In 1988, an extraordinary thing happened in the world of animation. The film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"( Directed by Robert Zemekis, animation directed by Richard Williams) was released. The film gleefully celebrated the kind of imaginative slapstick cartoon violence that was the staple of the most popular short cartoon classics that were made during the period from around 1940 till the decline in the year that the film takes place,1947. Cartoon lover's eyes popped like Tex Avery wolves all over the world for this caliber of animation hadn't been seen since...well, 1947. The film was a major hit, and a powerful shot in the arm for the until then sluggish animation business. For me personally, well...it saved my life, and my faith in the power of the animated film. |
