In tone, the film can be compared to a film noir, and there are certainly many of the archetypal elements found in this genre (a jaded ex-cop turned PI, an innocent being framed etc.) The lighting in the "real world" scenes reflects this as well
However, this is skewed through the world in which it takes place, where cartoons come to life and are a part of everyday life in Hollywood. There feels like a social overtone to the parts with the "toons" since the impression is given that they are second class citizens and not treated seriously. However, this is bnot necessarily shown in a bad light, Roger himself says that toons are meant to make people laugh.
The techniques used to integrate the live action with the animated cartoons (metalepsis) although seeming dated now, were extremely ahead of their time, and even now, it's not noticeable enough to detract from the film in my opinion, although it varies from character to character. As the main toons featured, Roger and Jessica Rabbit integrate extremely well, whereas some of the "cameos" from older and more mainstream cartoons don't fit as well
The concept behind the use of metalepsis is an interesting one. I personaly enjoyed this film, but I found the ending upsatisfying as instead of using the film noir route that it had been following, the character's literally skip off into the sunset, leaving the audience with a feeling of "Wait...that's IT?" I guess the film makers wanted to stay true to the Warner Bros style of film that the cartoons reflected, but in my opinion, it feels like a cop out.
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