Duck Dodgers (TV series)

Last updated
Duck Dodgers
Duck Dodgers 2003 Cartoon Network title card.png
Genre
Based on Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
by Charles M. Jones, Michael Maltese, & Warner Bros.
Developed by Spike Brandt
Tony Cervone
Directed bySpike Brandt
Tony Cervone
Collette Sunderman (voice director)
Voices of
Theme music composer Wayne Coyne
Steven Drozd
Opening theme"Duck Dodgers", performed by Tom Jones
Ending theme"Duck Dodgers" (Instrumental)
Composers Robert Kral
Douglas Romayne
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes39 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer Sander Schwartz
Producers
EditorRob Desales
Running time22 minutes
Production companies Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Warner Bros. Animation
Original release
Network Cartoon Network
ReleaseAugust 23, 2003 (2003-08-23) 
April 22, 2005 (2005-04-22)
Network Boomerang
ReleaseSeptember 16 (2005-09-16) 
November 11, 2005 (2005-11-11)
Related

Duck Dodgers is an American animated television series developed by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone based on the 1953 theatrical animated short film of the same name, which stars the character Daffy Duck. It is a comic science fiction series, featuring the Looney Tunes characters in metafictional roles, with Daffy Duck reprising his titular role from the original short. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 2003 to 2005. [1] It originally aired on Cartoon Network and later ended on Boomerang. [2]

Contents

Concept

Though primarily based around the original Duck Dodgers short (which is set in roughly 2318 AD), the series also takes visual and thematic cues from other Looney Tunes shorts, with other Looney Tunes characters appearing in the series, albeit adapted to fit within the show's universe. [3] For example, Yosemite Sam becomes "K'chutha Sa'am", a parody of Klingons in Star Trek , Elmer Fudd becomes "The Fudd", a parasitic mind-altering alien disease, (a combination of the Flood and the Borg), Wile E. Coyote was a Predator-like alien hunter. Also appearing in the show are Witch Hazel, Count Bloodcount, Goofy Gophers, Nasty Canasta, Taz, Rocky and Mugsy, the Crusher, "Shropshire Slasher", Michigan J. Frog, Ralph Phillips, Egghead Junior, and the unnamed evil scientist who owns Gossamer.

Theme songs

The show's theme song (arranged by the Flaming Lips) is sung by Tom Jones, in a style reminiscent of the theme from the James Bond film Thunderball . [4] Daffy once played a caricature of Jones, who was his singing voice in the second-season episode "Talent Show A Go-Go", singing his signature song, "It's Not Unusual". Dave Mustaine of the thrash metal band Megadeth was featured in the third-season episode "In Space, No One Can Hear You Rock", with the band performing the song "Back in the Day" from their 2004 album The System Has Failed .

Accolades

Duck Dodgers was nominated in 2004 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For Children, Music in an Animated Television Production, Production Design in an Animated Television Production, and Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production. It won the Annie award in 2004, for Music in an Animated Television Production, music by Robert J. Kral. It was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation and Special Class Animated Program in 2004, [5] and again in 2005. [6] It later won for Outstanding Performer in an Animated ProgramJoe Alaskey. [7] The series ended production in 2005 after its third season.

Characters

Galactic Protectorate

The Martian Empire

Production

Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone were both fans of the Daffy Duck short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century and spent six years trying to get the concept made as either a TV series or feature film until the two were given a production commitment. [8] After a prime time Daffy Duck series Brandt and Cervone were developing with Paul Rugg described as The Larry Sanders Show meets Jack Benny failed to emerge from development hell, Brandt and Cervone moved on to Duck Dodgers and incorporated some of their unused concepts. [8]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1 13August 23, 2003 (2003-08-23)November 18, 2003 (2003-11-18) Cartoon Network
2 13August 14, 2004 (2004-08-14)February 25, 2005 (2005-02-25)
3 135March 11, 2005 (2005-03-11)April 22, 2005 (2005-04-22)
8September 16, 2005 (2005-09-16)November 11, 2005 (2005-11-11) Boomerang

Voice cast

Home media

Warner Home Video released Duck Dodgers – The Complete First Season: Dark Side of the Duck to DVD on February 19, 2013, Duck Dodgers – The Complete Second Season: Deep Space Duck on July 23, 2013, and Duck Dodgers - The Complete Third Season on January 28, 2020. Unlike the previous 2 seasons released on DVD the 3rd was released on a DVD-R. The complete series was released on Blu-ray on March 28, 2023. [9] The Blu-ray set also includes the original 1953 short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century as a bonus feature. [10]

SeasonTitleEpisodesRelease date
1The Complete First Season: Dark Side of the Duck13February 19, 2013
2The Complete Second Season: Deep Space DuckJuly 23, 2013
3The Complete Third SeasonJanuary 28, 2020

See also

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References

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  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 290–291. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  3. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 169–170. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  4. Mallory, Michael (Aug 22, 2003). "They dare to 'Duck'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  5. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announced for the 31st Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards" (PDF). The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2004.
  6. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announced for the 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards" (PDF). The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2005.
  7. "The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Winners for the 31st Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards" (PDF). The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2004.
  8. 1 2 ""Duck Dodgers" Producers Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone". toonzone.net. Archived from the original on 2004-06-27. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  9. "Duck Dodgers: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]".
  10. "Duck Dodgers: The Complete Series Blu-ray".