The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946) User Reviews

Spectacular Colors In This Fun "Twacy" Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 26 April 2007]

Daffy Duck's going nuts waiting for the mail. When it arrives, and his Dick Tracy comic book is there, he's ecstatic! Daffy is literally sweating as he reads about Tracy's crime-fighting exploits. By the way, once again, the colors in this Looney Tunes cartoon are fantastic. The bold, bright colors are just stunning from start-to-finish.

Anyway, Daffy just loves Dick Tracy and would give anything to be like him. After hitting himself and temporarily knocking himself out, he fantasizes he's "Duck Twacy" and the real fun of the cartoon begins as he goes to find out who stole his piggy bank.

I liked the 1940s' hat on "Twacy," the way he moaned "Agony!," his remark to the cab driver,the neon signs advertising "Gangster's Hideout," the trap door, and, of course, all the closeups on the faces of "Snake Eyes" and the other crooks.

I can't rave about this as much as some of the reviewers here. I've seen better Daffy Duck cartoons, but it's still a good one. It may be the most colorfully drawn of them all, though. It looks spectacular.

Ducky Twacy investigates

[Prismark10 · 9/10 · 4 October 2013]

Daffy Duck appears in a parody of Dick Tracy in this Warner Brothers short cartoon.

It is an inventive take as Daffy goes in search of the stolen piggy banks. Even keeping them in a safe place is not sufficient.

They get to parody the classic Dick Tracy villains with Flat-head, Pumpkin-head, Double Header, 88 Teeth, Batman and the most inventive of all being Rubber-head with his catchphrase of 'I'm going to rub you out' while making Daffy literally disappear.

Daffy is excitable, funny, he even bumps into Sherlock Holmes at one point. A parody cartoon at its best.

No Sherlock Holmes "completist" should consider . . .

[pixrox1 · 8/10 · 25 July 2021]

. . . their life fulfilled until they see THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY. When a concussed Daffy Duck encounters said Sherlock on a city sidewalk, he brushes off the famed London-based sleuth with a brusque "Scram, Sherlock, I'm working!" (I also seem to remember him saying "Stay in your lane, Jack!" but maybe that quoth the duck is from his previous outing.) Bottom Line: IF there's a Sherlock Holmes completist within your circle, be sure to have them watch THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY.

Jaw-droppingly brilliant. A solid gold classic and the crowning glory of Clampett's many masterpieces

[phantom_tollbooth · 10/10 · 1 October 2008]

One of the great classics of animation, Bob Clampett's 'The Great Piggy Bank Robbery' is one of the best cartoons ever made and the perfect starting point for anyone interested in Clampett's work. Daffy Duck eagerly awaits the arrival of his new Dick Tracy comic but while reading it he accidentally knocks himself out and dreams that he is Duck Twacy, investigating the theft of his piggy bank. Working from a terrific script by Warren Foster, Clampett injects his trademark wild energy and bizarre execution of gags to make 'The Great Piggy Bank Robbery' spellbindingly energetic and unforgettably eerie. The moment when Daffy finds himself face to face with a roomful of oddball villains is a tour de force with astonishing moment after astonishing moment. It culminates in the breathtaking scene in which Daffy machine guns them all to death and they topple towards the camera one by one into a big pile. There are plenty of other incredible moments to look out for, including Daffy being rubbed out, tracking footprints across the ceiling and separating up his own body parts to escape from a huddle of bad guys. 'The Great Piggy Bank Robbery' is almost as much of a one-duck show as Chuck Jones's 'Duck Amuck', allowing Daffy to do all the talking as he tracks down and eludes the criminals. Mel Blanc does a wonderful job as Daffy babbles away to the audience. Being a huge Daffy Duck fan, 'The Great Piggy Bank Robbery' was obviously going to be one of my all-time favourites and it vies with 'Duck Amuck' for the position of my very favourite of all time. It is unequivocally Bob Clampett's greatest masterpiece.

Daffy Duck may be des-s-s-s-s-spicable, but his cartoons are great

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 11 June 2005]

Anyone who says that cartoons are only for kids must have never seen "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery". One day, while reading a Dick Tracy comic book, Daffy Duck gets excited and accidentally knocks himself out. He dreams that he's "Duck Twacy". After getting some calls about stolen piggy banks (and finding that his own piggy bank is gone), he sets about looking for the culprits. When he arrives at a house, he not only finds the culprits, but discovers that they're the weirdest group of gangsters imaginable. For example, "Snake Eyes" has dice for eyes, and "Batman" is a baseball bat. Needless to say, it all leads to a big showdown.

