Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (also known as Looney Tunes: Bah Humduck) is a 2006 animated direct-to-DVD Christmas comedy film starring the Looney Tunes characters, directed by Charles Visser, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Toon City Animation.[1] The film is based on Charles Dickens' novella A Christmas Carol (1843). The special was released on DVD on November 14, 2006, and was then broadcast on Cartoon Network in December 2006.[2] The special was rereleased on DVD as part of the Looney Tunes Holiday Triple Feature on September 1, 2020.
Bugs Bunny emerges from his burrow, begins to clear snow and avows his affinity for winter festivities, thereby diverging from the traditional rabbit archetype associated with Easter. Concurrently, Daffy Duck, embodying an Ebenezer Scrooge-esque persona, narrowly avoids colliding with Bugs in his gas-guzzling SUV, emblematic of his role as proprietor of the expansive Lucky Duck Superstore. Consistent with his Scrooge-like disposition, Daffy's disdainful treatment of his employees underscores his contemptuous demeanor.
Despite admonishments from Bugs regarding his mistreatment of employees, Daffy remains obstinate, endeavoring to appropriate charitable funds collected by Priscilla Pig, Egghead Jr., Henery Hawk, and Barnyard Dawg Jr. Yet, Daffy's hubris is met with comical comeuppance, as he grapples with technical mishaps and incurs the ire of both employees and patrons alike.
Subsequent to coercing his employees into labor on Christmas Eve, Daffy adamantly expects their return at dawn on Christmas Day to cater to last-minute shoppers, callously disregarding their familial obligations.
That evening, there is a spectral appearance of Sylvester the Investor (reminiscent of Jacob Marley), who imparts dire warnings to Daffy, juxtaposing his own fate as punishment for greed with the prospect of redemption. Despite initial skepticism, Daffy is confronted by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, each compelling him to confront the consequences of his actions and fostering a gradual transformation from callousness to empathy.
Ultimately, Daffy's epiphany culminates in acts of contrition, including the promotion of Porky to store manager and granting his employees' requests for vacation time and familial reunions. His redemptive journey and thorough metamorphosis is symbolized by Priscilla's heartfelt gesture of familial affection, signaling Daffy's embrace of compassion and kinship.
Bugs Bunny - Himself, Narrator, also a Lucky Duck customer; serves as a Fred-type foil to Daffy.
Daffy Duck - Owner of Lucky Duck Superstore, he despises families and Christmas because he was continuously rejected by potential adopters, which basically explains his greed and love for money. He would stop despising families when he finally gets his wish to be a part of a family by allowing Priscilla to call him uncle. He is based on Ebenezer Scrooge.
Penelope Pussycat - Lucky Duck customer; as with her original role, she is also Pepé Le Pew's girlfriend.
Sylvester the Cat - Ghost of "Sylvester the Investor". Based on Jacob Marley, Sylvester was Daffy's business idol, whose fate was predetermined because of his own greed. He warns Daffy that the same fate would befall on him unless he changes his ways, while also saying that three Ghosts of Christmas will visit him. The scene also reveals that his death was caused by a disgruntled employee, as opposed to the novel in which Marley died of more natural causes (such as old age).
Taz - Ghost of Christmas Future who is the only one who actually got through to Daffy when he shows him the consequences of his greed: his untimely death.
Priscilla Pig - Kind and caring daughter of Porky; serves as a Tiny Tim-type foil to Daffy.
Playboy Penguin - Beggar who lives near Lucky Duck Superstore; towards the end, he becomes a Lucky Duck employee.
^Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 21. ISBN9781476672939.
^Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 262. ISBN978-0-8160-6600-1.
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