10 Movies With Hidden Subtext You Totally Missed
5. Roger Rabbit Is An Allegory About Segregation In The US
Who Framed Roger Rabbit has always been one of those films that offers as much for grown-ups as it does for children, but beneath the surface there's even more substance for the former to appreciate.
Robert Zemeckis's live action-animation hybrid is a cautionary tale that evokes segregation in US society. There's a clear divide between the humans and the toons, who are forced to live in a designated zone called Toon Town.
The vast majority of the cartoon characters are employed in show business, while performance was one of the few accepted lines of work for minorities during this dark chapter of American history. Coincidence? Probably not.
If you need further convincing, the evil Judge Doom's plan to demolish Toon Town and replace it with a freeway has been interpreted as a reference to gentrification, which would tie in neatly with the overarching theme.