Part of what was so great about the old Looney Tunes cartoons was how they poked fun at the popular culture of their eras. There will never be another kind of cartoons like those.

Hilarious parody of Dick Tracy with cameos from a ham and another detective.

[llltdesq · 10/10 · 27 October 2003]

This is Bob Clampett's best short at Warner Brothers, as he affectionately sends up Dick Tracy, even to the extent of including a real Dick Tracy villain or three in a couple of scenes. There's a cameo by Porky Pig in the dream sequence and Daffy as Duck Twacy has an amusing run-in with the most well-known resident of Baker Street in London, circa late 1800s. The Clampett Duck Twacy villains are indeed a fascinating lot, almost as good as some of Gould's villains. Great fun and much more fun than the movie version (and much shorter). One of Daffy's shining hours. Has a great ending. Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.

Fast, furious and fun, plus original- everything a cartoon should be!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 14 June 2010]

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, what can I say. This is one of my favourite Daffy Duck cartoons, though Duck Dodgers in the 24.5 Century and Duck Amuck are my favourites. It is fast, furious, fun and original, like cartoons should be, and as a parody of Dick Tracy just a sheer delight from start to finish. Daffy is superb, manic and hilarious, and he is well served by superb dialogue, brilliantly timed gags and a great story. Other outstanding elements too were the spectacular animation, one of the best-looking Looney Tunes cartoons in my opinion, the rousing music and the brilliant vocal talents of Mel Blanc.

Overall, absolutely delightful, that delivered exactly what it promised. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Clampett's masterpiece

[Markc65 · 10/10 · 27 June 2001]

Probably the greatest cartoon ever made. Hilarious, surreal, and exciting, a great example of what the medium of animation can achieve. Amazingly distorted and rubbery animation by the great Rod Scribner. This one really solidifies the earlier wilder Daffy's personality. It proves Daffy doesn't need any co-stars or straightmen to be funny.

Really, really overrated

[agj8012 · 4/10 · 24 April 2010]

Most people consider this one of the greatest cartoons in history, but I just do not like this one that much. Bob Clampett was a really great director and made some fabulous cartoons, but I do not consider this to be one of them. First of all, the editing in this cartoon is extremely sloppy. I am not sure why this is, but Clampett cartoons seem to be really poorly edited together. Usually, this does not bother me, but it is impossible trying to avoid the poor editing in this cartoon. Also, this cartoon does not appear to have any real focus. It reminds me of a cartoon from the thirties. It started off with a great plot, but drifts away into corny extended jokes that take up WAY too much screen time(a great example of this is when Daffy Duck talks to himself on the phone.)For a while, though, this could still pass for an average Warner Bros. cartoon until Daffy Duck gets inside the gangster's hideout. Right around here, the plot goes out the window and absolutely nothing makes sense. Usually, the Warner Bros. cartoons have really sharp writing and an amazing sense of timing. You will not find that here. None of the jokes are timed very well and the writing is sub-average. The only thing that I really like about this cartoon is the animation. This is hands down some of the best quality animation that ever hit the screen, but the animation still doesn't save this silly cartoon with stupid jokes and a weird plot. This cartoon really disappointed me. If you want to see great Clampett cartoons, watch "Becall to Arms" or "Porky in Wackyland". Those cartoons are extremely wacky but held together by good writing and direction. The same cannot be said for this.

Possibly the best Daffy Duck short ever

[movieman_kev · 10/10 · 31 October 2005]

Daffy Duck cant wait to get the new Dick Tracey comic book in the mail. He's practically bursting at the seems with the prospect. When it comes he's so excited that he accidentally punches himself in the face and dreams he's Duck Twacy facing off against many a evil character. This cartoon is nut, but it a very good way. Clampett is always amazing and this short is no exception. It's everything a looney Tunes short should by: Hilarious, fast, and abstract to a degree. This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 and also features an optional commentary by Contemporary Animator John Kricfalusi

My Grade: A+

Daffy's Hero

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 27 December 2015]

Daffy causes his own concussion and goes into a dream state where he becomes a famous detective, Duck Twacy. He is in search of a missing piggy bank. In order to solve the crime he must meet up with several arch criminals with weird names (like in the Dick Tracy strip). Of course, this is Bob Clampett and these are Warner Brothers characters. There is lots of hooting and hollering on the part of our inimitable duck. He is obsessed with comic books and can think of nothing else. Like so many of these characters, Bugs, Yosemite Sam, and others, he always seems to land on his feet in the end. Well, not quite in this one.

