Duck Amuck

Plot synopsis:
The cartoon's title sequence and opening scene suggest Daffy Duck is to star as a musketeer, who boldly acts out an action scene with a fencing foil. As he thrusts the foil and advances, the background abruptly disappears, leaving a plain white screen. Confused by this, Daffy turns to the animator and asks him to complete the scenery. However, instead of a castle from the original scene, the animator paints a farm scene. Daffy returns and starts to repeat his musketeer opening, but quickly notices the different background. He walks off screen and returns dressed as a farmer while singing a version of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", but a few seconds later, the scene segues into a winter backdrop; Daffy changes into winter clothes and skies through the snow (to "Jingle Bells") and into a Hawaiian setting. Still dutifully, but impatiently, going through the changes, Daffy comes back in Hawaiian garb. After a couple of bars of "Aloha 'Oe (Farewell To Three)" on ukulele, Daffy ends up back in the plain white background.
While Daffy tries to reason with the animator that cartoons should have scenery, he becomes completely erased and upon asking where he was, is redrawn as a cowboy with a guitar. Daffy tries to play it but there is nothing but silence. He requests sound with a sign and is granted with various non-guitar sound effects. Daffy also finds himself generating random sound effects when he tries to speak, and finally regains his voice when he blows his top and shouts angrily at the animator.
Regaining his composure, Daffy demands some new scenery and is given an amateurish line-art cityscape background in pencil. Daffy asks for color, prompting the animator to slap various colors and patterns all over him ("NOT ME, YOU SLOP ARTIST!!"). All but Daffy's face is erased and upon asking where the rest of him was, he is redrawn as a bizarre mismatched animal with a "screwball" flag on its tail. As Daffy walks off (wondering to himself if he wasn't living up to his contract and if he hadn't been keeping himself trim), he becomes suspicious of his new form until the animator creates a mirror and Daffy scolds the animator upon seeing his hideous self ("EEK! You know better than that!"). Everything is erased and Daffy is redrawn again, this time as a sailor. He begins to sing "The Song of the Marines" as the animator draws an ocean scene with an island in the background, but he does not draw anything under Daffy, resulting in him falling into the ocean and surfacing on the distant island where he asks for a closeup, only to have the screen frame contract around him (to which he says "A CLOSEUP, YA JERK! A CLOSEUP!!"), as the camera then zooms up uncomfortably close to his eyes before he walks away, saying to the animator "Thanks for the sour persimmons, cousin."
As Daffy tries once again to negotiate with the animator to have an understanding, the screen frame falls on him. After failing to keep the frame up with a stick, Daffy goes ballistic and rips apart the black background. Now at the end of his rope, Daffy demands "Let's get this picture started", so the camera does an iris-out to black, followed by "The End" slide which Daffy frustratingly pushes off camera, screaming "NO, NO!" as he does so. Daffy suggests that he and the animator go their separate ways and (hoping, against hope, that nothing further will happen) begins a dance routine which is quickly interrupted when the film runs out of alignment, resulting in two Daffys on the screen. They argue with each other and almost start a fight, but one Daffy is erased just as the other throws a punch.
The animator then turns Daffy into a pilot and draws him into an airplane. The duck excitedly flies around until a mountain is drawn in his path. The plane crashes off-screen, leaving Daffy with nothing but the plane's steering wheel and windshield. He "bails" out of the plane's remains and floats downward with his parachute which is replaced with an anvil. Crashing to the ground, a disoriented Daffy hammers the anvil while dizzily reciting "The Village Blacksmith". The animator changes the anvil into an artillery shell which explodes after a few more hammer strikes. Daffy finally snaps and angrily demands that the animator reveal themselves. The animator does, but not before they draw a door around Daffy and close it on him. The camera draws back and reveals the guilty party to be Bugs Bunny at a drawing table, who turns around and says to the audience: "Ain't I a stinker?"

Tags: revenge, comedy, psychedelic

Review:
Chuck Jones' Duck Amuck is his most abstract and funniest cartoon short.
Duck Amuck is Daffy's frustrations of being trapped in an animated short that keeps changing scenery, has him playing a guitar with shooting sounds, fighting with himself in another frame, gets drawn in different sizes and colors, and basically is at the mercy of an unseen animator.
One of my favorite parts was at the changing scenery sequence when, after Daffy changes into a farmer outfit singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" in front of a barn background, it changes into a winter scene with a snow-house as the duck then sings, "And on this farm he had an igloo..." LOL!
One of Chuck Jones' most beautifully crafted short cartoon pieces, Duck Amuck is one of the first (or the first?) cartoons to work the element of the theatre into an animated short.
I'm certain there were other animated shorts from Looney Tunes where a character may have one or twice looked at the 'audience' and asked a question or said a joke, but I'm also certain it wasn't done to such a length as this.
