Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century

Plot synopsis:
The storyline involves Duck Dodgers (Daffy) in his search for the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving cream atom". In the future, the only remaining supply of the element is on the mysterious "Planet X". After Dodgers plots an enormously complicated course to Planet X by way of rocket, his assistant, the "Eager Young Space Cadet" (Porky) points out that they can simply follow a path of planets bearing the letters of the alphabet; leading from Planet A, through Planets B, C, D, and so on (each planet features a single landmass in the shape of the letter itself). Dodgers takes credit for this idea and the two soon arrive on Planet X.
Just as Dodgers claims the planet in the name of the Earth, Marvin the Martian lands in his Martian Maggot rocket and claims it in the name of Mars, setting the stage for a battle of wits (or lack thereof) between the two. Dodgers explains he already claimed the planet for Earth and that there isn't enough room for the two of them. Marvin replies by pulling out his disintegrating pistol saying, "I do believe you are right". Dodgers tells the audience that this isn't a problem as he is wearing a "disintegration-proof vest", and indeed when Marvin fires on Dodgers' command, the vest survives as Dodgers disintegrates. The Cadet brings Dodgers back to normal with an "integrating pistol" but Dodgers accuses him of interference ("Oh, you, huh?! Just when I had him going, you had to butt in"!) and orders him back to the ship. Dodgers then tries to get the drop on Marvin with a disintegrating pistol of his own, but it literally disintegrates when he pulls the trigger. He runs into the ship after avoiding another shot from Marvin. The Cadet comes out and gives a stick of dynamite to Marvin, claiming it is a birthday present. The dynamite blows up in Marvin's hand, causing him to hide in his helmet and retreat to his ship.
Next, believing Marvin has had enough, Dodgers sends him an ultimatum with an "Ultimatum Dispatcher". The ultimatum is delivered in the form of a bullet that opens up to reveal a message telling Marvin to "Surrender or be blown into 17,670,002 micro-cells". Marvin responds by using his own "Ultimatum Answerer" to send a similar bullet to Dodgers and when this bullet opens up, it shoots Dodgers in the face. Dodgers sends another ultimatum in reply, this time saying, "OUCH"! Later, Dodgers tries to see what Marvin is up to with a "Super Video-Detecto set" but when Marvin materializes on the screen, he simply shoots Dodgers in the face again, the shot reaching out through the screen.
Dodgers finally snaps and deploys his "secret weapon" in attempt to destroy Marvin, not knowing Marvin is preparing to do the same with one of his own. Both detonate their weapons at the same time, destroying Planet X. Dodgers dramatically claims the last remaining tiny chunk of the planet (from which he pushes Marvin) for Earth, with the Cadet and Marvin hanging helplessly beneath from a cluster of roots, the former delivering the final punchline (relating to Dodgers' Pyrrhic victory), "Eh, b-b-b-b-big deal".

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
"No one knows his way around outer space like Duck Dodgers," proclaims Dafffy as he given the assignment to find a valuable material on Planet X (wherever that is, because they don't know here, either!).This parody of "Buck Rodgers" is a hoot to view, right from the start with the wild 24th century look to it and exaggerations of the future.
The color in this cartoon is absolutely bold and brilliant.Duck's "eager young space cadet" is Porky Pig, who calls Daffy "Your Heroship, Sir!" Although our "hero" wants to take credit, it's the little assistant who points to way to Planet X.
A second later, we see the arrival of Marvin the Martian, who claims it for his planet!!!There's a lot more of this craziness, making this one of the better Daffy cartoons.
Cartoon historians label this as one of Daffy Duck's all-time best, and who's to argue?.
Duck Dodgers (or Daffy Duck) is summoned to head to Planet X to retrieve more of the shaving cream atom for Earth.
He finds it (with a little help from his Eager Young First Class Space Cadet Porky Pig), but runs into trouble when he discovers that Marvin the Martian wants to claim the planet for Mars!
I don't care how many times I watch it, I still burst out laughing when Duck Dodgers makes out his plan and realizes that he doesn't understand it!
This is one of my personal favorites, and I pity anyone who hasn't seen this classic cartoon.
And now this comment is claimed for the Earth in the name of DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24 1/2TH CENTURY!!!!!!.
Easily one of Chuck Jones and WB's top five best cartoons, "Duck Dodgers" is still hilarious and inventive after 50 years.
Daffy Duck, always fun to watch, and his companion Porky have to travel to Planet X to discover a precious atom.