Funny spoof on the Dick Tracey serials

[bob the moo · 5 October 2003]

Overexcited from reading his latest copy of his Dick Tracey comic, Daffy Duck accidentally knocks himself out and dreams of being his hero. As Duck Twacy, Daffy uncovers a gang of criminals stealing people's piggy banks and begins to track the fearsome group down.

Featuring Daffy in his `zany duck' period (as opposed to his envious bitter duck stage!) this cartoon nicely spoofs the characters and atmosphere of the Dick Tracey comic book. I am not fully aware of the comics but the recent film gives some idea of the larger than life characters and style. This cartoon lampoons that well and affectionately.

Some of the jokes are obvious and the spoof side will go over the heads of those with no knowledge of the subject but daffy holds it all together with his larger than life personality and crazy approach to everything. Porky Pig makes a brief cameo in a moustache that made me think he would be a larger character but it's very much blink and you'll miss him. The end of the film is Ok considering it's an `it was all a dream' type ending, and it does have a good line from a pig!

Overall I enjoyed this cartoon because I like both Daffy Duck and the fact that it pokes fun at the characters and style of Dick Tracey. May disappoint those not aware of DT as much of it relies on this but it's still worth a giggle or two.

I'm gonna R-R-RUB YOU OUT!!!

[jholmstrom-1 · 10/10 · 5 November 2005]

This cartoon is one of the greatest Warner Brothers cartoons of all time. It's one of Bob Clampett's finest moments--from the beginning of the cartoon (when Daffy reads a Duck Twacy comic book) throughout the entire cartoon (when Daffy is Sherlock Holmes one minute, moron the next--while always defying reality/conventions) until the end (when Daffy suddenly finds himself kissing a gay pig in a mud puddle(!) that he can't escape from...)

This cartoon, "Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs," and "Draftee Daffy" are Clampett's best Warner Brothers cartoons and thus represent the highest achievements in animation... Why? Because... They make you laugh!

Daffy Duck may not wind up in Munchkinland . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 12 April 2016]

. . . when he knocks himself out reading a Dick Tracy comic book; if anything, Daffy's Final Destination is even Loonier than Dorothy Gale's. Dottie of the Ruby Red Slippers, you may recall, has an early adventure back in Kansas of falling into a Pig Sty. The Cowardly Lion nearly blows a gasket fishing her out of ham's way, knowing as a veteran farm hand that a pack of adult pigs can generally chow down a medium-sized human being three times as fast as a school of piranhas (even if she's not on her dot). THE GREAT PIGGYBANK ROBBERY ends with Daffy waking up in a Pig Sty, which might not be QUITE as bad as a time traveler arriving on the deck of the Titanic as it approaches a 90-degree angle with the frigid North Atlantic, but almost. It's a case of out of the frying pan and into the mire for the slobbering duck, as his snooze-fest opponents are far scarier than Dorothy's (Snake Eyes, Hammer Head, and the Neon Noodle, to name just three of many). The original Eraserhead--Rubberhead--is my favorite, as he nearly succeeds in rubbing out the irritating fowl permanently.

Peak Bob Clampett insanity

[flippyfrogman · 10/10 · 7 June 2023]

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is another one of those Looney Tunes cartoons that are just FUN. Bob Clampett is one of those Looney Tunes directors that perfectly nails the pure energy and anarchy that we all know and love Looney Tunes for, and he's one of my personal favorites. Daffy is his typical 40's screwball self in this one, and his voice acting is amazing, as well as being fun to watch. The backgrounds and art are stunningly wacky and creative, and all the different villains Daffy goes up against are super inventive and visually interesting. The gags are as to be expected, hilarious, and overall makes this a phenomenally zany and absurd cartoon that's just a blast all the way through. Watch if you can, it's a masterpiece, 10/10.

Forgettable Daffy showcase

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 17 July 2015]

"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" is a Warner Bros cartoon from 70 years ago and it stars only Daffy from the gang. That is not why I did not really like it. It's more because hardly any of the jokes were good. I liked the taxi driver part and also the giant rat/mouse, but that's pretty much everything I found mildly funny. The second half with all these other character didn't really do anything for me. This short is directed by the very prolific Robert Clampett and the not-so prolific Michael Sasanoff. Warren Foster is the writer and he worked on very many Looney Toons as well. All the characters are voiced by Mel Blanc as usual. In my opinion, this is not among the best or even better cartoons out there from the glorious Warner Bros days, even if it's fairly popular. I'd really only recommend it to huge Daffy fans.

