Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Heads up, parents: Who Framed Roger Rabbit is darker than the bunny on the poster suggests. It’s a noir murder mystery about streetcars and freeways, half of which will sail over younger heads, and Judge Doom lowering a squeaky cartoon shoe into a vat of chemicals still scares kids. Roger himself can be exhausting, a sputtering ball of panic who works best in small doses. But the craft is staggering. Bob Hoskins acts opposite empty air for most of the movie, and you never doubt that a rabbit is hanging off his leg. The toons cast real shadows, bump real props and wriggle out of real handcuffs. Christopher Lloyd is legit terrifying as Doom, with a voice like a creaky door. A dueling-piano bit between two very famous ducks is perfect. It made $329.8 million worldwide on a reported $50.6M. A 9.0 because it pulls off the impossible and makes it look easy. $54.28 says you knock the first half of shave and a haircut on a door this week and wait for somebody to finish it.

What works: The blend of live action and animation still looks astonishing, and Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd give it real weight and menace.

What doesn’t: Roger’s nonstop panic wears thin in long scenes, and the streetcar conspiracy plot is too dark and talky for the youngest viewers.

Who it’s for: Anyone who grew up on classic cartoons and wants to see them crash into a hard-boiled detective story.