They have to compete with the Marvin the Martian for the discovery of the atom and the planet.
The cartoon is best appreciated if you seen the other Looney Tunes starring Daffy Duck and Porky.
Sometime in the 2300s, Earth has run out of illidium phosdex, used to make shaving cream, so the government sends Duck Dodgers (Daffy Duck) and his cadet (Porky Pig) to get some from Planet X (to get there, Duck Dodgers suggests that they do a nonsensical zigzag, but his cadet says that they should just follow Planets A, B, C, etc.).
Unfortunately for Duck Dodgers and his cadet (but fortunately for the audience), Marvin the Martian is also trying to claim the planet.
After that, the rest of the cartoon consists of Daffy and Marvin trying to destroy each other with progressively wackier and wackier weapons (which was probably an allusion to the arms buildup in the Cold War)."Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" is mostly Daffy and Porky doing their usual crazy stuff, with some great one-liners: "Whoops.
Had the silly thing in reverse." and "This planet ain't big enough for the two of us!" This is what classic cartoons are all about!.
This is quite possibly the best Daffy/porky pig cartoon ever.
This short introduced Duck Dodgers into the Americon lexicon and I can't say anything else about this short that hasn't been said before by a great many many people.
Like the first disk of the Loony Tunes golden Collection, the second disk also leaves the best for last.
This hilarious Hugo nominated cartoon is on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1" My Grade: A+.
When the earth's supplies of the shaving foam atom run low, the scientific community turns to Duck Dodgers, the space travelling adventurer, to seek out a new supply.
Dodgers travels to the unexplored planet X, rich in the atom, to claim it for earth; however a Martian is also on the planet to claim it for Mars.
A battle ensues.For many people this is Daffy's best cartoon; it certainly seems to have stuck in many peoples' childhood memories, mine included.
The plot spoofs the Buck Rodgers series of the period reasonably well and sees Daffy going to planet X and battling Marvin with a variety of funny weapons.
The gags may not be brilliant but they have a certain imagination and energy to them that make it all work pretty well.I much prefer Daffy in his `crazy duck' personae rather than his later work, which is probably why I only enjoyed this film rather than loved it.
Porky has little to do but is reasonably amusing in his minor role, but it is Marvin that gives the best support in his rather one-dimensional role.It will stick in my mind because it is such a good little spoof but it isn't as good as perhaps it has been remembered.
Marvin the Martian and Daffy in one cartoon!.
This Daffy Duck spoof of Buck Rogers in the Twenty-fifth Century is fairly funny, especially once he has met up with Marvin the Martian."Duck Dodgers" has been given the task of finding Planet X, the only remaining source of Illudium Phosdex (the shaving cream atom).
He sets off with his side kick, eager young space cadet Porky Pig, and eventually finds the planet which he claims for Earth, a few seconds later Marvin arrives claiming it for Mars and the two of them have a stand-off involving Acme Disintegration Guns, Ultimatum Guns and finally they each attack the other with explosives that leave little of the planet intact.I found this to be pretty funny, Daffy usually amuses me more than Bugs Bunny due to his general incompetence and Marvin the Martian is always funny..
This has to be Chuck Jones' best work of all time.
I crack up every time Daffy says his line about the disintegrating pistol..
This was one of the best Looney Tune cartoons ever made.
A hilarious Daffy Duck episode!.
Say you are constantly watching this episode of Daffy Duck.
:-)With brilliant, brilliantly thought out gags, well-picked characters, setting and plot, this Daffy Duck episode, when watched for the first time/the first time in a while, is almost stunning!
It is the 24th century and Daffy is being sent on a dangerous mission, to find planet X, where the only remaining source of a shaving cream product is believed to be located.
Along with his new, eager (enough) assistant Porky, Daffy begins his mission.
(On the same subject, the best gags start as soon as they take off, before that, it isn't quite so funny.) Daffy manages to find Planet X, but falls into trouble with a Martian who also wants the planet...Good for Daffy Duck fans of just about any age (as there is not too much horrible slapstick - which is another good thing about this episode!) and for people who like funny Looney Tunes stuff, enjoy "Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 Century"!
Duck Dodgers...is an almost excellent cartoon for me.
A lot of comments are saying this is one of the best cartoons ever.
I'm not going to go that far but I give credit again to Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese for making some of the most creative cartoons in the history of animation.
Loved the back and forth between Daffy and Marvin in trying to one-up each other whether it's claiming Planet X for Earth or Mars, pulling disintegrating guns on each other (with Daffy's actually literally disintegrating!), or passing bullets from their guns with threatening messages with Daffy's last one saying "Ouch!" And space cadet Porky once again proves how smarter than Daffy he really is.
