Duck Dodgers: Dark Side of the Duck, Season One

As a bonus feature, this set contains Chuck Jones' classic 1953 animated short “Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century,” which might have been a mistake, since this one seven-minute short outshines any of the 13 episodes comprising the 2003 first season of this Cartoon Network series. The Jones touch (not to mention the virtuoso voice artistry of Mel Blanc) is sorely missing, and while each episode boasts some loony moments, the series itself never really blasts off. Daffy Duck is the incompetent and egotistical space captain Duck Dodgers, unfrozen after three centuries, and unleashed upon the 24½ century. Porky Pig reprises his role as an eager young cadet (more cowardly here than in the original cartoon), while Marvin Martian is on hand as Dodgers' archenemy. Notable episodes include “Detained Duck” (in which Dodgers discovers he is the twin of a super-villain), “The Green Loontern,” and the satirical “Hooray for Hollywood Planet.” In classic Warner Bros. cartoon tradition, the series is meant to appeal to both children and adults, trotting out the usual pop culture references and star impersonations that also—unfortunately—tend to date the material. An optional purchase. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)