<P> Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American live - action / animated fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman . The film is based on Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? The film stars Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, and Joanna Cassidy . Combining live - action and animation, the film is set in Hollywood during the late 1940s, where animated characters and people co-exist . The story follows Eddie Valiant, a private detective who must exonerate "Toon" Roger Rabbit, who is accused of murdering a wealthy businessman . </P> <P> Walt Disney Pictures purchased the film rights for Who Framed Roger Rabbit's story in 1981 . Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote two drafts of the script before Disney brought in executive producer Steven Spielberg, and his production company, Amblin Entertainment . Zemeckis was brought on to direct the film, and Canadian animator Richard Williams was hired to supervise the animation sequences . Production was moved from Los Angeles to Elstree Studios in England to accommodate Williams and his group of animators . While filming, the production budget began to rapidly expand and the shooting schedule ran longer than expected . </P> <P> Disney released the film through its Touchstone Pictures division on June 22, 1988, to critical and commercial success, becoming a blockbuster . The film brought a renewed interest in the Golden Age of American animation, spearheading modern American animation and the Disney Renaissance . </P> <P> In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". </P>

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