9 Movies That Succeeded By Ignoring The Source Material
6. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The first effort from director Robert Zemeckis to make the list, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a popular effort that's remembered just as much for its technology as it is for its personality. The original novel, "Who Censored Roger Rabbit" by Gary K. Wolf served as a light inspiration rather than direct adaptation.
The differences between book are film and immediately apparant with the initial aesthetics. Censored is a darker, noir styled effort with plenty of hardboiled trappings. Whereas Framed retains some of that but prefers to revel in bright, colourful and vibrant characters.
Of course when Disney wanted to take the product to the screen, they have a tendency of moulding something more family friendly, but this is a case where taking things in that direction works to the film's credit.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit's iconic modern style effortlessly blends both live-action and cartoons to create a very charming backdrop to the proceedings. By contrast, the novel relied more on the works of comic strips to add to its world. In addition, the film drastically expands the number of memorable characters, making full use of its ensemble cast.
While the book reached a fairly niche audience, its film adaptation achieved high praise from many a critic and audience of the time.