The 80s Childhood Classic Based On A Truly Terrible Book

The 1981 book, written by Gary K. Wolf, depicts a much different world than the one featured in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The book is set in present-day LA instead of the 1940s version of Hollywood found in the film. Toons still exist, but here, they work in comic strips rather than animation.

It’s the difference between the book’s Toons and the film’s that presents the biggest difference between the two. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? presents Roger as a denizen of Toon Town, a fictional part of Hollywood where all the real-life cartoon stars like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny live together in harmony when they aren’t starring in theatrical cartoons.

Assuming that, like most people, you discovered the movie first and checked out the book much later out of curiosity, the different way Toons act in the novel can be quite jarring.

The Toons in Censored speak through word bubbles that appear above their head and linger around even once a Toon has moved on to another thought.

At one point, the book’s version of Eddie Valliant laments all the abandoned speech bubbles that litter the sidewalks now that Toons lives in his neighborhood. One of the discarded word balloons even becomes a piece of evidence in a murder.

Even weirder, the Toons in the book can create doppelgangers of themselves to use for dangerous stunts. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Toons are nearly indestructible, only able to be killed with a solution known as a dip.

The Toons in the book, however, are just as fragile as humans and require these temporary doubles to take pratfalls and explosions for them so they don’t die.

Speaking of death, Roger faces his early on in the book. After hiring Eddie Valiant to find out why he hasn’t been given his own comic strip, Roger is murdered in his home.

It’s one of Roger’s clones that accompanies Valiant for most of the book as he attempts to solve Roger’s murder. While most of this sounds weird it doesn’t necessarily make for a bad story, just one that’s different from the classic film we all grew up with.

No, we haven’t mentioned the stuff that makes Who Framed Roger Rabbit? the rare film that’s better than the book yet. We wanted to be nice and ease you into the fever dream we’re about to describe. If you think we’re overexaggerating, just wait.

Book Eddie Valiant does indeed solve the mystery of Roger Rabbit’s murder, and it is absolutely insane. It starts with the DeGreasy Brothers, Rocco and Dominic, who are former Toons that own the cartoon syndicate that employs Roger.

What do we mean by former Toons? The brothers found a genie in a teakettle and wished to become human.

The DeGreasys lose their magic teakettle, only for Roger to find it and accidentally wish for a successful career. “Accidentally” because he doesn’t realize the teakettle contains a genie and is just wishing out loud while holding it.

A similar thing happens when he accidentally wishes for Jessica Rabbit to fall in love with him.

The twist is that the genie is an a-hole and, after thousands of years, has grown bored and prefers to grant his wishes monkey’s paw-style.

For instance, Roger gets fame, but it’s only as a second banana to Baby Herman. Jessica falls in love with him, but it’s only for a year, and the whole time, she realizes she’s under a magic spell.

Does all of this remind you of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? No? Hey, we told you it was crazy.

Valiant discovers that Roger figured out Jessica was cheating on him with Rocco DeGreasy and went to his office to murder Rocco and frame Eddie for it.

During his scheme, Roger accidentally summons the Genie again—it turns out the words to summon him are part of a song Roger likes to sing—and this time, he actually realizes it.

For some reason, the Genie doesn’t want his identity out and kills Roger. Eddie finds all this out during an exposition dump when he holds the Genie’s kettle above a saltwater fish tank and threatens to drop it. Apparently, in the world of Who Censored Roger Rabbit? salt water kills Genies.

In the end, Eddie kills the Genie. Roger’s doppelganger, satisfied that his creator has been avenged, slowly disintegrates into nothingness.

The End. Now you know why we prefer the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to the book.

Who Censored Roger Rabbit? isn’t the worst book to inspire a spectacular film, but it’s definitely up there. If this has sparked your curiosity, go ahead and read the book’s Wikipedia page, but whatever you do, don’t subject yourself to the actual novel.

You’d be better off pouring dip in your eyes. At least it would be less painful.