Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

This innovative comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis combined live action and traditional animation in a way never before seen. Detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is dragged into the world of "Toons" when they become part of an elaborate scheme involving murder and corruption. The movie was largely filmed on sets at Elstree Studios in England, but some location work was done in Los Angeles to recreate an alternate 1940s reality. 

Interior movie studio shots were likely done on sets at Elstree. 

Once we move to the exterior of the studio, we are outside the north entrance to Red Studios (formerly Ren-Mar Studios) at 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood. Pacific Electric Streetcar #721 was a fiberglass replica built by the production to run on tires (the tracks & wires were fake and added by the film crew). 

As PE #721 comes to a stop and Eddie gets off, we are effectively on a replica of Wilshire Boulevard created by the film crew. Nearly every building on this block (South Hope Street between 11th & 12th in DTLA) has been redressed with a facade to replicate 1940s Art Deco Los Angeles. They even created a replica El Rey Theatre (actually located at 5515 Wilshire Blvd). The old Pacific Electric car barn and "Terminal Station Bar" was also a set built by the crew (representing the last vestige of "old" LA in the film before developers take over). In a sad twist of irony, nearly every building on this block has since been demolished and basically no trace of the film locations remain (except those marked with arrows above). 

Pacific Electric #1058 (itself a Frankensteined trolley) was modified to drive on streets and can be seen in the distance behind #721. Years after filming it was bought by the LA Harbor Dept. and restored to once again run on tracks in San Pedro, but sadly this line became defunct in 2015 and now it sits in storage. Today your best bet to relive LA's glory days of public transportation is to visit the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, where a truly impressive collection of streetcars and trolleys can be seen AND ridden on (including three Hollywood PE cars nearly identical to those seen in this film)! They even have PE #655 on display, which was also utilized in the film. 

The exterior of Eddie's detective office was across the street from the bar at 1130 South Hope Street, but this location has also been torn down in recent years. 

The interior of the Terminal Station Bar was a set built on stage at Elstree Studios. 

The Acme Corporation warehouse was filmed at the then-abandoned Dimco Buildings adjacent to Westfield London shopping mall in White City, UK. The interiors were used as well. They are restored today and serve as a bus station and event space. The surrounding buildings in this scene are all gone today and replaced with the shopping mall.

GPS Coordinates: 51.508304, -0.223114 

Eddie has a talk with Dolores (Joanna Cassidy) outside his office on South Hope Street. A few of the buildings behind them still remain today. 

As Eddie and Roger make their escape with Benny, we get a look at more of the buildings on South Hope Street, most of which are gone today. 

The ensuing chase takes place between 11th & 12th on South Hope Street. As they come to the intersection of 12th, they nearly run into replica PE trolley #717 (look close and you'll see the rubber tires under the trucks). The building on the left is the Hudson Loft building at 1200 South Hope Street. A DVD featurette shows Bob Hoskins (and stunt driver) on the modified cart they used for filming. 

As they escape the alley, Eddie, Roger and Benny are traveling north on Glendale Blvd. in Los Feliz  (going the wrong way on a one-way street) toward the Hyperion Avenue Bridge over the LA River. They then launch onto the bridge and head west toward Los Feliz. Animation nerds may also take note that Los Feliz was where Walt & Roy Disney first set up shop in town, and their original studio building from 1923-26 still stands at 4649 Kingswell Avenue. 

The movie palace where Roger, Eddie and Dolores take in a Goofy show was the now-derelict State Cinema in Essex, UK. 

GPS Coordinates: 51.4775, 0.321667 

Eddie and Roger get caught in the middle of something mysterious back at Maroon Cartoons (Red Studios in Hollywood). 

Eddie tails Jessica to the portal entrance to Toon Town - the eastern portal of Mt. Hollywood Tunnel in Griffith Park (also later used in the Robert Zemeckis-directed Back to the Future: Part II). The tunnel's facade looks much different today and it's not as long as it appears in the film (it also doesn't curve). Besides this location, this film also shares actor Christopher Lloyd and several of the key crew members in common with the Back to the Future trilogy. 

GPS Coordinates: 34.123647, -118.300248

After Eddie wrecks Benny, Roger picks him up and they turn off Mt. Hollywood Drive onto West Observatory Road up to Griffith Observatory. The house and sign were added by the film crew. 

They return to Acme for the big showdown with Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd).