"Duck Dragnet in the 24th ½ Century!"
In the future, the world has spread over the universe and everyone travels in spaceships in a technology filled world. However one thing hasn't changed - crime still exists and we still need law enforcement officers to stop it; that's where Sgt Joe Monday and his partner Detective Shmoe Tuesday come in. When a bank is robbed, the two are dispatched to solve the crime.
When writing a cartoon it is often a spoof that is used as the basis - be it Robin Hood, films of the period, genres etc; however this must rank as one of the most unlikely combination of spoofs I have seen in ages! This cartoon takes Dragnet and sets it in the future of Duck Dodgers (even using some of the animation and backgrounds from that cartoon). Despite this weird combination, it works pretty well - mainly the deadpan delivery of the Dragnet spoof though. The juxtaposition of the two genres is very smart and each makes the other seem even more fanciful. Some good running gags help cover the material that isn't quite as smart.
Daffy and Porky are not really the characters I love in this cartoon but they are great in their roles. Having seen this I wondered if there were other shorts where they played the Dragnet characters because here they are very funny with it. Supporting cops and criminals are basic American Irish stereotypes of the day and do what they are there to do. The ending is amusing and is unintentionally a pretty accurate prediction of the PC state of the law these days!
Overall this cartoon has elements that aren't funny and don't really work; and if you were being cynical then it is probably a bit lazy just to steal backgrounds from the Duck Dodgers cartoon but the spoofing of Dragnet in a futuristic situation creates quite a few gags. Very enjoyable but now I want to see Daffy & Porky in a Dragnet spoof set in the 50's without the sci-fi twist.
When writing a cartoon it is often a spoof that is used as the basis - be it Robin Hood, films of the period, genres etc; however this must rank as one of the most unlikely combination of spoofs I have seen in ages! This cartoon takes Dragnet and sets it in the future of Duck Dodgers (even using some of the animation and backgrounds from that cartoon). Despite this weird combination, it works pretty well - mainly the deadpan delivery of the Dragnet spoof though. The juxtaposition of the two genres is very smart and each makes the other seem even more fanciful. Some good running gags help cover the material that isn't quite as smart.
Daffy and Porky are not really the characters I love in this cartoon but they are great in their roles. Having seen this I wondered if there were other shorts where they played the Dragnet characters because here they are very funny with it. Supporting cops and criminals are basic American Irish stereotypes of the day and do what they are there to do. The ending is amusing and is unintentionally a pretty accurate prediction of the PC state of the law these days!
Overall this cartoon has elements that aren't funny and don't really work; and if you were being cynical then it is probably a bit lazy just to steal backgrounds from the Duck Dodgers cartoon but the spoofing of Dragnet in a futuristic situation creates quite a few gags. Very enjoyable but now I want to see Daffy & Porky in a Dragnet spoof set in the 50's without the sci-fi twist.
- bob the moo
- Mar 25, 2004