![]() Book cover | |
Editor | Charles Carney |
---|---|
Author | Chuck Jones |
Illustrator | Chuck Jones |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's literature, Picture book |
Publisher | Warner Bros. Worldwide Publishing |
Publication date | 1997 |
Media type | Hardcover |
ISBN | 1-890371-00-9 |
OCLC | 36485944 |
Daffy Duck for President is a children's book, published by Warner Bros. and the United States Postal Service in 1997 to coincide with the release of the first Bugs Bunny U.S. postage stamp. The book was written and illustrated by Chuck Jones, edited by Charles Carney, and art directed by Allen Helbig. [1]
Echoing the popular "Rabbit Season/Duck Season" scenes from the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd shorts Rabbit Fire , Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! , the book tells how Daffy Duck, in an effort to outlaw Duck Season in favor of a perpetual Rabbit Season, attempts to become a politician so as to change the law to suit him. [2] Through a civics lesson regarding the United States Constitution and with Bugs' help, Daffy learns that it is "We the People" who run the country, not any one man or duck, as he experiences the separation of powers concept of the United States Federal government.
From the book's dust jacket:
"Bugs guides Daffy through the 3 branches of American government - the foundation of freedom - in a style so breezy and comic that you'd never confuse it with a civics lesson. Or would you? In keeping with the explosive fun of the author's art, Daffy Duck for President is presented in its original sketch form. It's pure Chuck Jones - brash, witty, and reflective - in a bold flash of pencil, paper, and impulse." [1]
In 2004, Warner Bros. released a four-minute animated short of the same name based on the book, coinciding with the Presidential election that year. The film was produced by Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone, and Linda M. Steiner, and was dedicated to Chuck Jones's memory (he died on February 22, 2002, two years prior the release of the cartoon). [3] It was considered for a 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Joe Alaskey voiced Bugs and Daffy. [4] It was also planned for a worldwide theatrical release, but these plans were aborted after Looney Tunes: Back in Action performed poorly at the box office. However, it saw its eventual release as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set. The short is also available as a bonus feature on The Essential Daffy Duck DVD set. [2]
Bugs Bunny is a fictional character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in Ben Hardaway's Porky's Hare Hunt (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940). Bob Givens, Chuck Jones, and Robert McKimson are credited for defining Bugs's design.
Looney Tunes is an American animated franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It began as a series of short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves.
Daffy Duck is a fictional character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.
Duck Amuck is an American animated surreal comedy short film directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on January 17, 1953, as part of the Merrie Melodies series, and stars Daffy Duck.
Box-Office Bunny is a 1991 Looney Tunes short film directed by Darrell Van Citters and starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. It was shown in theaters alongside The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, as well as on the subsequent home media releases for the film. It is Warner Bros.'s first Bugs Bunny theatrical release since 1964's False Hare. It was issued to commemorate Bugs' 50th anniversary and is included as a special feature on the DVD for The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie. The short marks the debut of Jeff Bergman as the voice of Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer, following the death of Mel Blanc on July 10, 1989.
The Bugs Bunny Show is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969. The show originally debuted as a primetime half-hour program on ABC in 1960, featuring three theatrical Looney Tunes cartoons with new linking sequences produced by the Warner Bros. Cartoons staff.
Rabbit Fire is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, the cartoon is the first in Jones' "hunting trilogy"—the other two cartoons following it being Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! It is also the first cartoon to feature a feud between Bugs and Daffy. Produced by Edward Selzer for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc., the short was released to theaters on May 19, 1951 by Warner Bros. Pictures and is often considered among Jones' best and most important films.
Rabbit Seasoning is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Released on September 20, 1952, the short stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.
Duck! Rabbit, Duck! is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Charles M. Jones. The cartoon was released on October 3, 1953 and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. The first release of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD series, it contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. The set won the Classic Award at the Parents' Choice Awards.
(Blooper) Bunny is a Merrie Melodies animated short film directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, with music by George Daugherty, produced in 1991 by Warner Bros. Animation. Featuring the voice talents of Jeff Bergman and Gordon Hunt, the short is a parody of some of the specials produced for Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary the previous year. The short never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for six years. It was finally given a television premiere on June 13, 1997, after Cartoon Network discovered the film sitting unseen in the vaults. It is featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 as of 2003.
The Abominable Snow Rabbit is a 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and co-directed by Maurice Noble, with a story by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on May 20, 1961, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The cartoon's title is taken from the phrase and horror film The Abominable Snowman. It was the final original Chuck Jones theatrical cartoon with Daffy Duck.
Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet is an animated television special that aired November 15, 1979 on CBS. It stars Bugs Bunny and incorporated parts of several Looney Tunes cartoons. The special followed up on the successful Looney Tunes special Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals that had aired in 1976, which reintroduced the character of Bugs Bunny in his first new material since 1964.
Rabbit Rampage is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on June 11, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny.
Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special is a Looney Tunes animated Halloween television special directed by David Detiege, which first aired on CBS on October 26, 1977.
Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals is a 1976 live action/animated television special featuring the Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and directed by Chuck Jones.
A Star Is Bored is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 15, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The cartoon expands upon the rivalry depicted between Bugs and Daffy, in such films as Chuck Jones' 1951 short Rabbit Fire, this time placing the action in a show-biz setting. In this 7-minute short, Daffy must double for Bugs in any slapstick that Warners deems too dangerous for its top star. After each disaster, Daffy shouts "MAKEUP!". The director directing the scenes has an Erich Von Stroheim accent.
The Iceman Ducketh is a 1964 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Phil Monroe and Maurice Noble, with a story by John W. Dunn. The short was released on May 16, 1964, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It was the penultimate Warner Bros. Theatrical Cartoon to feature Bugs Bunny and the last Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon to feature Bugs and Daffy together until Box-Office Bunny in 1991, and the last that the Chuck Jones unit worked on, though Chuck Jones himself was fired at an early stage of production and replaced by Monroe.
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, nine documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from the vault", and 11 music-only or music-and-sound-effects audio tracks.