Aqua Duck

Aqua Duck
Aqua Duck
Directed by	Robert McKimson
Story by	John Dunn
Produced by	David H. DePatie
Starring	Mel Blanc
Music by	Bill Lava
Animation by	Ted Bonnicksen; Warren Batchelder; George Grandpre'; Keith Darling
Layouts by	Robert Gribbroek
Backgrounds by	Robert Gribbroek
Color process	Technicolor
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	September 28, 1963 (US);
Running time	6 min.
Language	English

Aqua Duck is a 1963 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by John Dunn.^[1] The short was released on September 28, 1963, and stars Daffy Duck.^[2]

Plot

Daffy is wandering across a Dalí-style desert. Under the broiling sun, he is suffering from hyperthermia and dehydration. He seeks water, but finds a gold nugget instead. A pack rat wants to give him water in exchange for the gold, but Daffy refuses to trade.

The desert heat and his thirst take a toll on Daffy's sanity, as he begins imagining that he is in a bar, in a hotel, playing baseball, waiting for the bus, and dancing with a cactus. Finally, Daffy becomes so severely dehydrated that he turns to dust and agrees to surrender the gold after the rat restores him with a drop of water.

As he takes a glass of water, a storm swamps him in a flood. For the closing line, he says, "One thing's for sure, when I buy water, I sure get my money's worth!"

Voice cast

Mel Blanc as Daffy Duck

Reception

Leonard Maltin, writing in Of Mice and Magic, considered this film a low point among Daffy Duck cartoons.^[3] Charles Gardner found John Dunn's story creditable but was disappointed with the animation, direction and voice characterization.^[4] The Daffy on Video page gives Aqua Duck one star out of four, finding its execution "cheap and lazy."^[5]

References

^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 344. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ Leonard Maltin, Of Mice and Magic (1987), p. 275.
^ "Unpredictable as Weather (Part 31) |". Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
^ http://www.dohtem.com/bugs/daffy/1960s.htm#aquaduck Archived 2024-12-14 at the Wayback Machine Daffy on Video - The 1960s and Beyond

Preceded by Million Hare	Daffy Duck Cartoons 1963	Succeeded by The Iceman Ducketh

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[Beck-1] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 344. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[2] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

[3] Leonard Maltin, Of Mice and Magic (1987), p. 275.

[4] "Unpredictable as Weather (Part 31) |". Archived from the original on 2024-08-07. Retrieved 2024-12-22.

[5] ttp://www.dohtem.com/bugs/daffy/1960s.htm#aquaduck Archived 2024-12-14 at the Wayback Machine Daffy on Video - The 1960s and Beyond

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