Character Study: Jessica Rabbit

"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way."

Hey there Toonsters,

It's been such a long time since I did my first character study (which was Captain Caveman, by the way). Now, it's time for me get back on doing a study on a character in the world of animation. And in this one, I will talk about, without a shadow of a doubt, the most voluptuous, buxom red-headed dame that ever come out of Toontown. I am, of course, referring to Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Why is Jessica such a lovely sexpot, why is she so sultry, what inspirations made her who she is today? So, sit back and grab a bag of popcorn, as I hit the wayback machine as I talk about this animated femme fatale, who became the inspiration for more lovely redheads and femme fatales to come.

Origins: First appearing in the book, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf, Jessica Rabbit is the wife of Roger Rabbit (who was a comic strip character in the book at the time). Loosely based on Red from the Tex Avery cartoons (more on that later), and although I never read the book, from what I have heard, her characterization was far different than the Jessica we know and love in the movie. She was portrayed in the book as an immoral woman and her relationship with Roger was estranged. Good thing it is from the book. What we are talking about is the how she is in the movie and that is what we are focused on.

Inspirations: When working on Jessica, the makers of the movie, especially its animation director, Richard Williams, took inspiration from the lovely starlets from the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Rita Hayworth (who was one of the favorite idols of famed comedienne, Carol Burnett), Veronica Lake and Lauren Bacall. Though nobody mentioned other inspirations for Jessica, but for the reason for her lovely backless red dress, you can thank 1950s model, Vikki Dougan for that. If you want to know more about that info, go see the video titled "EVER WONDER WHO INSPIRED THE SEXY AND UNFORGETTABLE JESSICA RABBIT?" on YouTube (the link is down below).

Characterization and Personality: In first glance, Jessica Rabbit is a human-like toon, with a statuette frame, red hair that covers half her face (inspired by the aforementioned Veronica Lake), green eyes with lavender eye shadow, a curvy hourglass shaped body and her bust size was ginormous. She was busty before Mai Shiranui, the Dead or Alive girls and any anime woman made their "mammories" their own. Although she dressed up in the Roger Rabbit shorts as a nurse or a park ranger, Jessica's default outfit is her red strapless dress with a long slit on the right side, gold earrings, pink stilettos and long, purple opera gloves. In the original Gary K. Wolf novel, Jessica was immoral and selfish and one of the suspects for the "censoring" of her estranged husband, Roger. However, in the movie itself and afterwards, even though she is portrayed as a femme fatale, Jessica is sweet, gentle and very devoted to her husband, for Roger always makes her laugh. Sometimes a damsel in distress or a detective in her own right (especially putting 2 and 2 together regarding Roger, Toontown, and Cloverleaf), Jessica Rabbit is one sexy toon that can melt you like butter.

Voices: Although there were some voice actors who voiced her in other mediums like video games, the only one true voice for Jessica Rabbit has to go with Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress, Kathleen Turner, who was best known for such movies as Body Heat, Romancing the Stone and its sequel, Jewel of the Nile, War of the Roses (all three she co-starred with Michael Douglas), Undercover Blues, Peggy Sue Got Married, Serial Mom and Baby Geniuses (which she co-starred with fellow actor Christopher Lloyd, who played Judge Doom in the aforementioned Roger Rabbit). When voicing Jessica, Ms. Turner displayed the type of voice that would turn a man on, which was inspired by the deep husky voice of Lauren Bacall herself, especially when saying her iconic line, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way". She continued to voice Jessica in the three Roger Rabbit shorts, Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit and Trail Mix-Up. This wouldn't be the last time Ms. Turner did animation, for she did voice work in some shows, including one episode of The Simpsons, where she voiced the woman who was the inspiration for the creation of this show's version of Barbie, Malibu Stacy. As for Jessica's singing when she did the number, Why Can't You Do Right? (Originally sung by Peggy Lee), it was done by Amy Irving, who was married to Steven Spielberg at the time.

Red from Red Hot Riding Hood in 1943. Way before Jessica's time.

Similar Characters: Before Jessica Rabbit became every male's fantasy, back in the early 1940s, during the Golden Age of Animation, there was another lovely redheaded sexpot, and her name was just simply, Red. Straight from the mind of the legendary Tex Avery and first appearing in 1943's Red Hot Riding Hood, a modern-day satire version of Little Red Riding Hood, Red was every male's dream fantasy come true, even in the eyes of a girl-crazy wolf.

Although her resume was short, including other shorts like Swing Shift Cinderella in 1945 and appearing in two Droopy cartoons, Red, hence her name, is truly red hot, and don't take my word for it.

Breezie, who was inspired by Jessica, first appeared in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode, "Lovesick Sonic", who looks like a sexy, elegant hedgehog, is real a robot, created by Dr. Robotnik, but turned on her creator due to her love for Sonic. She later fallen for Robotnik's other creation, Robotnik, Jr., who also turned on him, but that's another story.

Legacy: Since the movie's release, Who Framed Roger Rabbit itself started a renaissance in animation that lasted a decade or so, especially with Disney, starting with The Little Mermaid in 1989. But for the sake of Jessica, she has inspired many more free-thinking independent animated women and fiery and fearless redheads to come, especially Sam from Totally Spies, Kim Possible and the aforementioned Little Mermaid herself, Ariel. As for her personally, her looks and style inspired not only parodies (including those from Robot Chicken) from the time Gadget dressed up as Jessica in the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episode, "Double-0-Munk", to the sexy robot hedgehog, Breezie, from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, first appearing in the episode, "Lovesick Sonic". Not to mention the fact that she also inspired female characters in both animation and video games that have sex appeal, large bust size. and using their feminine wilds for their escapades, including those from anime, and video game characters like the aforementioned DOA girls and the woman called the Queen of the Fighters, Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury and the King of Fighters series. "Nippon Ichi", indeed. 

And there you have it. I've been wanting to do a character study on Jessica Rabbit for quite a long time. Her sex appeal and her legacy will live in our hearts (and our dreams) forever. Very drawn that way, indeed. Until next time, stay frosty and... don't be a stranger.

Saraba da (Farewell), for now!

Ever Wonder Who Inspired the Sexy and Unforgettable Jessica Rabbit by Rat Pack Matinee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6JLimtlQ2A&t=205s