A true classic,

[lesleyharris30 · 10/10 · 25 June 2010]

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery has got to be one of my favourite Daffy Duck cartoons,probably one of my favourite Looney Tune cartoons all together.

Its about Daffy Duck becoming obsessed with the fictional detective Dick Tracey and is waiting impatiently for a new Dick Tracey comic,once he receives it from the mail when he finishes he falls into a deep sleep that he is a detective called Duck Twacey and has to solve a case for a piggy bank robberry,leading to the victims secret hideout.

*****/*****

5/5 stars

A good job

[Mightyzebra · 8/10 · 25 October 2007]

Daffy shows up in an entertaining, well-animated old cartoon, being funny and entertaining imagining he is Duck Twacey (like Dick Tracey - get it?).

The animation is not very detailed, but good compared to quite a lot of Daffy Duck cartoons in the not-too-distant future. The person who animated Daffy made him in a fun, likable "wonky" style - which you don't usually see in your average Daffy Looney Tunes episode.

The jokes are not top notch, but neither are a few of the older Looney Tunes, but you are likely not to watch this without laughing at least once.

The plot and story is also very good and entertaining, although it feels a wee bit too short.

What happens is Daffy is very desperate for his next Dick Tracey comic and he wants to be just like his idol. By complete accident he knocks himself out and imagines that he is Duck Twacey, famous and good detective. He goes out to find hundreds of stolen piggy banks and to make sure the criminals are taught their lesson...

An incredibly entertaining and fun Looney Tunes episode. Thumbs up for Daffy in "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery"!

8 and a half out of ten.

"Guess who!" "Neon Noodle?"

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 9/10 · 21 August 2015]

Detective noir was never as much fun as when Daffy took it on in this 1946 animated masterwork. Just what is it about this cartoon that makes it one of the exceptionally special and long-lasting beloved ones? It has such a great rare kind of quality and appeal about it that makes it such a brilliant little watch to this day, and I just love it. I find it to be a surrealistic ride into freaky cartoon nightmaresville! And while to me it doesn't seem like it was specifically made to be as disorienting and eerie as possible like in the best and most 'out there' of the Betty Boop shorts, it's surely uncanny and offbeat in its own very special way. I love how, for as brief as it is, it manages to quite wonderfully play into the pop culture and folklore of old comic books. I think that I must have seen it before at some point when I was very little, because for the longest time whenever I would think of vintage cartoons I always had a vivid image that would pop into my head of a figure in a shadowed room surrounded by weird colourful monster faces all angrily glaring down at him, and I never did know exactly where it was from... Then much later when I eventually just happened to watch this and it got to that part where things really do take off so magnificently as Daffy meets all of the marvelously spooky and fun bizarre criminals who all look like their namesakes and they all give chase, I was delighted as it clicked into place and the mystery of the unknown cartoon was finally solved! They're all so neat! I like the pumpkin one, the hammer-headed one, the Batman one is an especially hilarious visual play on words, but my favourite one is um.."Guess who!" I hate to negative-it-up, but I really hate that stupid campy pig, he somehow manages to single-handedly mar the ending, as well as for me at least take the whole short down a peg! If it weren't for him, I'd happily bestow a mighty ten! The short just demands it because it's still so amazing, and it will forever be. It is indeed fantastic and unbelievable!!!

"I know! I'll call Duck Twacy, the famous ducktecketive!"

[slymusic · 13 July 2009]

"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" is one of the greatest Daffy Duck cartoons ever made! Directed by Bob Clampett, this film brims with energy that doesn't let up for a second! Daffy is hilarious as Duck Twacy, a private investigator on the scent of a piggy bank crime wave.

Highlights: After Duck Twacy's own piggy bank has been stolen, he forgets his identity and decides to call Duck Twacy, hence starting a dialogue with himself. When Duck Twacy first encounters all the villains glaring downward at him, listen to his voice as he reacts in horror and names each character. After all the gangsters lunge toward Duck Twacy through a doorway, the hapless duck's body parts actually SEPARATE (as only Bob Clampett would permit such a wild sight gag) and wriggle & squirm around all the gangsters' bodies to form Duck Twacy in once piece again.

"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" is one of the best Daffy Duck cartoons, period. Anyone who loves the "daffy" directorial style of Bob Clampett is going to highly admire this film. In addition, if you are a fan of composer/orchestrator Carl Stalling, then listen very closely to the music score for this cartoon, as you will most likely be able to pick out certain melodies that you recognize, even if you don't know the actual titles of all the songs.