Who Framed Roger Rabbit: 13 Easter Eggs & References You Probably Missed

11. The Hole Idea

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Disney

Generic cartoon logic is all over the film, especially when Eddie Valiant goes to Toontown, a literal land of Acme Overused Gags, but one gimmick manufactured by Marvin Acme has a direct and clear cartoon origin. When Eddie employs an ACME Portable Hole to liberate himself from a giant Toon magnet pinning him to a barrel it’s a direct callback to the 1955 Looney Tunes short: The Hole Idea.

Directed by Robert McKimson, the cartoon tells the story of meek and serially unsuccessful scientist Professor Calvin Q. Calculus who invents portable holes for the good of humankind only to have a criminal steal and use them for evil. After the criminal is apprehended, Calvin uses one last hole to get rid of his nagging wife, which demonstrates even the most noble of us have a propensities for evil.

And now you know the Hole story.

Contributor
Contributor

Maurice is one of the founders of FACT TREK (www.facttrek.com), a project dedicated to untangling 50+ years of mythology about the original Star Trek and its place in TV history. He's also a screenwriter, writer, and videogame industry vet with scars to show for it. In that latter capacity he game designer/writer on the Sega Genesis/SNES "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Crossroads of Time" game, as well as Dreamcast "Ecco the Dolphin, Defender of the Future" where Tom Baker performed words he wrote.