The Return of Batduck is the sixth episode of the third season of Tiny Toon Adventures, and the 84th episode overall. It was written by Peter Hastings and directed by Rich Arons. It is the season premiere of the Plucky-centric Tiny Toon spinoff, The Plucky Duck Show.
Plot
The episode begins with Plucky Duck in a tuxedo and an Elvis-style hairdo, excited as ever that he finally has his own television show. as he tries to perform his opening number, he keeps getting bumped into by a duck showgirl. Plucky yells, "Cut!" and yells angrily at the duck showgirl who keeps bumping into him. The duck showgirl unzips herself, revealing herself as a costumed Hamton. Backstage, Buster and Babs are jealous of Plucky having his own show, although they deny it to him. As the three are talking about Plucky's new show, Buster mentions that it will probably work out better than the new Batman movie, Batman Returns. When Plucky hears about Batman Returns, Buster tells him that Tim Burton is directing it, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the titular hero. As Buster and Babs mention how mature Plucky is about rather having his own show than being in a movie, Plucky throws a tantrum that causes him to regress into a toddler, as he thinks he would be perfect as the role of Batman in a Batman movie. as Plucky reverts back to his normal age, he finishes his tantrum by destroying the set of his show. Buster and Babs head back home and decide to watch the action on TV.
On his way to the Warner Bros. studio, Plucky hires Hamton to play his agent, Hammy Lazar, to get into the the studio. Plucky tells Hamton to keep practicing his line, "Love you, Babe, let's do lunch", which Hamton has trouble perfecting, as "Let's do lunch is improper grammar." As Plucky and Hamton arrive at the studio, Plucky asks the taxi driver, the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, to pick them up later. The Terminator tells them, "I'll be back", and Plucky gives him a Tiny Toon Adventures refrigerator magnet, which clings to his robotic exterior. The Terminator then tosses Plucky and Hamton out the window, where they land near the WB studio.
At the front gate, Robin Hood, played by Kevin Costner, sneaks past Ralph by firing an arrow at his hat. Hamton, trying to remember his line, manages to get past Ralph with no trouble at all. Plucky follows Hamton, but Ralph catches him in a lasso, and pulls him back to ask him where he's going. Plucky tells him that he is Plucky Duck, and that he is with Hammy Lazar. Ralph plays with the tied-up Plucky like a yo-yo, as Plucky unsuccessfully attempts to tell him he's here to see Tim Burton. Ralph then tosses Plucky into outer space, where he lands on the end of a Hubble Space Telescope.
Plucky returns, this time, dressed as Edward Hedge-clipper Hands, an old friend of Mr. Burton. Ralph is about to eject Plucky out of the gate, but Plucky decides to settle their dispute with a little wager. They play a quick game of Rock, paper, scissors, and if Plucky wins, he gets to go inside the studio, but if Ralph wins, Plucky calmly walks away. Ralph wins the game by dropping a giant rock on Plucky, and Plucky decides to calmly walk away. Shortly after Plucky walks away, a package is delivered to the gate. Ralph reads the note on the package that says, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice", and Plucky, dressed as Beetlejuice, emerges from the package. Ralph then transforms into a giant with a carousel for a hat and hammers for arms, and whacks Plucky with his arms, sending him to the bell of a ring-the-bell carnival game. Plucky lands on Hamton, who has finally perfected his line. Hamton tells Plucky that he has made it onto the lot, much to Plucky's relief. Plucky then rushes his way to Tim Burton's office, only for Hamton to point out it is a scary-looking house.
