Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
Encyclopedia
Duck Dodgers in the 24½th (twenty-fourth and a half) Century is a Merrie Melodies
cartoon created in 1952 and released on July 25, 1953, starring Daffy Duck
as space hero Duck Dodgers
, Porky Pig
as his assistant, and Marvin the Martian
as his opponent. Marvin the Martian had been introduced as an unnamed villain in Haredevil Hare
(1948) playing opposite Bugs Bunny
(and was given the title 'Commander, Flying Saucer X-2' in 1951's The Hasty Hare
), but this cartoon was the first of many appearances of Duck Dodgers. The title is a pun on the comic book character Buck Rogers
, and especially on one collective title of his adventures in particular, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
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 nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
.
atom." In the future, the only remaining supply of the element is on the mysterious "Planet X". After plotting an enormously complicated course to Planet X, Dodgers's assistant, the "Eager Young Space Cadet" (Porky) points out that they can simply follow a path 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 the planet. Just as Dodgers claims the planet in the name of the Earth
, Marvin the Martian
lands and claims it in the name of Mars
, setting the stage for a battle of wits (or lack thereof) between the two. A series of exchanges takes place with neither party gaining the upper hand, culminating in each character deploying their "secret weapon", resulting in the complete destruction of Planet X. The cartoon ends with Dodgers dramatically claiming the last remaining chunk of the planet for Earth, while Marvin and the Space Cadet hang helplessly from a root below.
(credited as Charles M. Jones), with the story by Michael Maltese
, voices by Mel Blanc
, and original music by Carl Stalling
. The animation was credited to Lloyd Vaughan, Ken Harris and Ben Washam, with Harry Love receiving a credit for effects animation. The distinctive layouts were designed by Maurice Noble
and the backgrounds produced by Phil DeGuard.
Uncredited is the noteworthy quotation of Powerhouse
by Raymond Scott
in the score by Stalling.
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon created in 1952 and released on July 25, 1953, starring Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
as space hero Duck Dodgers
Duck Dodgers
Duck Edgar Dumas Aloysius Eoghain Dodgers is the metafictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. He is actually the famous cartoon star Daffy Duck, cast in the role of an intergalactic future hero....
, Porky Pig
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
as his assistant, and Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
as his opponent. Marvin the Martian had been introduced as an unnamed villain in Haredevil Hare
Haredevil Hare
Haredevil Hare is a 1948 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. It stars Bugs Bunny and it is the debut for Marvin the Martian — although he is unnamed in this film — along with his Martian dog, K-9. All the voices are done by Mel Blanc...
(1948) playing opposite Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
(and was given the title 'Commander, Flying Saucer X-2' in 1951's The Hasty Hare
The Hasty Hare
The Hasty Hare is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones, and starring Bugs Bunny. Marvin the Martian is assigned to capture an Earth creature, and the first one he comes across is Bugs.-Synopsis:...
), but this cartoon was the first of many appearances of Duck Dodgers. The title is a pun on the comic book character Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers
Anthony Rogers is a fictional character that first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue....
, and especially on one collective title of his adventures in particular, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
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 nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
.
Plot
The plot of the cartoon involves Duck Dodgers (Daffy) in his search for the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving creamShaving cream
Shaving cream is a substance that is applied to the face or wherever else hair grows, to provide lubrication and avoid razor burn during shaving. Shaving cream is often bought in a spray can, but can also be purchased in tubs or tubes. Shaving cream in a can is commonly dispensed as a foam or a gel...
atom." In the future, the only remaining supply of the element is on the mysterious "Planet X". After plotting an enormously complicated course to Planet X, Dodgers's assistant, the "Eager Young Space Cadet" (Porky) points out that they can simply follow a path 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 the planet. Just as Dodgers claims the planet in the name of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
lands and claims it in the name of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, setting the stage for a battle of wits (or lack thereof) between the two. A series of exchanges takes place with neither party gaining the upper hand, culminating in each character deploying their "secret weapon", resulting in the complete destruction of Planet X. The cartoon ends with Dodgers dramatically claiming the last remaining chunk of the planet for Earth, while Marvin and the Space Cadet hang helplessly from a root below.
Credits
The cartoon was directed by Chuck JonesChuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
(credited as Charles M. Jones), with the story by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
, voices by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
, and original music by Carl Stalling
Carl Stalling
Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
. The animation was credited to Lloyd Vaughan, Ken Harris and Ben Washam, with Harry Love receiving a credit for effects animation. The distinctive layouts were designed by Maurice Noble
Maurice Noble
Maurice Noble was an American animation background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate of animation director Chuck Jones, most notably at Warner Bros. in the 1950s...
and the backgrounds produced by Phil DeGuard.
Uncredited is the noteworthy quotation of Powerhouse
Powerhouse (song)
Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
by Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
in the score by Stalling.
Sequels
- Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th CenturyDuck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th CenturyDuck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century is a 1980 cartoon starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Marvin Martian. It is the sequel of Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. It was the first Daffy and Porky cartoon since 1965...
(1980). - Tiny Toon AdventuresTiny Toon AdventuresSteven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
: "Duck Dodgers Jr.", segment in the episode "The Return of the Acme Acres Zone" (1990) - Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension (1996), a 3D3-D filmA 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
cartoon. - Attack of the Drones (2003).
- Duck DodgersDuck Dodgers (TV series)Duck Dodgers is an American animated television series, based on the classic cartoon short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 2003 to 2005. The series aired on Cartoon Network and starred Daffy Duck as the titular character...
(2003–2005), television series on Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network (United States)Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
.
Other media
- In the US TV science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, the character of Michael GaribaldiMichael GaribaldiMichael Garibaldi is a lead fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Jerry Doyle.-Overview:...
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 LineMidnight on the Firing Line"Midnight on the Firing Line" is the first regular episode of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Teaser:During a shift change at the Centauri agricultural colony of Ragesh 3, a fleet of ships emerges from hyperspace and begins attacking the colony.At Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5,...
", Garibaldi looks for someone to share it with, and eventually watches the cartoon with Ambassador DelennDelennDelenn is a fictional lead character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Mira Furlan.-Overview:Delenn, an alien ambassador and leader from the planet Minbar, is one of the pivotal characters in Babylon 5....
.
- When the main character of the science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
(1977) wakes up, after trying all night to make contact with the aliens, his daughter is watching "Duck Dodgers".
- In Planet of the ApesPlanet of the ApesLa Planète des singes, known in English as Monkey Planet or Planet of the Apes, is a French 1963 science fiction novel by Pierre Boulle...
parody webtoon Planet of the Taz, Daffy and Porky are first seen in their Duck Dodgers and Cadet outfits from this short.
See also
- Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
- List of cartoons featuring Daffy Duck
- List of cartoons featuring Porky Pig