil mastermind hellbent on committing toon genocide in Toontown. While reflecting on the movie on a Disney+ Q&A on Twitter, Christopher Lloyd discussed his favorite scene as the character:
I kind of like the scene where I pick the little, screaming shoe that’s crying for its life, and I put him into the dip. I know that is mean and cruel and a lot of people said it gave them nightmares. Well, some of the first Disney films I ever saw, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, etc., there was always something horrible done then, and I would have nightmares. So, it's kind of a payback.
Thanks for bringing back that painful memory! If you didn’t already repress it, you may remember a scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit when Judge Doom executes a poor cartoon by placing him in “The Dip” – his concoction of turpentine, acetone and benzene that can dissolve toons to death. Many of us watched this scene at a time when it was thought that cartoons simply couldn’t die. This cute little guy was the victim:
As Christopher Lloyd explained, it was kind of payback for all the times the studio’s early films traumatized him as well. I mean the part in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when the poor Disney princess enters the dark forest was absolutely terrifying, for me, as a kid. Or how about when Pinocchio turned into a donkey or when the poor doe’s mom is shot by a hunter in Bambi? All can be pretty traumatizing for a child.
“The Dip” is a clever weapon because all of those chemicals are paint thinners. Get it? Because they're cartoons? Anyway, karma comes for Judge Doom by the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit when he (a toon in disguise) melts, bringing a bit of justice to the poor toon shoe.
Christopher Lloyd reflected on his famed villain role since he makes an appearance on the news Disney+ documentary series Prop Culture. The eight-episode first season that dropped on the streaming service on Friday takes Disney fans into the props that defined movies such as Mary Poppins, Tron and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The seventh episode is about Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Those who want to see more can sign up for a free 7-day trial of Disney+.