In the second act, Plucky decides to sneak in to Tim Burton's office through the sewer. Plucky shows Hamton a map from the sewer, leading to Tim Burton's office. Hamton asks Plucky where he got the map, and Plucky points to a guy who is selling $5.00 sewer maps. Plucky opens the manhole cover and climbs his way down into the sewer. Hamton is reluctant to join him because he is afraid of rats, but Plucky assures him that there are no rats, or even alligators in the sewer. As Plucky climbs down, three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pass by him. Plucky, who is not amused, asks the viewers how many of them saw that joke coming, and many of the viewers raise their hands in approval. Plucky then comes across a fork in the pipeline. As he is trying to read the map for the path that will lead to Tim Burton's office, he is interrupted by Tinkerbell, played by Julia Roberts, who is buzzing around him. He smacks her with his map, and she slams into a wall, saying, "That's what I get for taking small parts.", and then falling to the floor. Plucky sees a light just above a river of sewage. He wonders where the light above him leads to, and a giant ladle scoops him up along with some of the sewage. A cook pulls him up, revealing them to be in the Warner Bros. Commisary. Oprah Winfrey requests the Chili Special for her lunch, and Plucky is put into her bowl. As she tries to eat him, he escapes, and tells her, "You don't want to eat me, you don't know where I've been!"
Plucky tries another exit, where Danny DeVito, dressed as The Penguin, is arguing with Dustin Hoffman, dressed as Captain Hook, over who is shorter. Plucky ducks back down, not wanting to get involved.
Plucky then makes his way into a narrow path, where it is now too dark to read the map. Hamton is worried about how dark and scary the path is, and while Plucky chastises him for begin scared, Plucky starts to feel scared himself, as he is claustrophobic. He starts to regret giving up his own show if he is going to end up dying in a sewer. The Terminator then grabs them and pulls them out, telling them, "I told you I'd be back." To Plucky's relief, he is directly outside of Tim Burton's office. Plucky and Hamton watch from the window outside, Tim Burton rejecting Dracula, as the part of Batman is already taken. Dracula transforms into a bat and flies out the window. Plucky goes inside Tim Burton's office to announce to the agents that he is here to see Tim Burton. The agents scream and run away, as Plucky is now ready to talk to Tim Burton. When he tries to talk to Tim Burton, Tim tries to escape by going out the bathroom window. Plucky urges Tim to stop and sits him down in a chair, showing him as Batduck. Tim tells Plucky that the part of Batman is already taken, and Plucky urges Tim to at least give him a screen test. He then takes Tim to a studio, where they are filming Here's Your Life!. Plucky then shows Tim his very first character, Mr. Squiggly, a sketch he drew in 1963, when he was five years old. Plucky then continues to blackmail Tim by showing him and the studio audience his drawings from years past, until Tim agrees to give him a screen test. Tim reluctantly decides to meet Plucky tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. for his screen test. Plucky is as excited as ever that he finally got an appointment for his screen test, but Ralph finds him and boots him out of Tim's office. Plucky then tells Ralph about his appointment tomorrow, and Ralph reluctantly agrees to let him come back tomorrow for the screen test. Plucky and Hamton, who are now flat and wobbling, decide to return to the Duck Cave to prepare for tomorrow's screen test.
In the third act, Plucky and Hamton go to the Tiny Toons Props and Costumes storage building, to pick up their old Batduck costumes and props. Plucky tries to find the Duck Cave, so he first looks behind a door with the Batman logo on it. He turns on the light, only to find a janitor's closet. He then looks behind a door that says BATROOM on it, but when he turns on the lights, it is a Batman-themed bathroom. Dick Clark and Ed McMayhem, who are on the show, Practical Pranks and Goof-ups, tell the viewers to wait and see what happens to Plucky when he opens the next door, then they each get hit by a falling anvil. Plucky, having finally found the Duck Cave, claims to have known where everything is, then falls off a platform, as he forgot where the stairs were. Plucky then unveils the Duckarang and the Duck Launcher, and finds Hamton dressed as his sidekick, Decoy the Pig Hostage. Plucky then unveils his Batduck costume and Hamton operates a machine to dress Plucky in it. Unfortunately, he overinflates the costume, causing it to float up toward the ceiling and pop when it hits the stalactites.