Quite possibly, this is one of the greatest one-joke/in-joke stretches ever put on film.At the start, Daffy Duck thinks he's about to be in a piece as a musketeer- that is, until the background is pulled right out from under him.
By the end he's exasperated, and the joke comes full circle to be totally satisfying.Throughout the short what keeps it so funny on repeat viewings is that the absurdities of each new backdrop and each run-in Daffy keep their validity.
Another plus is that Daffy Duck is a superb character when he's kept on his toes- like when he's put against a city backdrop that looks like it was drawn by a five-year old.
Overall, a classic for its time, influential; on a level that will perhaps get the adults laughing more so than the kids, and for those in youth who discover it for the first time on TV or on the new DVD, it isn't old- this is the kind of sense of humor found on other modern cartoons (Simpsons, for example)..
Duffy (or Daffy) has since this movie always been my personal cartoon favorite.Don't miss this incredible masterpiece, then you will miss one of the best movies ever made!!!Rating: 10 of 10..
There is no story; just Daffy getting "jerked around," so to speak by the cartoonist drawing both he and the background scenery.For example, Daffy, dressed as a musketeer, sword in hand, yells "en guarde," and soon the screen is totally white in back of him.
Daffy stops and asks the not-seen cartoon artist, "Is it too much to ask to make your mind?" Now, he changes outfits again in a flash and is skiing.This goes on and on, and then really weird things happen with the screen and with Daffy as he's erased, redrawn, erased, muted, given his voice back, etc.
The Duck has been a favorite cartoon character of audiences from his inception, but in Chuck Jones' hands, Daffy was at his greediest, all too human like best (worst?).In this cartoon, Daffy Duck is manipulated by some unseen, omnipotent force that keeps changing the scenery, the sound, and even the appearance of Daffy himself, much to his horror.
The other directors, the great Friz Freleng and the unfairly maligned Robert McKimson, never really had the grasp of the new Daffy Duck that emerged in the mid 40's, but he really was a new creation of Michael Maltese and Chuck Jones, only faintly reminiscent of the crazy antics that handlers such as Frank Tashlin, Tex Avery and Robert Clampett portrayed him as possessing.
And so is Daffy Duck subjected to the whims of an offscreen animator, erased, redrawn, his voice changed, everything is done to him except the proper contextualization, which steadily drives Daffy bonkers.
Chuck Jones has to be the greatest Looney Tunes director ever, he directed Whats Opera Doc, Rabbit of Seville and the classic Duck Dodgers, but this surreal masterpiece is his pure genius.
The cartoon focuses around Daffy, who thinks he is in a Musketeer set, then as he progress left, the background fades, leaving only Daffy hiding behind the frame of the film asking where the scenery is.
This episode producers one of the best lines ever said in a Looney Tunes cartoon"Hey Come Here, Come Here, Give me a close up, A Close Up!
In this cartoon an unseen animator is having fun with the Daffy Duck character.
In the end he asks who is responsible and the cartoon has a nice and very funny surprise for us.This classic cartoon shows us the world of animation where everything is possible.
From the very first second you notice the scenery changing behind poor Daffy Duck, you realize this is NOT going to be your ordinary cartoon.
Just when you have finished laughing, yet ANOTHER joke comes on - and of course - you HAVE to laugh again!Recommended for all Daffy Duck and cartoon animation fans!
The plot involves Daffy getting progressively more and more irritated as the cartoon keeps changing.
It's Daffy Duck versus his sadistic animator in one of the all-time greatest Looney Tunes cartoons.
It's one of my top five Looney Tunes shorts and, I think, the best solo Daffy cartoon ever made..
All I will say is the following factors make this a animated masterpiece of the Warner Bros' Looney Tunes history:It's directed by the one and only Chuck Jones (or Charles M.
Jones as credited in some of his hilarious works)The style of animation is just a sight to behold, its funny, colorful and plenty of detail to admireIt's Daffy Duck's leading role (my 2nd favourite fictional character in the series) and the idea of him being tormented by the mysterious animator in many hilarious ways is comedic gold!
Mel Blanc as always gives his very best voice work to make him seem so believableand lastly...Its a 4th Wall Breaker, not just the fourth but many walls are broken in the cartoon universe and the audience Overall, don't miss the chance to see this masterpiece of all time!.
Even as a kid I enjoyed this above most of them.The premise is take an animated character (Daffy) and put him in a situation where the background keeps changing time and place if it was there.
All efforts to convince the animator usually end up in Daffy getting coloured, given a completely different and ridiculous body or other such ways to always make us laugh at his reaction.If you even have the slightest enjoyment of Daffy Duck or any of the other Looney Tunes characters then this one is certainly for you.
Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are Looney Tunes' most recognized faces.
In Duck Amuck, its Daffy's time to shine or rather get smudged, erased, abused, tormented, and blown!
In a matter of six minutes, Chuck Jones delivers a tour de force short, with full (in) justice given to Daffy's character- be it its arms, legs, stomach, voice, face, even its tail.
When the creator 'erases' Daffy's character, we recognize his distinctive voice, when he gives Daffy an amorphous body, we recognize his bill, and even though his temper reaches boiling point, there is always a quirky touch to it (referring to the 'double duck sequence').The most inventive moment was when the screen literally falls on him and he keeps a stick under it to hold it.
At least some shorts can come up on cartoon channels that tend to break the rules and give life to anything and everything ( in Mickey Mouse, even a steam engine was given life in one short!)Duck Amuck is where Chuck Jones' jackpot struck!
Too often cartoons are just seen as a bunch of random wacky jokes, but Chuck Jones adds another level: character driven comedy.
But but what makes this cartoon really work is the exploration of the character of Daffy Duck.
Chuck Jones was the driving force behind Daffy's change from a hyperactive, insane character who harassed others for no apparent reason into the scheming, easily angered, self centered character he is best known as today.
In Duck Amuck, Jones crystallizes his vision for Daffy's new direction, showing him as a character who wishes to put on a good show for his audience, but is so easily frustrated that everything seems to be working against him.
Likely the funniest Daffy Duck cartoon ever.
("Brother, what a way to run a rail-road.") The animation, the script and the voice work just combine to perfection and it makes Daffy my favorite over Bugs..
It represents the pinnacle on the emphasis on character that made the WB cartoons one of the finest collection of Hollywood animated shorts in film history.
Chuck Jones said he wanted to see if the concept of character as the focus of animation comedy was strong and sophisticated enough for a character like Daffy to carry a film in such a minimalist setting.
Sometimes I wonder why Chuck Jones and Eddie Selzer did not allow Daffy Duck have fun as the secret artist and put Elmer Fudd in hysterically humorous and numerous shots changes as the cartoon in is in progress of being seen.
If Jones and Selzer did create a cartoon with Daffy as the artist and Elmer Fudd the recipient of numerous changes in a cartoon, all three characters, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd would be one and one.
Daffy at Wit's End. There are numerous animated features where the artist takes over the scene, forcing his character to deal with the consequences.
The short-tempered Daffy Duck must improvise madly as the backgrounds, his costumes, the soundtrack, even his physical form, shifts and changes at the whim of the animator.Although I was never big on Looney Tunes, I saw most of them.
This is an exceptionally strange cartoon in that Daffy Duck's character knows and acknowledges that he is a cartoon.
This is by far one of the better Daffy Duck cartoons, for it is witty, inventive and hilarious like a Looney Tunes cartoon should be.
Mel Blanc's absolutely fantastic vocal performance is to be praised too, Daffy was at his manic and cynical best here, and Blanc delivered flawlessly.All in all, as far as I can see there is nothing wrong with Duck Amuck.
This is like, one of my all-time favorite Looney Tunes episodes ever...This is the episode when Daffy Duck is a cartoon character on a blank canvas and the evil cartoonist that controls the activities on the page keeps painting Daffy in humiliating, and sometimes dangerous, outfits and settings.
Very original and enjoyable...probably the reason why Daffy Duck evolved to be my favorite Looney Tunes character ever!
:-) But the whole Looney Tunes cast of characters rocks...definitely one of the best cartoons in history...finally out on DVD!
As things go along, Daffy gets increasingly frustrated with the actions of the animator.I'm a really big fan of Daffy Duck and always feel that he is at his best when he is in his early persona of being manic and wacky.
He is not funny so much as what happens to him is funny, so as a character this is not a good film for him, but I still laughed at the enforced antics of the little black duck.Overall this cartoon has been done by Bugs as well and I didn't really enjoy either of them that much.
It looks good with some well drawn and animated scenes and Daffy does his best to drag laughs out of the action by the power of his reaction to what happens..
In this short Daffy Duck acknowledged that he's a cartoon as he has trouble making himself fit in with various backgrounds being drawn for him.
Daffy gets to show off his impatient and bitter side here as he slowly begins to break down with the cartoon artist isn't doing what he wants and is constantly putting him in the wrong scenes.
In it, Daffy Duck is trying to perform in a cartoon.
The unseen animator continues to change the background, plot, and Daffy.
I also think it is the best Daffy Duck cartoon ever made.
Who else but Chuck Jones could take such a simple premise (Daffy being tormented by an unseen animator) and sustain an entire 7-minute cartoon with it?.
Daffy Duck lives up to his name in this completely wacky cartoon in which he's at the mercy of an unseen animator who puts him through his paces and then some.
