Superior Duck (1996) User Reviews

nice installment

[jmak_2002 · 6/10 · 29 August 2009]

This cartoon short starring Daffy Duck is rather good. I saw it for the first time yesterday. It's one of the bonus features on the new DVD release of "Daffy Duck's Quackbusters". I liked the cartoon and it's satire on the Superman style, right down to the mangled announcing purposely did for comical intent. By mangled announcing I mean playing with the trademark lines in the Superman opening's of "faster than a speeding bullet..." and at one point "pullet" is said instead of "bullet" which brings out Foghorn Leghorn.

I felt the voice acting was good...I've never really been too fond of Frank Gorshin's take on Foghorn Leghorn but his Daffy impression was right on. Bob Bergen on hand as Porky is a plus. The cartoon being a little less than 5 minutes, give or take a minute, though, made for a rushed delivery. It's almost like the people involved wanted to get the cartoon finished and screened and perhaps thought with a short cartoon there's not much time for restlessness with theater goers. After-all, modern-day movie goers aren't familiar with the theatrical cartoon experience and might wonder what's going on when a cartoon pops up on the screen.

So, that's my theory why the later cartoons during the 1990's were super short by comparison to the classics from the '40s and '50s.

I give it 6 out of 10 stars...if you're not too familiar with these characters like I am, the distinct change in voice in Foghorn Leghorn will not stand-out perhaps. But, given that I'm a big fan of Looney Tunes, it doesn't stand up next to the classics but this doesn't mean this "Superior Duck" isn't any good. It still has Chuck Jones' imprint all over it.

"Better a duck dinner than nothing at all . . . "

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 9 January 2017]

. . . Wile E. Coyote's sign reads during SUPERIOR DUCK as he begins to chow down on Daffy. The Tazmanian Devil gets some licks in, too (which prompt him to become vegetarian). After being disintegrated by Marvin Martian, there's only enough Salt Water Daffy left to reconstitute him housefly size. Foghorn Leghorn had told Daffy that he'd be taken down to bullet stature, which apparently is tinier than the smallest speeding pullet. Speaking of wee, Tweety Bird calls Daffy the P-word here, which is pretty daring to place in front of the noun "duck," the latter term--of course--rhyming with the F-word. (Thick-headed viewers should try to repeat Tweety's sobriquet for Daffy out loud 10 times as fast as they can, and they'll hear the problem.) With Porky Pig, the Roadrunner, and even Superman himself making cameo appearances here, one half expects to hear from the Kitchen Sink. But that would be entering BEAUTY AND THE BEAST territory, and we all know that BEAUTY is strictly a Disney product.

Retread, worth seeing only for completists.

[newtype_1 · 4/10 · 2 August 2015]

I must be the only one who didn't like this. I saw this as part of Boomerang's Looney Tunes block and was excited at the prospect of a Chuck Jones I hadn't seen before. This very late cartoon from him though is full of painfully stale bits lifted from earlier cartoons.

The plot is purportedly about Daffy as a superhero, but it quickly derails into "Duck Amuck" territory. It feels like a sloppy effort here, with pretty much every other Looney Toon other than Bugs making a gratuitous cameo.

A never-before-seen Looney Tunes short is always something of a treat, but I was disappointed in this one. I still rate it a 4 out of 10 for even existing.

Rather uninspired later Looney Tunes cartoon

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 11 October 2015]

It is sad really, speaking as a huge Looney Tunes fan and seeing as the idea seemed good. To me, a good number of the later 80s-and-after Looney Tunes cartoons have been enjoyable, if not a patch on the classics, but Superior Duck is down there among the weakest.

What it does have that is noteworthy is the superman cameo at the end, which was a lot of fun and makes one wish that the rest of the cartoon was as inspired (a couple of the verbal mistakes were reasonably amusing). Apart from some character designs lacking in smoothness, the animation is bright and colourful with the colours being pleasantly vibrant and the backgrounds lively, detailed and fluid if not exactly imaginative. The voice acting is also decent, with Eric Goldberg having the lion's share and doing very well, Thurl Ravenscroft has a very distinguished narration voice and Jim Cummings is spot on as Taz.

There is one exception however and that is Frank Gorshin as Foghorn (he is pretty good as Daffy though), who sounds far too abrasive and harsh that the sharp wit of the character is completely lost. The dialogue here is not much to write home about, with serious need of more sharpness and wit. As aforementioned, a couple of the verbal mistakes early on were reasonably amusing but got increasingly predictable and rather groan-worthy, while the gags are somewhat pale and less-well-timed retreads of one from previous (and much better, we're talking classics like Duck Amuck) Looney Tunes cartoons. With the timing not as imaginative, the humour not as sharp and the notable (and much-missed) absence of Mel Blanc they just feel limp.

