User reviews

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. This is Chuck Jones' and Michael Maltese's masterpiece of abstract animation. 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! At the end, the duck demands to know who is behind the whole thing. All I'll say is that person says, "Ain't I a stinker?" Duck Amuck is definitely worth seeing again and again.

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. As Woody Allen did in Annie Hall (though that was twenty-four years later), the filmmakers here create that acknowledgment of there being an audience- and, more amusingly, their acknowledgment of themselves being apart of the process. 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. He'll never get back to that background again, but Daffy will keep on trying to persuade the animator to bring back some sense into the works. 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. There's a lot of creative juice flowing through this one, and since the turns are unexpected on the first viewing, on the following ones you laugh at yourself for laughing at it again. 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. He asks, "Now, how about some color, stupid!" And then is painted over in bizarre hues. The joke that follows that is one of Chuck Jones' most surreal executions.

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).

Already as a boy I could understand the humor in 'Duck Amuck' - but perhaps not it's meta-ambitions! If I knew then how good this short movie is I would never ever let my father erase it!

Quotes like: "NOW WHAT?" and "Give me a close-up!" can't leave my head! 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.

Daffy D'Artagnon strikes again! Except......where's the scenery? A paintbrush adds scenery - but it's the wrong kind! So it's Daffy Duck, farmer, and on this farm he had an igloo......duh? Skiing eskimo Daffy, skiing right into Hawaii.....eeeeeeeeeeeee.

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. A demand for a closeup gets an iris-out, then we see just how bloodshot Daffy's eyes are.

A rubbery black background blob smothers Daffy, so he destroys it and demands the picture begin - so we iris out to THE END - NO! NO!!!!!!!

Two Daffys (the result of the film projector sticking between frames) nearly come to blows, then eventually we get the answer to the mystery that has Daffy yelling his lungs out - and the audience laughing at a film parody to end all such. It's been said this cartoon breaks the fourth as well as fifth and sixth walls - but they forgot to mention the seventh and eighth walls it breaks as well.

This has to be the wackiest Daffy Duck cartoon ever....maybe the wackiest (and most clever) cartoon ever. 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. After a few seconds of silence, Daffy turns to the camera (us) and says, "Can we get some scenery here?" So, an artist paints us a rural picture. Daffy changes clothes and is a now a farmer. Suddenly it's a winter scene. 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. All of this is driving him crazy....and it's fun to watch because you have no clue what crazy things is going to happen next.

This is an incredible cartoon. If ever the word "unique" would be appropriate, it's here.

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 humor in most of the gags go deeper than the usual Warner Bros. cartoon, with claustrophobia, an exact duplicate of Daffy and instant deformity inflicted upon him has us laughing at our own fears.

But it's Jones' vision of Daffy that is the true star of this and many other of his cartoons. 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. That old Daffy was wild and wacky and good, the new Daffy always has us humans at a disadvantage by making fun of our own weaknesses.

There is nothing here that hasn't been said already. 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. The concept has been done before, so it just loses out on the originality element, but I overlook this every time I watch this, because everything else works brilliantly. Where to begin praising it? The genius script, Daffy's performance or the animation?

Well I'd best start off with the animation. The animation is wonderful, colourful and solid looking, looking so good after all these years and the backgrounds themselves are picturesque. The music is a real joy to the ears, if there is anything I love more than anything else in the world it is good music, and I loved it here. And the script? I seriously need to think of another Daffy cartoon where I was laughing so hard non- stop. The script was a gem, full of witty asides and quotable lines. 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. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are Looney Tunes' most recognized faces. Bugs Bunny is calm yet sly while Daffy is animated and hot-headed. 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. The opening scene, in which Daffy originally plans to take on enemies, is sword is interrupted by a white screen. Daffy himself seems perplexed, and whispers to the 'the guy in charge around here' to add some 'tschenry!' Every time the wrong scenery is added till Daffy gets fed up and confronts the creator. This is a genius part because when we look at it, we as audiences feel Daffy is talking to us as we laugh at his misery.

My favorite moment is when Daffy tries to vent his anger but his voice changes. The way he gets agitated and embarrassed, with the constant gesticulations (clenched fist, hand on mouth, shaking hands) is a joy to watch. Another highlight is the ab(use) of the scenery with the vivid distortion of 'Close Up' and contortions in Daffy's character when he demands the creator to give him a body.

I can now realize Chuck's intentions- with every little distortion created, Daffy still remains the main focus. 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. It's a pity such humor is missing now because most of the target audience would not appreciate it now. Even watching those Mickey Mouse shorts made in 1930s makes me wonder why the new animation focuses on being so 'realistic' and does not want to experiment? 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! My rating: 9/10

In this cartoon an unseen animator is having fun with the Daffy Duck character. The animator changes backgrounds, changes the clothes of Daffy, and even changes Daffy from time to time. Every time the animator does this Daffy has to act different. Daffy himself of course is commenting on all this playing around. 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. The animator is not seen but his tools, like a pencil, are and that makes it very funny. Director Chuck Jones shows us Daffy and although he changes from time to time he always is Daffy. A great and hilarious cartoon.

This cartoon begins with a joke about the cartoonist interacting with the character. It's quite funny the first few times. Then that same joke is repeated about 100 more times with only some very slight variations. And that's all folks!

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.

From that moment, Daffy goes on to one wacky situation to another and so on. 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! (Screen Blackens except the top right corner). This is a close up? A CLOSE UP YOU JERK, A CLOSE UP!!!!!!!! (Camera zooms in)"

That line has got to be one of my favourites. SO is this cartoon

Of course, Chuck Jones is the undisputed leading talent of the golden age of Warner Brother's animation. However, there is some debate as what his finest WB work is.

