It is the 30th anniversary of the release of Academy-award winning live action/animated fantasy noir Who Framed Roger Rabbit and we at redmangoreviews want to celebrate. The fun times of silly Roger, grumpy drunk detective Eddie Valiant, the sensuous Jessica Rabbit and the demented Judge Doom made for one of my favourite movies of all time and still holds up exceptionally well to this day.
One of the coolest aspects of this exceptionally cool film was the multitude of cartoon character cameos both from Warner Bros and house of mouse Disney. For this list we will be counting 10 of the best cameos in this seminal film. With a SPOILER ALERT and some wacky music let’s do this crazy thang:
#10 The Wood Boys
Near the end of the film there are a whole bunch of cameos including Woody Woodpecker and his maniacal laugh and soft spoken boy-puppet Pinocchio. They only get a couple of quick lines but they are cool visual standouts in this toon menagerie.
#9 Hyacinth Hippo
This dainty hippo from Fantasia bounces into Valiant at Maroon Cartoon Studios and sends a random guy flying when she sits next to him. It’s silly and predictable but an effective gag.
#8 Porky and Tinkerbell
Right at the end of the film we get Porky Pig doing his trademark “ba dee ba de ba dee that’s all folks” outro and then he gets some wand sparkles from Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell. This Warner Bros/Disney pairing (one of a few on this list) was an iconic way to close the curtain.
#7 Yosemite Sam
We never find out how in tarnation Yosemite Sam set his butt on fire but his “burning biscuits” sure are funny.
#6 Dumbo
The very first cameo was Disney’s cute-as-a-button flying elephant Dumbo who startles the hell of out of Valiant. Maroon’s “they work for peanuts” line is corny but so worth it.
#5 Tweety
The second of back-to-back cameos features the adorable Tweety playing “three little piggies” or “piddies” with Valiant as he holds on for dear life to a poll after falling from a building. Tweety is the opposite of helpful in this situation.
#4 Betty Boop
We meet this little gum drop of cuteness Betty Boop in the underground Ink and Paint Club and she chats it up with her old friend Valiant. Her line that she has not gotten much work since coloured cartoons came out adds some depth to this wild human/toon world.
#3 Droopy
In the middle of gunfights and toon murder perpetually sleepy Droopy shows up as an elevator operator. He sends Valiant flying into the ceiling and then slamming into the ground. It was no surprise he did not receive a tip.
#2 Daffy and Donald
Daffy Duck is one my all time favourite cartoon characters (sorry Bugs) and his wacky antics added to Donald Duck’s ill temper makes for a hilarious scene in the Ink and Paint Club. Their piano war is one of the most cartoonish scenes in the entire film and is number two on our list cameos.
#1 Bugs and Mickey
Only this scene could be number one. While Valiant is falling from the building after Tweety’s “piddy game” Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse randomly show up next to him wearing parachutes. Valiant asks for a spare and Bugs gives him a spare tire. The gag is superbly corny but the pairing of the face of Warner Bros and the face of Disney is a monumental one and number one on our list.
So what’s your favourite Who Framed Roger Rabbit cartoon cameo? For more toon nostalgia you can check out the Top 20 Cool Cartoons from the 80s here.