Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century is a 1953 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.
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 a path of planets shaped like letters, 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 the Martian Maggot, lands on the same planet and claims it in the name of Mars.
Porky Pig is the "Eager Young Space Cadet." The planet that Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian fight over is destroyed, and the remaining area claimed by Daffy at the end is barely large enough for him to stand upon. The dismissive attitude to Dodgers' pyrrhic victory is epitomized by Porky's cynical response to his boss's overblown proclamation, "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
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
Calamity Jane (restored, HD)
Bugs Bunny's Lunar Tunes Marvin the Martian Space Tunes Double Feature (same print as the 1998 VHS)
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 (TV series) (2003-2005)
Notes
- This is the first appearance of Duck Dodgers and Space Cadet.
- In 1994, it was voted #4 of 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 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.
- 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.
- Only Golden Age cartoon to feature Marvin the Martian not paired with Bugs Bunny.
- 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 released, no official animated adaptation of Buck Rogers occurred.
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.
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
- "Duck Dodgers" at Big Cartoon Database
- 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
- "Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century" at B98