Personally, I vote for this film. 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. Another writer noted that there are precursors of this like the "Out of the Inkwell" series by Max and Dave Fleischer and Porky in Wacky Land. However, they do not depend as heavily on character as this film. The point being that while the mischief the animated inflicts on the Daffy is amusing, the real humour lies in Daffy's increasing frustration in trying to maintain some control over the chaos until he explodes in fruitless rage. This film could not work for any other character, and the latter knock off, Rabbit Rampage served to prove that. Furthermore, most of this film takes place with a completely blank setting and the film depends entirely on Daffy's character to illustrate the real nature of the film. 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. As it turns out, his hunch was absolutely on the money.

That is a sign of superior artist who takes an artist gamble and we, the audience, get the payoff of enjoying one of the finest example of animation as art in film history.

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. Sure enough, with Daffy's ever changing wardrobe trying to keep up with his ever changing background, you can see Daffy Duck's blood pressure boil. My favorite scene is him dressed as a singing cowboy in a blank background. The second he strings his guitar, and no sound is heard, he gives a (what the %^*#) stare straight to the camera as he props a small sign questioning where is the sound. No sooner said... the soundtrack comes alive with what sounds like a needle being put on a 78 rpm record. Just as Daffy plucks the guitar, the sounds of a machine gun in High Fidelity erupts! A honking car horn next emits from his plucking the strings before a furious Daffy smashes the guitar to bits (with the accompanying sound of a donkey laughing). The cartoon is timed in perfect rhythm and one gag is topped by another, before the zenith is reached at the end. There will NEVER be another cartoon that can top this one for sheer character self implosion. Daffy Duck was never to shine any brighter than this one (Although Duck Dodger's in the 24 1/2 Century is another Gem... but there, Daffy is pure ham... even more than his Space Cadet side-kick Porky Pig). Mr Chuck Jones... we are deeply at your debt for this masterpiece.

In case you've ever wondered what Daffy Duck can do on his own, look no further than "Duck Amuck". The plot involves Daffy getting progressively more and more irritated as the cartoon keeps changing. It starts off with a "Three Musketeers"-style background (and Daffy is dressed accordingly), but then changes to a farm. Daffy quickly changes clothes, only to find that it has changed to the Arctic. He begins to go skiing, but then it changes to Hawaii. He dresses as a hula dancer, but then the scenery disappears. When Daffy complains, the unseen animator erases him. By the time the animator redraws Daffy, the sound is all screwed up.

From there, Daffy gets redrawn, cloned, and exploded. The big surprise comes at the end, when we learn who the animator is. It just goes to show that the people who made these cartoons were pure geniuses.

Where to begin with 'Duck Amuck'? 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. No matter which animator was drawing him, scriptwriter was writing for him or director was directing him, Daffy always elicits a positive reaction from me whether the cartoon in question is decent or not. In the case of 'Duck Amuck', "decent" is the understatement of the century! 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. Pencils, brushes and erasers intrude on Daffy's world, changing the scenery and even the appearance of Daffy himself and Jones also introduces jokes involving sound, colour and camera positions. It's an incredible premise which expands on earlier experiments with similar concepts like the Fleischer Brother's 'Out of the Inkwell'. The best part for Daffy fans like myself is that 'Duck Amuck (until its final few seconds) is an entirely one-personality cartoon. It hinges on Daffy's beautifully scripted monologue which makes the most of the characters distinctive turn of phrase and manic energy. 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). There's plenty to please fans of most Daffy persona's here. Although the greedy and selfish side of the little black duck is absent (making him all the more likable and therefore rendering the cartoon even more deliciously sadistic), his prominent ego is apparent from the opening frame and the manic energy of his early incarnation is quickly drawn upon as he becomes more and more frantic about the crumbling of his world. It's a true tour de force.

I don't think I have ever come across anyone who has a bad word to say about 'Duck Amuck'. It is quite simply one of the most perfect cartoons ever made, perhaps the most perfect. 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.

Duck Amuck is a brilliantly done cartoon. Too often cartoons are just seen as a bunch of random wacky jokes, but Chuck Jones adds another level: character driven comedy. To be sure, this cartoon is VERY wacky. 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. Instead of going with the flow, he flies off the handle at everything that goes wrong, which in turn is worsened by whoever is doing all of this stuff to him. In his best characterization, Daffy manages to be sympathetic enough that the audience still roots for him, even though he probably deserves whatever he has coming to him. In his worst characterization, his greediness and anger take over to the point he becomes completely unsympathetic. This cartoon and the so-called "Hunter's Trilogy" feature Daffy's best characterization, the cartoons featuring Daffy and Speedy Gonzales made in the mid 1960's have the worst.

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. Maybe all of them. And some are clearly more memorable than others. This has to rank among the most memorable of all, because it just had such a strange approach to the whole idea of cartoons.

Maybe now it is not too odd to break the fourth wall, or manipulate cartoons. It has happened. And in some cases, they sure have gotten much stranger. But Daffy as that weird flower creature? What the heck is that? Chuck Jones (or whomever) was going beyond Dali and others and just being quite surreal.

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. There's a wild streak of Disney going through all this, derived from the way the Disney artists used their brushes to create characters and backgrounds for THE THREE CABALLEROS and SALUDOS AMIGOS. So no, the idea isn't completely original. The concept has been used before.

But it's definitely a superb example in the way it treats the idea of an animator having complete control over backgrounds and situations, as well as costuming and design. It works on every level.

The surprise twist at the end reveals who the animator is.

Summing up: An essential Chuck Jones cartoon. Not to be missed.

Maybe if someone grew up with it it may be funny. Otherwise it seems to be a wierd and annoying combination of cultural stereotypes.

Other than for nostalgia and cultural heritage I would not recommend to watch it.