It cannot be said that the world lacks representations of Dickens' Christmas story, occasionally even with some variations, as in this case. Indeed, "Bah Humduck" is more reminiscent of the 1980s film parody "Scrooged" with Bill Murray than the 19th century book.
Daffy is a decent choice for Ebenezer Scrooge and the modern setting has been given adequate time to showcase a good number of the underused Looney characters and to show some regret as well. Unfortunately however, with the three ghosts we went at great speed, and although with the Looneys there are no claims of excessive seriousness, this still damages Daffy's repentance.
With the ghost of Christmas past, which allowed greater freedom, a single memory is decidedly ridiculous. As for the ghost of Christmas Present, as well as for Bob Marley, the choice of character is perplexing. That scoundrel Yosemite Sam can't call anyone a miser and it's ironic to think that in a 1979 special the role fell to him. An exchange of roles with Sylvester (or at least Elmer) would have made more sense. Choice made perhaps to stay close to the villosity of the cheerful original character.
Another sour note is Bugs. Even if he admonishes Daffy he's not a paragon of Christmas soul, he's just himself, and while he's not necessarily bad, remains a useless presence in this halfhearted parody.
Adding twenty minutes of running time might have made all the difference, however it cannot be said that they used the available time to the fullest. It's not a bad product, technically it does its duty without flashes or disasters, but it is without passion. A missed opportunity, because after all the sympathy of the Looneys is always there and Porky and his sweet daughter are quite fitting for the role, even without the tiny Tim's poor health.
My impression is that there have been some changes during the making. In any case, the older Disney special, with half the time available, is definitely better... and not just that.
Daffy is a decent choice for Ebenezer Scrooge and the modern setting has been given adequate time to showcase a good number of the underused Looney characters and to show some regret as well. Unfortunately however, with the three ghosts we went at great speed, and although with the Looneys there are no claims of excessive seriousness, this still damages Daffy's repentance.
With the ghost of Christmas past, which allowed greater freedom, a single memory is decidedly ridiculous. As for the ghost of Christmas Present, as well as for Bob Marley, the choice of character is perplexing. That scoundrel Yosemite Sam can't call anyone a miser and it's ironic to think that in a 1979 special the role fell to him. An exchange of roles with Sylvester (or at least Elmer) would have made more sense. Choice made perhaps to stay close to the villosity of the cheerful original character.
Another sour note is Bugs. Even if he admonishes Daffy he's not a paragon of Christmas soul, he's just himself, and while he's not necessarily bad, remains a useless presence in this halfhearted parody.
Adding twenty minutes of running time might have made all the difference, however it cannot be said that they used the available time to the fullest. It's not a bad product, technically it does its duty without flashes or disasters, but it is without passion. A missed opportunity, because after all the sympathy of the Looneys is always there and Porky and his sweet daughter are quite fitting for the role, even without the tiny Tim's poor health.
My impression is that there have been some changes during the making. In any case, the older Disney special, with half the time available, is definitely better... and not just that.