| Robin Hood Daffy | |
|---|---|
 Lobby Card | |
| Directed by | Chuck Jones |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 6:37 |
| Language | English |
Robin Hood Daffy is a 1958Warner Bros.Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed byChuck Jones and written byMichael Maltese.[1] The short was released on March 8, 1958, and starsDaffy Duck asRobin Hood andPorky Pig asFriar Tuck.[2]
It was the last of Jones'parody cartoons with the duo, and the last appearance of Porky in a theatrical cartoon directed by Jones duringthe Golden Age of Animation. It was also the second parody of Robin Hood directed by Chuck Jones, after the 1949Bugs Bunny shortRabbit Hood. An edited version ofRobin Hood Daffy was included in the theatrical filmThe Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979).
Daffy Duck assumes the guise of Robin Hood, commencing with a whimsical display of musical prowess on along-necked lute akin to atambouras. However, his jovial demeanor is swiftly disrupted as he careens down a hillside and into a river, drawing the bemused attention of Porky Pig, cast as Friar Tuck.
Undeterred by his mishap, Daffy endeavors to showcase his prowess with a "buck-and-a-quarterquarterstaff", only to inadvertently inflict injury upon himself, perpetuating a recurring visual motif of his bill getting bent. Despite his earnest attempts, Daffy's efforts are met with ridicule from Porky, who remains skeptical of his claims to be Robin Hood.
In a bid to validate his identity, Daffy undertakes a series of inept endeavors to rob a wealthy traveler, each endeavor resulting in further humiliation and physical harm. From misfired arrows to calamitous attempts at swinging on ropes, Daffy's exploits only serve to reinforce Porky's doubts regarding his purported identity as Robin Hood.
Ultimately conceding defeat, Daffy relinquishes his ambitions of thievery and adopts the persona of "Friar Duck," symbolized by atonsured head and religioushabit.
Linda Simensky writes, "Robin Hood Daffy is a visual delight abounding with physical gags, bold colors — bright green against a yellow sky — and layouts and backgrounds that complement a leotard-wearing duck swinging through the trees on a rope. Daffy gets some classic moments, including a lute song and some arrow gags, but by the end he is fairly unsuccessful as a Robin Hood and gives it all up. As Daffy himself notes, 'Ha ha. It is to laugh.'"[3]
Robin Hood Daffy, along withRabbit Hood, is available as an extra on theDVD (and later theBlu-ray) edition ofThe Adventures of Robin Hood. The short is also available on theLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 andEssential Daffy Duck DVD sets, as well as theLooney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 Blu-ray set.
