Daffy's Rhapsody
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Tony Cervone
| Daffy's Rhapsody | |
|---|---|
Poster for Daffy's Rhapsody. | |
| Directed by | Matthew O'Callaghan |
| Written by | Tom Sheppard |
| Story by | Matthew O'Callaghan[1] |
| Produced by | Spike Brandt Tony Cervone |
| Starring | Mel Blanc (archival recordings) Billy West |
| Music by | Christopher Lennertz (adaptation score) Billy May, Warren Foster and Michael Maltese (song) |
| Color process | Deluxe |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 4 minutes |
Daffy's Rhapsody is a 2012 animated Looney Tunes short film featuring the characters Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Tom Sheppard,[2] the film is an adaptation of the song of the same name which was sung by Mel Blanc and recorded in the 1950s by Capitol Records.[3] Daffy's Rhapsody was first shown in theaters before Warner Bros.' feature-length film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.[4] Unlike the previous Looney Tunes 3-D shorts, Daffy's Rhapsody was not immediately released on home media. In 2016, the official Warner Bros. Animation uploaded the short to Google but eventually removed it, leaving unofficial uploads of the short being available.[5][6] It took until 2021 for the short to be officially available to purchase on iTunes as part of Stars of Space Jam: Looney Tunes Collection.[7][8]
Elmer Fudd goes to see an anti-duck hunting musical named "Requiem for a Hunt: The Musical", starring Daffy Duck to which upon seeing Daffy, his hunter instincts kick in and he chases Daffy. Meanwhile, Daffy, who is singing to the tune of Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, is initially unaware of Elmer but soon realizes the danger.
Voice cast
- Mel Blanc (archival recordings) as Daffy Duck
- Billy West as Elmer Fudd
Production
In the early 1990s, Greg Ford and Mark Kausler planned and pitched an adaptation of the novelty song "Daffy Duck's Rhapsody", sung by Mel Blanc and based on "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt.[9]
Years later, following the production of Coyote Falls, Fur of Flying and Rabid Rider, Warner Bros. president Sam Register entered writer and director Matthew O'Callaghan's office, where he shared a CD of novelty songs and stories recorded by Blanc. Register had plans of creating animated shorts based on the songs, combining the Looney Tunes characters with CGI animation. After listening to the songs and watching the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, O'Callaghan decided to make shorts based on "I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" and "Daffy Duck's Rhapsody".[10][11]
The short was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios[11][12][13] and completed in 2011,[14] animated by Douglas Bell,[15] Ernesto Bottger,[13] Rod Douglas,[16][13] Eric Drobile,[17] Avner Engel,[18] Bryan Engram,[19] Shaun Freeman, Troy Griffin, Tim Hatcher,[13] T. Daniel Hofstedt,[20] Joseph P. Johnston, Matt Kummer, Steve Lambe,[13] Stephen Orsini,[21] Chad Stewart,[13] Doris Wang,[22] and Trevor Young.[23]
Blanc's vocal track was separated from the original recording and remastered for the short,[12] with the score being adapted by Christopher Lennertz. Billy West was brought in to reprise his role as Elmer Fudd; West had an admiration for Blanc, having met him in the early 1980s.[12]
Release
Theatrical
This short was initially scheduled to be released in theaters before Happy Feet Two in 2011, but Warner Bros. decided that I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat was more suitable for a film starring penguins.[24]
Home media
On August 14, 2021, Warner Bros released the short digitally on iTunes and Microsoft Movies and TV on Stars of Space Jam: Looney Tunes Collection, making it the first official home video release of the short.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "Happy Feet Two". June 24, 2023. Indiewire Retrieved August 4, 2016
- ↑ McLean, Thomas J. (June 8, 2011). "New Looney Tunes short to feature original Mel Blanc songs". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ↑ Goldmark, Daniel; Taylor, Yuval, eds. (2002). The Cartoon Music Book. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1569764123.
- ↑ "Daffy's Rhapsody (2012)". movieweb. January 31, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ↑ Beck, Jerry (June 8, 2011). "Warner Bros. announces new "Looney Tunes" 3D theatrical shorts". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ↑ Beck, Jerry (February 12, 2012). ""Daffy's Rhapsody" talkback". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- 1 2 "Buy Stars of Space Jam: Looney Tunes Collection, Season 1". Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- 1 2 "Stars of Space Jam: Looney Tunes Collection". iTunes. 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ↑ Daffy's Rhapsody | A Looney Tunes Critic Commentary (w/ Greg Ford). YouTube. March 21, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
- ↑ Orange, B. Alan (November 15, 2011). "Matthew O'Callaghan Talks I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat [Exclusive]". MovieWeb. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- 1 2 Zahed, Ramin (November 18, 2011). "Something Worth Tweeting About!". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 24, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- 1 2 3 CGW staff (April 25, 2012). "Daffy In A New Dimension". Computer Graphics World. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Daffy's Rhapsody". Zerply. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ↑ MIP Markets (October 2, 2011). Keynote: Sam Register, Warner Bros. Animation | MIPJunior 2011. YouTube. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ↑ Reel FX Animation (2023). "Douglas Bell on Daffy's Rhapsody". LinkedIn. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Learn from Ray Chase: The Book of Life Animator from Reel FX Animation Studios", Animation Mentor, July 18, 2014.
- ↑ Drobile, Eric (March 12, 2023). Looney Tunes CG Short - Daffy's Rhapsody. YouTube. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ↑ Engel, Avner (December 26, 2011). Avner Engel - Demo Reel 2012. Vimeo. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Bryan Engram". Brazen Animation. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Animation Portfolio". T. Dan Hofstedt. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ↑ "Resume". Stephen Orsini. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Doris Wang - Lead / Senior Lighting Artist". LinkedIn. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Trevor Young - Director | Feature Animator". LinkedIn. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
- ↑ B. Vary, Adam (November 14, 2011). "Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat do battle in new Looney Tunes short -- EXCLUSIVE CLIP". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
External links
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
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