It works on every level.The surprise twist at the end reveals who the animator is.Summing up: An essential Chuck Jones cartoon.
I guess I should begin by stating that not only is Daffy Duck my favourite cartoon character of all time but that I genuinely consider him to be one of the greatest comedians of all time, alive or animated.
If pressed to name my favourite cartoon of all time (and there are literally hundreds of candidates), I would have to say Chuck Jones's 'Duck Amuck'.
It's a miraculous achievement which I never tire of seeing.In 'Duck Amuck', Daffy battles with an unseen animator who deconstructs the film around him.
The best part for Daffy fans like myself is that 'Duck Amuck (until its final few seconds) is an entirely one-personality cartoon.
Only Daffy could pull off a solo cartoon like this (as confirmed by 'Rabbit Rampage', an unsuccessful attempt to remake 'Duck Amuck' with Bugs Bunny in the central role).
It's confirmation, if any was needed, of the genius of Chuck Jones and the comedic superiority of Daffy Duck over any of his animated associates..
"Merrie Melodies" animated short, was directed by Chuck Jones, and toys with a similar idea.
Breaking the fourth, fifth and sixth walls of the cinema screen, Jones engineered a cleverly self-referential farce, in which Daffy Duck is unceremoniously "jerked around" by a mischievous animator who doesn't want to adhere to traditional animation guidelines.As the animator regularly switches Daffy's background, sound effects, clothing and physical form, the exasperated cartoon character must feverishly improvise every scene.
'Duck Amuck' really is a marvellous piece of abstract cinema, as Daffy continually speaks, not only directly to his animator, but also to the audience sitting down in the cinema.
Mel Blanc, of course, provides the film's vocal characterisations, and he does an excellent job of translating the incredible frustration that poor Daffy is feeling.Though perhaps not as "laugh-out-loud" hilarious as I've heard many people describe it, 'Duck Amuck' is such a brilliant cartoon that multiple viewings are certainly required.
Much fun is had with the traditional conventions of cartoon animation, such as the definition of a close-up, the perils of a consistently-changing setting, and the trouble that ensues when a Merrie Melody tries to end before the cartoon character is ready to leave.
Chuck Jones remains American animation's brightest spark, and I look forward to enjoying a few more of his entertaining works..
Chuck Jones used to say that the crew at Warner Brothers didn't make cartoons for any particular audience, they made the pictures for themselves.
Those elements--imagination and timing--are what makes Duck Amuck rise above any other cartoon in sheer hilarity, and that includes the other Chuck Jones cartoons (Jones's Rabbit Seasoning comes close, though).
If an alien came down from outer space (other than Marvin the Martian) and wanted to know what an animated cartoon was like, I'd show him, her, or it Duck Amuck, And I've no doubt he, she, or it would be laughing his, her or its xnarf off.
"Duck Amuck" is a classic Daffy Duck cartoon directed by Chuck Jones.
Finally, WB Looney Tunes, especially Duck Amuck was PS.
I'm OK and if you love Looney Tunes and stuff like Duck Amuck, then as far as I'm concerned, we're both OK in that special little safe zone.
In this cartoon, Daffy Duck constantly get's tortured by the animator.
At the end, the animator turns out to be Bugs Bunny.This is a really hilarious cartoon.
It's one of the best Daffy Duck cartoons ever, and also one of Chuck Jones' best.
Can't this Duck ever get that one moment of glory he's been after all these years?It begins as some sort of Robin Hood type story but the animator has fun switching backgrounds so Daffy never knows what scene he is in or where he is.At one point he switches sound effects around which truly drives Daffy mad.
But there was another LOONEY TUNES cartoon where the same thing happened to Bugs Bunny.
This is a 7-minute animated short film from over 60 years ago and it may very well be the most known one including everybody's favorite (non-Disney) duck.
A few people think that Daffy Duck is annoying, including me sometimes, but at the same time he is lovable and fun to watch.
This is one of only a few cartoons in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies collection where the main character argues with the animator and makes it a hilarious surreal experience.
It starts with Daffy playing a Musketeer ready to do some fighting, but then all the sudden the background disappears, and when Daffy asks the scenery, the animator paints him a farm.
The background disappears, and when Daffy tries to reason with the animator, he is erased, and redrawn as a cowboy with a guitar, with no sound.
Daffy gets his voice back again, and asks for some scenery with no colour, and when he demands some, the animator paints Daffy.
Daffy Duck was number 30, Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies number 20, and Bugs Bunny number 10 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons.
Daffy Duck starts out ready to swash-buckle in a Muskateer cartoon, but is soon left reeling as he can't get the animator to stop fooling with him.
This is a perfectly built cartoon that is my favorite with Daffy Duck.