So while I don't think Duck Dodgers in the 24 and a Half Century is a great cartoon, it's certainly a very good one..
"Citizen Kane" it ain't, but if you are looking for a good 7 minutes to kill with laughs, don't watch unfunny, over-hyped crap like "Meet the Parents".
Instead, sit down and watch this Chuck Jones near-classic short and kill the desired half-dozen minutes.
The plot is very simple: it's circa 2350 and the shaving cream atom on Earth is alarmingly low, so Duck Dodgers is put into saving the shaving cream's existence but until then, the life of clean-shaven is at stake.
Once Duck Dodgers and his "Eager Young Space Cadet" arrive at X; "I claim this planet in the name of the Earth", our pal Marvin Martian arrives "I claim this planet in the name of Mars, isn't that lovely?", which causes Dodgers to challenge him in the name of the planet.
Chuck Jones' brilliant parody of Buck Rogers with Daffy Duck as the title character who, along with his sidekick "Eager Young Space Cadet" Porky, tries to stake a claim on Planet X in the name of Earth and finds Marvin the Martian attempting to do the same for Mars.
Being a fan of Daffy, a fan of Chuck Jones, and a fan of old school sci-fi, this one is a real treat for me.
It's been one of my favorite Looney Tunes cartoons since childhood.
It's one of the best shorts Chuck Jones ever made and probably his second best Daffy short behind Duck Amuck.
Marvin the Martian makes an appearance as he battles wits with Daffy Duck as they try to conquer Planet X.
As I have said many times already, I love anything to do with Looney Tunes.
Duck Dodgers in the 24.5th century is something you cannot afford to dodge, it is an undeniable classic.
Porky doesn't get that much to do, but does fine with what he has, and Marvin the Martian you have to love him.
The animation is fantastic, even after 50+ years, it still looks incredibly good, and the music is great.Also the writing is razor sharp, and hilarious constantly.
All in all, like all the other reviewers have said, this cartoon is great.
Chuck Jones's 'Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century' has always been the most popular of his Daffy and Porky genre spoofs and it isn't hard to see why.
Aside from a cracking script by Michael Maltese, 'Duck Dodger' is one of the most handsome Warner Bros.
While almost every second of an average Warner cartoon is dedicated to either gags or story development, 'Duck Dodgers' features moments of visual brilliance that relate to neither.
Once the intrepid duo reach Planet X, however, the cartoon is all about brilliant jokes, my favourite of which is the Acme disintegrating pistol ("Well, whadda you know, it disintegrated").
In one of his few appearance which nevertheless afforded him star status, Marvin the Martian proves an amusing adversary for Daffy.
He doesn't get as much chance to shine as in the cartoons that pitted him against Bugs since Porky and Daffy steal all the best moments but he is still a memorable villain whose well documented ineptitude still proves more than a match for Daffy's inadequate heroics.
'Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century' is an undoubted classic which can count among its fans George Lucas, who selected it to be shown before the cinema screenings of his re-released 'Star Wars'..
This is one of the top five cartoons Warner Brothers did, which  is saying something.
As usual, poor Daffy is upstaged by Porky, who steals every short they're in together.
Porky's only competition is Marvin the Martian.
Daffy does match up well with Marvin, though, in terms of character chemistry.
The Cartoon Network has developed a new show revolving around Dodgers, Porky's Space Cadet and Marvin, which premiered today.
Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½th Century (1953) *** (out of 4) Fun spoof of Buck Rodgers has Daffy Duck playing the title character who along with Porky Pig is sent to Planet X where he ends up battling Marvin the Martian.
I've never been a big fan of Marvin the Martian but he actually steals this film with his better used voice, nice looks and the laughs he brings.
Pixar and Disneys new cgi shorts like Paperman and La luna are good but will never come close to this masterpiece.Now that i got my mini rant on cgi out of the way...This short is about Duck Dodgers (Daffy duck) fighting for control of planet X which Marvin the martian is also after.
This is a wonderful Daffy Duck cartoon and my favorite starring Marvin the Martian.
Daffy is the title character, though unlike the original Buck Rogers, Duck Dodgers is a bit of a jerk and incompetent.
Porky plays his very capable sidekick.They land on a new planet and claim it for the Earth.
Unfortunately, at the same time, Marvin also lands and claims the planet.
This is Duck Dodgers, also known as Daffy Duck, when he is not a hero.