Story-wise, Superior Duck is rather messy. The pacing feels rushed, with a constant hasty feel to it as a result of the cartoon being far too short, and it was not very focused, instead feeling pointlessly random and never feeling sure what the real story is supposed to be. The music doesn't really fit, not as annoying or as discordant as a lot of Bill Lava's scores for the 60s Looney Tunes cartoons but it does overbear the cartoon stylistically and lacks energy. Even more disappointing is the treatment of the Looney Tunes characters, here they are saddled with cameos varying in length (most of the time far too brief) and with at least half of them they're pointless (something that few other 80s-and-after Looney Tunes did), the things (like their personalities) that makes them so famous and so great as characters just doesn't come through.

In summary, not a complete waste of time, but rather uninspired late effort. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Superior Daffy!

[Ryan N · 8/10 · 7 March 2002]

To begin with it saddens me that Chuck Jones died before he got to create more great cartoons. This is a funny cartoon that involves Daffy Duck in a recurring time for the cartoon. The tape is a compilation of many Daffy Duck hits such as: Stupor Salesman, Golden Yeggs, Naked Stork, Design for Leaving, and Show Biz Bugs, but this new cartoon entitled "Superior Duck" is just as good as all the old ones. It's a bit random, which makes it funny. Some funny recurring jokes within the cartoon are all the "saying mistakes", such as "Superior Duck able to leap tall locomotives..." "Superior Duck, faster than a speeding building..." More things that make this a great film is all the akwardness and use of the "Looney Tune" characters. They are somehow able to fit all the "Looney Tune" characters when they are telling the "Description" of Superior Duck. All in all this is a good movie that deserves to be watched by cartoon lovers young and old. I highly recommend it.

All the characters, but where's the story

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 7 February 2018]

"Superior Duck" is an American 6.5-minute cartoon from 1996, so this one is already over 20 years old, and it falls into the time when Warner Bros' Looney Toons had a bit of a revival. There is no Bugs in here, but at the center of the story is Daffy in superhero costume who basically can do nothing but fly though. As a consequence he gets beaten up by Foghorn Leghorn, is in danger to get eaten by Vile E. Coyote and also constantly argues with the narrator's comments on his not so super status as a superhero. This film is quantity over quality though. The characters are all there, but the material is just too weak. I am a fan of the aforementioned Foghorn Leghorn, but with the exception of his comment on old vs. new he was really disappointing. Taz is another character I like, but his presence alone is not enough either, even if it's maybe better than the Martian's or Tweety's turns. All in all this film directed and also written for once by the legendary Chuck Jones may not be a failure, but it is a disappointment mostly as it lacks the charm of the better old WB works. Bit of a pity, but I have to give this one a thumbs-down. Not recommended as this is never close to being as funny as I wanted it to be.

It's Pretty Flat

[MattRapuano · 4/10 · 25 October 2019]

There's not much substance in the writing, although it does manage to capture the old late 50s, early 60s Looney Tunes style well. After all, Chuck Jones did direct it. However, the short feels very phony, feeling the need for cameos and the reuse of old story pieces and gags. Even something for Looney Tunes, this cartoon doesn't make sense. If only all of the cameos were taken out and it was a sequel to Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century, it would've been better. In the end, it's a bit torturous to watch but will not leave much of an impact at all.

Terrible

[utgard14 · 2/10 · 28 September 2015]

Lame later effort from Chuck Jones that doesn't provide a single laugh. The "joke" is that Daffy is a superhero in some futuristic sci-fi city but he can't even get through his introduction without arguing with the narrator. It calls back to classic Daffy cartoons like Stupor Duck, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, and Duck Amuck. You'd be better served going back and watching those shorts instead of this dud. The music is loud and annoying as is often the case with later Looney Tunes cartoons. The animation is colorful but flat and unimpressive. Frank Gorshin does the voice of Daffy and Foghorn Leghorn (one of the many characters thrown in for no purpose other than Jones looking for a cheap nostalgia 'pop'). His Daffy is okay but his Foghorn is terrible. Tony the Tiger himself, Thurl Ravenscroft, is the narrator. It's a complete failure of a cartoon that has only one noteworthy bit: the Superman cameo at the end.

Excellent cartoon in the classical style.

[rapt0r_claw-1 · 8/10 · 30 June 2003]

This cartoon is fantastic. Featuring verbal jokes mainly, like the narrator's hysterical goofs. With cameo appearances from nearly every Looney Tunes character, even Wile E. Coyote! Porky returns as the ever-faithful Space Cadet, and Daffy seems to have dumped his old disintegration-proof vest. He doesn't have much luck with the new one either. It has two main focuses: one on a single character amid a forest of cameos and determinedly trying to succeed; the second on the unlucky and quite dim superhero. The animation is brilliant--Chuck Jones manages to create the same effect with all-new animators. With the theme of the fall-guy superhero desperately trying to make do in a cruel world, few beat the hilarious story of Superior Duck.