The next day, Plucky returns to the Warner Bros. Studio lot in the Batduckmoblie. He tells Hamton to find a safe spot to park the Batduckmobile, and Hamton crashes into a wall with a STAGE 9 sign on it, compacting the Batduckmobile into a convenient cube, parked next to a blue sedan and a delivery truck.
Plucky is now ready for his screen test, which Tim Burton is directing. Tim tells Plucky to say his line, and make a big dramatic exit. In Take 1, Plucky says his line, "I don't want to do this, I have to! I'm Batman!" and fires the Duck Launcher into an open window. he then swings down and lands on the pavement. Plucky asks Tim how the take went, and Tim tells him the next take needs to be darker and more serious. In Take 2, Plucky says his line again and fires the Duck Launcher into the open window again, where the plunger latches onto a safe. Plucky then swings down and crashes into the building. In Take 3, Plucky now reluctantly says his line, and fires the Duck Launcher, where this time, the plunger latches onto a gargoyle. Plucky then swings down, this time, missing the building. He tries to swing over, but the gargoyle collapses and bounces off the canopy, launching Plucky into the air. He then pulls out the Duckarang, the Duction Cups, the Duck Sticker, the Duck Hook, the Duck Tape, and the Duck Anchor, each latching onto a separate building. Plucky is now tied up in between the six buildings, which collapse on top of him. Then, the gargoyle falls down and hits the now unconscious Plucky on the head. Tim Burton comes to see Plucky, who, having regained consciousness, begs him not to have him do the screen test again. He is about to quit, but Tim tells him he got the part, and that he is issuing to fire the other guy. Plucky is now as excited as ever to be playing the part of Batman in Batman Returns.
The next day, Plucky calls for an Acme Moving Company Van to back up near his house. The van has trouble crossing the wooden bridge above the river leading to the house and teeters dangerously over it. Buster and Babs, who are watching the show, decide to talk to Plucky. As they arrive at Plucky's house, Plucky tells them he is going to move out of Acme Acres to pursue his new career as Batman in Batman Returns. The moving van destroys the bridge, which launches Plucky's house on top of Plucky, also destroying the house in the process. Plucky ignores his now-destroyed house and takes a single suitcase with him to the studio. He says good-bye to Buster and Babs, and boards a limo, which will take him to the studio. Buster and Babs burrow into the ground and decide to see Plucky in action.
On the set of Batman Returns, Plucky wonders if Catwoman is in the Movie. To his surprise, she is, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Plucky is attracted to her beauty and kisses her leg. Michelle tells her, "Get lost, Duck!" and scrapes his beak in half with her claws. Plucky says, "She likes me!" before his beak splits in half. The director then tells Plucky, "Batman to the set!", and Plucky, having regained his beak, blows a kiss to Michelle before he leaves. Michelle then splits the heart from the kiss into many pieces with her claws. A servant then brings a box of kitty litter to Tim Burton, revealing Sean Young inside, desperate to play the part of Catwoman. Tim calls for Elmyra Duff, who is excited to have Sean as her new pet "kitty". Buter and Babs arrive at the studio, where Plucky is looking for the Director. He bumps into Michael Keaton, playing the part of Batman. Plucky angrily tells Michael that he's playing the part of Batman. Tim Burton then introduces Michael to Plucky, and tells him he is going to be the stunt Batman. Plucky, shocked to find out he is the stunt Batman, freaks out as the director is ready to shoot one of the scenes of the movie.
