La chasse au canard

Funny Porky & Daffy short, directed by Robert McKimson. The plot has Porky and his dog out duck hunting, which leads to Daffy deciding to screw around with them. There seems to be some debate about whether or not Porky's dog here is actually supposed to be Barnyard Dog from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. They look very similar but this dog doesn't sound like Barnyard at all or have his personality. Whether it's Barnyard or not, the dog's a fun character. Love his "angel & devil" bit. Really the whole show belongs to Daffy here. He's at an 11 on a 10 scale the whole time, being as wacky and kooky as possible. The animation is fluid with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. Love the Technicolor. Carl Stalling's music is very nice. Mel Blanc's voice work is flawless (as usual). It's a good cartoon but, as other reviewers have noted, the first half is much better than the second. Fans of Daffy should love it.

Starting out as a variation on Daffy Duck's debut cartoon, 'Porky's Duck Hunt', Robert McKimson's 'Daffy Duck Hunt' quickly develops into something quite different. McKimson's Barnyard Dog character from the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons plays the role of Porky's hunting dog who tricks Daffy into surrendering on the understanding that he'll let him go when they get home. This plot development is almost immediate, meaning the majority of the cartoon is unexpectedly set in Porky's kitchen. A late example of the crazy version of Daffy at work, 'Daffy Duck Hunt' is one of McKimson's greatest cartoons. Daffy is on top form, making up for his early duping with some inspired zaniness which invariably lands the dog in trouble with his master. McKimson overcomes the possibility of a cartoon set in a kitchen becoming dull by virtue of some extremely lively animation to compliment Warren Foster's brilliant script. All in all, 'Daffy Duck Hunt' is a thoroughly unexpected classic full of brilliant moments and an especially energetic Daffy performance.

Daffy Duck Hunt (1949)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Porky Pig goes hunting and ends up bringing Daffy Duck back with him. However, Porky's dog decides he has his own plans for the duck, which includes accidentally letting him out of the freezer. This is a decent short from the Merrie Melodies gang but it's certainly no classic. This is certainly fairly entertaining but when you've got Daffy and Porky together I expect a lot more. The best sequence in the film happens towards the start when the dog and Daffy come up with an agreement to make the dog look good. When the action heads back to Porky's house things get a little weak but this is still worth watching at least once.

I really enjoyed Daffy Duck Hunt, even if it is a little uneven at times. The first four minutes are absolutely hilarious, with razor-sharp dialogue and hysterical visual gags. The last half or so is still entertaining, but one or jokes aren't as well timed and come off as predictable. The animation is absolutely excellent, as is the music. Plus Mel Blanc's characterisations as Daffy, Porky and Barnyard Dog are simply brilliant! Daffy himself is still his outrageous and manic self, and man isn't he hysterical here? The end line and the part with the can can especially had me in stitches. Porky once again isn't given as much to do, but he is solid, and Barnyard Dog is a worthy foil here. Overall, hugely enjoyable, uneven at times, but it is still very funny and Daffy is stellar. 9/10 Bethany Cox

...I thought it would be too much of a remake of "Porky's Duck Hunt", which is what this episode is partly based on. P'sDH was Daffy's debut and I was afraid that this episode would just redo it as "Dough for the Do-do" did. Luckily - the plot turned dramatically and most of the episode was hardly like P'sDH at all! :-)

In this episode, we first see Porky and his dog out hunting ducks. Daffy, of course, comes along and ruins Porky's chances without him realizing it by taking out the gunpowder in his cartridges. Despite this, Porky's dog manages to catch Daffy and he is taken to Porky's house, where his two new enemies plan to eat him...

I thought some of the jokes here were pretty good - in addition to a good plot line. There were a few repeated jokes became very boring for me, but the end is one of the best I have yet seen in Looney Tunes. The animation was good as well. It may be a shock for certain people to see Porky with a darker heart, but I can tell you, he is like this in many previous episodes and it does make him a stronger character.

I recommend this to people who like Daffy, Porky being mean and faithful cartoon dogs. Enjoy "Daffy Duck Hunt"! :-)