Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
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Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century is a Looney Tunes cartoon released on July 25, 1953, and 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 a villian then named Commander X2 in Haredevil Hare (1948) playing opposite Bugs Bunny, but this cartoon was the first of many appearances of Duck Dodgers.
In 2004, it was retrospectively awarded a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
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[edit] Credits
Directed by Chuck Jones (credited as Charles M. Jones), story by Michael Maltese, voices by Mel Blanc, original music by Carl Stalling.
[edit] Plot
The plot of the cartoon involves Duck Dodgers' 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," which fortunately is found when Dodgers follows a path leading from Planet A to Planets B, C, D, and so on. Dodgers is about to claim Planet X in the name of the Earth when Marvin the Martian lands on the same planet (in a ship called the "Martian Maggot") and claims it in the name of Mars. The stage is set for a battle of wits (or lack thereof) between the two cartoon stars.
Porky Pig also appears in the cartoon, playing the role of the "Eager Young Space Cadet." As he does in a number of Jones' cartoons, he plays the role of the straight man, getting the job done and foiling the villain while Daffy Duck blusters and repeatedly gets himself blown to smithereens.
Considering the period in which the cartoon was produced (the Red Scare was in full swing during the 1950s era), some scholars have used the cartoon to parallel the futility of the Cold War and the arms race. They note that by the end of the cartoon, the planet that Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian are fighting over has been destroyed, and the remaining area claimed by Daffy at the end is barely more than a pebble in size. The dismissive attitude to Dodgers' pyrrhic victory is epitomized by Porky's cynical response to his boss's overblown proclamation, "B-B-Big deal." Shortly, Duck Dodgers returned in a second short called "Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century.
[edit] Sequels
- Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century (1980).
- Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension (1996), a 3D cartoon.
- Attack of the Drones (2003).
None have achieved the acclaim given the original cartoon.
