September 16th, 2024

An adaptation of the “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” novel that occurred in the 80’s.

Brick Redmond is a hardboiled private eye and Ricky Rabbit is a second banana television star. Ricky hires Brick to find out why his employers, the DeGreasy Brothers (Rocco and Dominic), who are owners of a media syndicate, have reneged on a promise to give Ricky his own spin-off and potentially sell his contract to a mystery buyer. Evidence shows that there was no mystery buyer and the reason Ricky Rabbit remained in a secondary role was because of his lack of talent. Soon after, Ricky is mysteriously murdered in his home. Brick’s search for the killer takes him to a variety of suspects, which includes Ricky’s estranged widow Jessica Rabbit, Ricky’s former co-star Lil’ Herman and Ricky’s agent Carol Masters. Brick then meets a doppelgänger of Ricky’s and promises to solve the mystery of his death. At the same time, Ricky’s former boss Rocco DeGreasy is also murdered and witnesses point to Ricky as the killer as he was allegedly seen fleeing the scene of the crime.

While Brick investigates, the key suspects ask him to be on the lookout for a certain kettle in exchange for a reward. He eventually finds the kettle which was in Ricky’s possession and gives it to Dominic DeGreasy only to find it is actually a magic lamp with a Genie, who then kills Dominic. The Genie explains its origins and that over thousands of years he has become embittered so he now only grants wishes with a catch and also admits to being the one who shot Ricky. He further explains that the words to command him happen to be part of a children’s song that Ricky habitually sings so Ricky wished for success without actually realizing he had done so. When Ricky accidentally activated the lantern a third time but witnessed the apparition, the Genie killed him. Brick holds the Genie hostage over a saltwater fish tank as saltwater is the Genie’s weakness. The Genie is then forced to grant a wish made by Brick for proof of Ricky’s innocence which is provided in the form of a suicide note from Dominic DeGreasy confessing to both Ricky’s and Rocco DeGreasy's murders. Not trusting the Genie to keep his word of letting him go and also knowing that no one would believe him about the Genie, Brick drops the Genie's lamp into the fish tank and the saltwater dissolves the Genie.

With Ricky’s murderer disposed of, Brick concludes that Rocco DeGreasy's murderer was the original Ricky Rabbit himself. Ricky’s motive was that Rocco had stolen Jessica from him and he generated the doppelgänger to be an alibi. He intended to plant the murder weapon at Brick’s office, framing him, but was shot by the Genie when he accidentally summoned the magical Toon. The doppelgänger confirms the truth and confesses that he had it planned for days. However for clearing his name and befriending him despite what he did and tried to do afterwards, he praises Brick for his morals by calling him “a real stand-up guy". Ricky gives Brick a final heartfelt goodbye before disintegrating.