Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century is a 1953 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.
Title[]
The title and plot of the short are a parody of the sci-fi radio series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Plot[]
Duck Dodgers must search for the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving cream atom." The only remaining supply of the element is on the mysterious "Planet X", which fortunately is found when Dodgers follows an idea from his "Eager Young Space Cadet" to follow a path of planets with letter-shaped landmasses, leading from Planet A to Planets B, C, D, and so on until he reaches Planet X. Dodgers is about to claim Planet X in the name of the Earth when Marvin the Martian, in a ship called Martian Maggot, lands on the same planet and claims it in the name of Mars.
Dodgers explains to Marvin he had already claimed the planet for Earth and says "There ain't enough room on this planet for the two of us!" Marvin pulls out a disintegrating pistol and says "I do believe you are right". Dodgers tells the audience that he is wearing a "disintegration-proof vest", but when Marvin fires, the vest remains intact while Dodgers disintegrates.
The Cadet uses an "integrating pistol" to return Dodgers to normal. When he regains his bearings, he accuses the Cadet of interfering ("Oh, you, huh? Just when I had him going, you had to butt in!") and orders him back to the ship. Dodgers then aims his own disintegrating pistol at Marvin, but it literally crumbles to dust in his hand when he pulls the trigger. He avoids another shot from Marvin and escapes to his ship, then the Cadet gives Marvin a stick of dynamite, saying it is his birthday present. Marvin gratefully examines the dynamite before it explodes in his hands, reducing him to a pair of feet under his helmet. Marvin angrily retreats to his ship.
Dodgers, thinking Marvin has had enough, sends him an ultimatum by using a gun-like "Ultimatum Dispatcher", which shoots a large bullet that stops in front of Marvin and opens up to reveal a threatening message: "Surrender or be blown into 17,670,002 micro-cells". Marvin responds by firing his own "Ultimatum Answerer", sending a similarly shaped bullet that stops in front of Dodgers, opens up and shoots him in the face. Dodgers sends another ultimatum in response, the message simply reading "OUCH!". Later, Dodgers tries to spy on Marvin with a "Super Video-Detecto set", but Marvin shoots Dodgers in the face through the screen.
Dodgers finally snaps and deploys his secret weapon, which surrounds Marvin's ship with explosives connected by a wire. Marvin deploys a similar weapon that surrounds Dodgers's ship in the same manner. Completely unaware of this, the two detonate their weapons simultaneously, destroying Planet X and leaving only Dodgers and Marvin standing on one tiny remaining chunk.
Dodgers reminds Marvin that he said the planet wasn't big enough for the two of them and pushes him off. He then dramatically claims the chunk for Earth, as the Cadet and Marvin hang helplessly beneath from a cluster of roots, the Cadet closes the cartoon, asiding in response to what Dodgers has done, "Eh, b-b-b-b-big deal!"
Availability[]
The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 13
A Salute to Chuck Jones
_(UK_VHS).jpeg "Daffy Duck (1990) (UK VHS).jpeg (44 KB)")
Daffy Duck (1990)
Daffy Duck's Screen Classics: Duck Victory
Classic Collection (WHSmith Exclusive Video)
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 5)
Space Tunes
![(1999) VHS Looney Tunes Presents Marvin the Martian: Space Tunes [reissued version]](/wiki/File:Space_Tunes.jpg "Space Tunes.jpg (47 KB)")
Looney Tunes Presents Marvin the Martian: Space Tunes [reissued version]
Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 2: Running Amuck
Chuck Jones Extremes & Inbetweens
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two (restored)
Daffy Duck (2003)
KFC Scooby-Doo/Looney Tunes DVDs (Australia) Volume 3
The Essential Daffy Duck, Disc 1 (restored)
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two (restored, HD)
Daffy Duck
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two
Looney Tunes 3 Feature Collection Best Of
Best of Warner Bros. 50 Cartoon Collection: Looney Tunes, Disc One
Calamity Jane (restored, HD)
Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes Marvin the Martian Space Tunes Double Feature (same print as the 1998 VHS)
Duck Dodgers: The Complete Series, Disc One
Streaming[]
Sequels[]
- Main article: Duck Dodgers
- "Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century" (1980 in Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special, then reformatted into a separate short with parts cut for time)
- Tiny Toon Adventures: "Duck Dodgers Jr.", segment in the episode "The Return to the Acme Acres Zone" (1990)
- "Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension" (1996), a 3D cartoon
- "Attack of the Drones" (2003)
- Duck Dodgers (2003–2005)
Notes[]
- This cartoon marks the debut of Dr. I.Q. Hi.
- This is the first appearance of Duck Dodgers and his Eager Young Space Cadet.
- In 1994, this short was voted #4 on The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. In 2004, it was retrospectively awarded a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[1]
- This cartoon was used in The Bugs Bunny Road-Runner Movie and clips of this cartoon were used in Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes. In the former, when Bugs Bunny introduces the cartoon, he tells the audience how other people, "if you wanna call a duck 'people'" had close encounters with Marvin too, as the "ensuing gripping and noive-tingling drama now demonstrates". Bugs also assumes that they had to shoot Daffy down from the remains of Planet X to get him down from there.
- This cartoon was featured on The Porky Pig Show on February 6, 1965.
- In the sci-fi series Babylon 5, the character of Michael Garibaldi is a fan of Daffy Duck, and describes Duck Dodgers as his "second favorite thing in the universe". In the episode "Midnight on the Firing Line", Garibaldi looks for someone to share it with, and eventually watches the cartoon with Ambassador Delenn.
- When the main character of the science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) wakes up, after trying all night to make contact with the aliens, his daughter is watching Duck Dodgers.
- Considering the period in which the cartoon was produced (the Second Red Scare was in full swing during the 1950s era), some scholars have used the cartoon to parallel the futility of the Cold War and the arms race.
- This is the only Golden Age cartoon to feature Marvin the Martian paired with someone besides Bugs Bunny.
- Duck Dodgers, facing imminent disintegration, repeats Bugs Bunny’s line from Super-Rabbit, "You may fire when ready, Gridley!"
- The surface of Planet X is used for Rad's home planet of the same name in O.K. KO Let's Be Heroes.
- During the century in which this short was released, no official animated adaptation of Buck Rogers occurred.
- George Lucas originally wanted this short to be screened before the first theatrical release of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).
Music[]
- In the old French language dub, although this cartoon is a Merrie Melodies green-yellow rings, red background and red shield short, it uses the 1955-1964 Looney Tunes closing theme.
- The soundtrack uses excerpts from the Prelude to Act 2 of Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal.
Gallery[]
_-_Eager_Young_Space_Cadet.jpg "Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953) - Eager Young Space Cadet.jpg (912 KB)")
_-_Claim_this_planet.jpg "Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953) - Claim this planet.jpg (343 KB)")
TV Title Cards[]
References[]
External links[]
- In His Own Words: Chuck Jones on Duck Dodgers by Jim Korkis at cartoonresearch.com
- "Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century" at the SFX Resource Wiki