Duck Dodgers and Porky the Pig are on the search of a shaving cream atom known as Illudium Phosdex.
Will Duck Dodgers get the Illudium Phosdex before the alien?
It symbolizes a missing planet name, I think.I recommend this cartoon for Human children..
This old Looney Tunes short "Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 century" is fantastic and stars three great characters Daffy Duck,Porky Pig and Marvin The Martian.Its about Daffy Duck living in a sci-fi like universe were he is known as Duck Dodgers ,he is ordered to go to a place called Planet X to find a rear shaving cream.Once he gets their alongside Porky Pig he declares the planet in the name of Earth,but Marvin The Martian comes along and wants to declare it in the name of Mars ,and since they both agree that the planet isn't big enough for the two of them they both get into a small war for who gets it..
Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century.
Here is another great example of the sometimes annoying yet lovable Daffy Duck trying to play a well known character, like he did in Robin Hood Daffy, and making it hysterical fun.
Based on the popular science fiction character Buck Rogers of the space stories, this is a great cartoon spoof in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies collection.
Set in the future, with huge colourful cities in space, space hero Duck Dodgers, Daffy, arrives to hear a mission to go to Planet X in search for what is believed to be the last place to find Illudium Phosdex, the re-shaving cream atom.
So after making himself light up and proclaiming "Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century", he and his eager young space cadet, Porky Pig, are in a rocket ready to go.
They reach the planet, and Dodgers claims it for the Earth, but then another rocket rushes overhead, with Marvin the Martian walking out to claim it for Mars, and so begins an argument to have the planet.
Daffy Duck was number 30, and Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies number 20 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons.
"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" is a classic Daffy Duck/Porky Pig/Marvin Martian cartoon written by Michael Maltese, composed by Carl Stalling, and directed by Chuck Jones.
The following are my favorite scenes from "Duck Dodgers".
Upon Daffy's first triumphant announcement that he is indeed Duck Dodgers, his flashing frame suspends in the air for a few seconds before falling to the ground after he states his name.
Marvin Martian blasts Daffy in the face through a video monitor.
disintegrates.Catch "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 Disc 2, with an optional audio commentary by Michael Barrier, an animation historian whose insights I greatly appreciate..
In the distant future, The Secretary of the Stratosphere must assign intergalactic hero Duck Dodgers to find Planet X, the only remaining source of illudium phozdex, the shaving cream atom.
Thus are sci-fi and animation fans treated to another of Chuck Jones' all-time classics, featuring the supremely confident Daffy Duck and his eager young space cadet sidekick, Porky Pig.Among the funniest scenes personifies Jones' expertise at drawing laughs from facial expressions.
Duck Dodgers plots out an impossibly convoluted course, and Space Cadet Porky understands how to reach Planet X - the laughs come when Duck Dodgers does a hilarious take at the idea that anyone could possibly understand his impossibly convoluted space course.
Of course the solution is simple - follow the solar system's Planets A, B, C, etc.But upon reaching Planet X - so identified because literally everything, from its primary landmass through its cloud formations, mountains, and trees is X-shaped - Duck Dodgers crosses paths with Marvin The Martian, who claims the planet in the name of Mars (Isn't that lovely?
But their just isn't enough room on Planet X for the two of them.It is here that the cartoon not only becomes funnier, but more subversive than even its creators probably intended, for what transpires is a hilarious satire of the Cold War arms race, culminating in Marvin The Martian delivering the last straw, and setting up the use of Duck Dodgers' secret weapon, and Marvin's use of the Martian Matomic Masher.
When the triggers are pulled - BOOM!Duck Dodgers has his triumph, but Space Cadet Porky summarizes the whole experience - "B-b-b-b-big deal.".
. two or three times EACH (such as Ethel Rosenberg's three Savage Jolts; you can read about her shocking demise in Wikipedia), DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24 1/2TH CENTURY marks Warner Bros.' effort to stop this nonsense.
The Principle of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) comes into play as Daffy and Marvin take mere moments to engage their version of A-Bombs, completely destroying Planet X.
runs their "All for Nukes, and Nukes for All" sale, Space Cadet Porky Pig responds to Daffy's claim of Nuclear Victory with a cynical sigh of, "Big deal." Warner Bros.
Daffy is in space and fights Marvin the Martian for control over Planet X.
I like that Martian character and I was surprised to see he appeared actually in quite a few films.
However, the fact that he appears in one of Warner Bros' most famous cartoons of all time certainly makes him fairly popular I guess.