Duck Amuck (1953)

Why you should

all know the name

Chuck Jones.

  

The great Tony Zhou created an excellent video essay on Chuck Jones which I recommend you watch as soon as you finish reading this, but I suppose I should tell you who the guy is first. Chuck Jones was an American animator who basically wrote the book on animated visual comedy. After effectively creating the Looney Toons, he went on to continue topping himself in one of the most remarkable careers in animation history. Although I am yet to revisit What's Opera Doc? which many consider his crowing achievement in comedic storytelling, however for now I feel comfortable in calling Duck Amuck a fairly spectacular achievement in it's own right.

This film is both an excellent example of the comedic style that Jones gave birth to, as well as an intelligent deconstruction of the basic principles of animation. In this short we see Daffy Duck battle against the cartoons animator himself, so the audience is literally watching Jones screwing around with his own creation. Not only is this premise hilarious due to the unexpected nature of it (the short begins as a simple Muskateer themed cartoon), but also because it follows the well established structure of a Daffy Duck cartoon; he is pitted against a more intelligent or powerful opponent and the comedy comes from the constantly increasing anger and frustration of the arrogant character.

This mixing of the expected and unexpected is what makes this short so amazing. We expect to see a silly cartoon in which Daffy is comically abused due to his own flaws and vices, which this short delivers on generously, however we do not expect the omniscience of the director/animator to directly influence the narrative, we especially do not expect this fourth wall breaking to be the driving force of the entire film.The short is also especially funny to those with an interest in filmmaking, as it mixes in some fairly intelligent references to the technical side of cinema and particularly animation.

I cannot describe how Jones is able to make me like Daffy so much, and yet like laughing at his expense so much as the same time. Seeing him desperately attempt to get the narrative that never happens to start is funny in more ways than I can possibly list. The fact that the entire universe that he exists within is being controlled by this entirely uncooperative force is the height of what any Daffy cartoon, and I doubt any other short featuring him can match the conflict seen here.

If you watched Loony Toons as a kid like I did, then I highly recommend revisiting some of Jones' work. I grantee that they exceed your expectations.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review