Daffy Duck

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Daffy Duck is a fictional cartoon duck who is one of the principal characters in Looney Tunes. He first featured in Porky's Duck Hunt (1937), where he is depicted as a slightly anthropomorphic duck. This model would later change as the character was trimmed down and made more anthropomorphic.

History[edit]

Creation[edit]

Daffy was created by Tex Avery, who was responsible for several other over-the-top cartoons of the 1940's, including Screwball Squirrel. At first, Daffy was wild, hyperactive and eccentric in the traditional Tex Avery manner, and became a hit with audiences everywhere.

Chuck Jones era[edit]

In the 1950's, as Bugs Bunny began to rise in fame, Chuck Jones took over Daffy's stories. Daffy was placed in parodies of existing pop culture, including 1952's Duck Dodgers[1], in which Daffy portrays the eponymous hero, a parody of space-hero Buck Rogers. These stories often featured Porky Pig as his faithful sidekick. Daffy's personality itself was remodelled into a scheming and greedy character, oftentimes jealous of the rabbit stealing his spotlight and determined to regain his old glory. This would lead him to be often cast as a fall guy for Bugs, and eventually Daffy took a turn as the villain for Speedy Gonzales in the 1970's.

Films and television[edit]

Daffy has been the star of two films:

  • Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983) [2]
  • Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) [3]

Both of these films were simply compilations of earlier cartoons with a simple plot created to connect them altogether.

Daffy also made a cameo in the movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as a piano duet with Disney's Donald Duck.

Daffy also appeared in Space Jam in 1996[4] and Looney Tunes: Back in Action in 2003[5]. The latter film was also the first "cartoon" since the 1930's to portray Daffy in a sympathetic light rather than concentrate on his greedy side. Daffy's glory-seeking is explained in one scene, where he complains that he works tirelessly and still fails to achieve what Bugs does without even trying.[6]

Daffy's Duck Dodgers role, having achieved a popular following, was eventually turned into a series in 2003, and ran for three series in over two years[7]. Bugs Bunny did not appear in the film, but the series did include a number of cameos by various other Looney Tunes characters.

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/649-Duck_Dodgers_In_The_24th_And_%2526%2523189%253B.html
  2. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085390/
  3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094939/
  4. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117705/
  5. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318155/
  6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes:_Back_in_Action#Reception
  7. http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/duckdodgers/index.html

External links[edit]