Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (aka Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island) is a 1983Looney Tunes film with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences, hosted by Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales. This was the first Looney Tunes compilation film to center on Daffy Duck, as the previous ones had centered on Bugs Bunny.
A note in the end credits dedicates the film to animator and story man, John Dunn, "who inspired it."[1] Dunn died of heart failure in San Fernando, California on January 17, 1983, six months before the film's release. This film was released on DVD in North America for the first time on November 18, 2014.
Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales are castaways shipwrecked on a desert island for months with nothing on it but a coconut tree. Daffy is sick and tired of eating coconuts and losing his sanity. They discover a treasure map which leads them to a magical, talking wishing well. The greedy Daffy proposes to use the power of the well, which obeys the commands of whoever holds the map. Rather than simply wishing for a heap of wealth, Daffy figures he can make himself and Speedy rich by transforming the barren island into a verdant tourist paradise and selling other people wishes for a hefty fee. Speedy and Daffy attire themselves in the white suits worn by Tattoo and Roarke in the television show Fantasy Island, with Speedy exclaiming "da plane, da plane" as an airplane carrying various Looney Tunes characters arrives on the island. As the customers step up for their chance at the well, their wishes are fulfilled through the events of classic Looney Tunes cartoons.
Meanwhile, pirate Yosemite Sam and his first mate, the Tasmanian Devil, search for the map, which originally belonged to them. They had earlier lost their ship in a battle with Bugs Bunny. With a single black feather for a clue, they eventually find out that Daffy took it. In their pursuit of Daffy and Speedy, Sam inadvertently chases the former up a mountain and, upon both losing their grip on the map, into a field of volcanic rock. The map is lost to all because of this, causing the island to revert to what it once was. Daffy, Speedy, Sam, and Taz are trapped on the once-again-deserted island. The well gives them three wishes individually, but warns them to use them wisely, for they are the last wishes it will ever grant. Daffy and Speedy waste their wishes, Speedy wishing for a burrito, then Daffy angrily responding by wishing the burrito was stuck on the end of Speedy's nose. Daffy asks Sam to wish the burrito off Speedy's nose, but discovers that Sam already wished for a ship, abandoning Daffy and telling them after he sinks Bugs, he'll come back and pick the pair up. Daffy, now furious, shouts his catchphrase "You're despicable!" at Sam and Taz. The wishing well signs off with "That's all, folks!", concluding the movie.
"Stupor Duck" (Daffy's wish to become a Superman-esque superduck so that he could fly off the desert island) (The Well: "Your fondest wish, your fondest dream... ...I'll make you superduck supreme!")
"Greedy for Tweety" (Granny's wish to be a nurse)(The Well: "Your wish shall be granted. Gaze into me and see. The next time that you see yourself... a nurse is what you'll be!")
"Banty Raids" (Foghorn's wish to teach Kid Banty a lesson for his cocky attitude, with the well responding "I am here to grant your wish, the spirit of the well. I will knock the cockiness out of that little cockerel." After the wish failed, Foghorn, believing he was hornswoggled, demands a refund, but gets another penny.)
"Louvre Come Back to Me!" (Pepe Le Pew's wish to meet a beautiful girl) (The Well: "I grant your wish to meet a girl of beauty unsurpassed, which, when compared with works of art, will leave the louvre outclassed.")
"Tree for Two" (Spike and Chester's wish of Chester being brave and strong like Spike)(The Well: "If that's his wish and yours alike... ...I'll make Chester brave and strong, like Spike.")
"Curtain Razor" (Porky Pig's wish to be a big-shot producer) (The Well: "Discovering new talent for the world to see; a wondrous thing for a producer to be.")
"A Mouse Divided" (Sylvester's wife's wish to have a baby)(The Well: "The Well: I hear your wish and I obey. The patter of little feet you shall hear this day.")
"Of Rice and Hen" (small scenes) and "Lovelorn Leghorn" (uses most of the cartoon)(Prissy's wish to have a husband) (The Well: "Your mind is such a simple thing... ...your wish I can foretell. You're wishing for a husband, and the ring of a wedding bell")
"From Hare to Heir" (Yosemite Sam's wish to be rich via his deceased wealthy relative leaving his inheritance to him)(The Well: "A very rich relative in poor health... ...doth will to you his entire wealth.")
Voice Cast[]
NOTE: Some of the voices provided by Mel Blanc and June Foray are both newly-recorded for the film as well as archive footage.
In this film, both Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales are depicted as allies, or frenemies, as opposed to the extremely hostile and antagonistic relationship they had in the DePatie-Freleng (1965-1967) and Seven-Arts (1967-1968) eras as well as "The Chocolate Chase".
This is the second time both Daffy and Speedy are shipwrecked on a desert island, the first time being "Moby Duck".
Unlike the other Looney Tunes compilation films, Bugs Bunny makes a rather minor appearance in this film, only appearing via archive footage from "Captain Hareblower" and "From Hare to Heir" and in the opening credits.
Each customer is charged $500 for a penny in order to make a wish in the Wishing Well.
Before appearing in person later in the film, Sylvester also makes a brief cameo on Speedy's watch at the beginning of the film.
This film marks the first (and so far, only) time Friz Freleng's bulldog characters Hector and Spike appear together in the same film, even though both bulldogs did not appear on screen at the same time, hence confirming that Freleng intended both bulldogs to be separate characters. Here in this film, both Hector and Spike are colored differently to tell apart from each other, with Hector retaining his yellowish fur color from "Greedy for Tweety" and Spike retaining his grey fur color.
The scene at the beginning where Daffy gets sick and tired of eating coconuts when shipwrecked on a desert island is a partial reference to "Rabbitson Crusoe".
Orson Welles was originally considered to voice the wishing well before the role was eventually taken by Les Tremayne.
The wishing well was animated using the early analog computer process known as Scanimate.
Home media releases of the film, such as the original mid-1980s VHS and the 2014 DVD, have the movie's original soundtrack without any alterations. However, current TV broadcasts use an overdubbed audiotrack version similar in vein to the mixed audiotracks on the bonus cartoons "Hop and Go"[2] and "Sniffles Takes a Trip"[3] on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 DVD and the TV special Bugs vs. Daffy: Battle of the Music Video Stars on the Space Jam 2-disc Special Edition 2003 DVD box set where the cartoon's soundtracks sound canned and keeps echoing. Side effects of this include loud music in some scenes and cartoons and some of the characters' dialogues' volume decreased, most notably on "Stupor Duck", "Greedy for Tweety" and "Curtain Razor", making it hard to hear what the characters are saying. This was so the film can be use for foreign language tracks for international distribution. While the DVD uses the original English soundtrack, the overdubbed version can still be heard on the foreign language dub audio tracks such as the Spanish audio track.
This is Friz Freleng's last film directorial before his retirement in 1986.
Current DVD and streaming releases replace the original Saul Bass-designed Warner Communications opening logo and music with the 2000s Warner Bros. Family Entertainment opening logo.
Censorship[]
When this film aired on The Family Channel in the 1990s, the entire "Stupor Duck" sequence was cut. Other television airings of the film, such as on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, however left this scene uncut.
Goofs[]
While Daffy was introducing his guests to Fantastic Island, several pint-sized Looney Tunes have inconsistent heights, with Tweety appearing to be much bigger to the point of sharing a similar height with Rocky (minus the hat). The same goes for Speedy, who stands about half of Daffy's height throughout the entire film, and Slowpoke Rodriguez, seen in line just before Foghorn's wish.
Granny's design changes inconsistently throughout the film: Despite appearing in her mid-1950s design in "Greedy for Tweety", she is drawn based on her early-1950s design before and after that cartoon.
Marvin the Martian's face is tan instead of black during the line sequences.
When Granny takes an injured Sylvester, Tweety, and Hector away in their wheelchairs, Hector appears to be miscolored brown like Marc Anthony, despite having yellow fur in the preceding cartoon "Greedy for Tweety".
After Granny takes an injured Sylvester, Tweety, and Hector away in their wheelchairs, Sylvester is immediately shown standing back in line at the well.
Quotes[]
Wishing Well: Your fondest wish, your fondest dream. I'll make you Super Duck Supreme!
Wishing Well: Your wish shall be granted. Gaze into me and see. The next time that you see yourself, a nurse is what you'll be.
Wishing Well: I am here to grant your wish; the Spirit of the Well. I will knock the cockiness out of that little cockerel!
Wishing Well: I grant your wish to meet a girl of beauty unsurpassed, which, when compared with works of art, will leave the Louvre outclassed.
Wishing Well: If that's his wish, and yours alike, I'll make Chester brave and strong, like Spike.
Wishing Well: Discovering new talent for the world to see; a wondrous thing for a producer to be...
Wishing Well: I hear your wish and I obey. The patter of little feet you shall hear this day.
Wishing Well: Your mind is such a simple thing. Your wish I can foretell. You're wishing for a husband, and the ring of a wedding bell?
Wishing Well: A very rich relative in poor health doth will to you his entire wealth.
Wishing Well: There are some wishes in the well in truth; they're number three. Use these three wishes wisely, friends. For they are the last; there will be.
Wishing Well: And now I say; without the jokes, (imitating Porky Pig) A-bee-a-bee-a-bee... That's all, folks!