In the scene, Michael Keaton as Batman punches several villains and tells the rest to give him their best shot. Just as the villains surrounding him are about to, the director cuts the scene and brings in Plucky as the stunt Batman. He then resumes the scene, and the villains beat up Plucky. Various scenes are shown of Plucky as the stunt Batman, such as being chased by a train, narrowly avoiding falling oversized dangerous weapons, being kicked out of an airplane, being chased by a lion, and being beaten up by a sumo wrestler. Tim then cuts the scenes and tells Plucky, "That's a wrap for the stunt duck!" Buster, Babs, and Hamton come to see him, and Hamton asks if he's okay. Plucky is far from okay, and regrets ever having given up his TV show to be the stunt Batman in Batman Returns. Buster then tells Plucky, "This is your show!" and Plucky asks Buster how much time is left till' his show's over. Buster tells him, "about 10 seconds," and Plucky rushes back to do his closing number. He is ready to start the closing number, and the Batman logo above him falls down and crushes him. Plucky unconsciously says, "In a gada da vida, baby!" as the show irises out.
Cast
| Voice Actors: | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Joe Alaskey | Plucky Duck, Announcer, Ed Norton, Danny DeVito |
| Don Messick | Hamton J. Pig, Assistant Director |
| John Kassir | Buster Bunny |
| Tress MacNeille | Babs Bunny, Sean Young, Julia Roberts, Additional Voices |
| Frank Welker | Ralph the Guard, Dustin Hoffman, Count Dracula, Mr. Squiggly |
| Jeff Bennett | Kevin Costner, Michael Keaton |
| Maurice LaMarche | Tim Burton, Dick Clark, Ed McMayhem, The Terminator |
| Cree Summer | Elmyra Duff, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Pfeiffer |
Quotes
- The Plucky Duck Show Theme Song:
- Singers: You're lucky, it's Plucky!
- Plucky: I'm absolutely ducky!
- Singers: Other shows seem yucky
- Now that Plucky's on the air!
- Plucky: I'm wacky, I'm quacky...
- Singers: He's an egomaniacy,
- Hamton plays the lackey of this duck extraordinaire!
- Who knows the way to close his endless babbling beak?
- Drop an anvil down upon his feathery physique.
- Toast him, roast him!
- The show will still be most him,
- Singers and Plucky: It's The Plucky Duck Show
- And it's on each week!
- Singers: His antics are frantic,
- At times, he gets romantic.
- Plucky: My talent's so gigantic,
- It'll burst from your TV!
- Singers: The writers are hackers,
- The artists all went crackers,
- The actors are yakkers,
- Plucky: But don't complain, it's free.
- Singers: Plucky goes to Acme Loo to learn to be a star.
- There're other toonsters at the school...
- Plucky: But who cares who they are?
- Singers: So enjoy, don't be coy,
- And don't fall for a decoy.
- It' s The Plucky Duck Show, come and laugh along!
- Plucky: I also wrote this song!
- Plucky: "We're going into the sewers!"
- Hamton: "Why not? That's where most shows go during ratings sweeps month."
Allusions
- Throughout the episode, Plucky tries to get a part in the 1992 Tim Burton film, Batman Returns, starring Michael Keaton as Batman, Danny DeVito as The Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator appears as a taxi driver in this episode. Also, when Plucky and Hamton get kicked out of The Terminator's cab, they form into metal liquid and reform back to their regular selves, referencing Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
- Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook and Julia Roberts as Tinker Bell, from the 1991 Spielberg film, Hook, make cameo appearances in this episode.
- Plucky imitates Edward Hedge-clipper Hands, a parody of Edward Scissorhands from the 1990 Tim Burton movie of the same name, to try to get past Ralph.
- Plucky also imitates Beetlejuice from the 1988 Tim Burton movie of the same name to try to get past Ralph.
- Catwoman's costume resembles the outfit that Julie Newmarr wore from the first two seasons of the 1966 campy Batman TV show.
Trivia
- This episode aired as a prime-time special on September 19, 1992, to tie-in with the Tim Burton movie Batman Returns.
- When Plucky says "Don't eat me, you don't know where I've been!" after being spit out, his mouth doesn't match his words.
- Dr. Gene Splicer (from Hare Raising Night) and Mr. Hitcher (From How I Spent My Vacation) make cameo appearances as two of the villains in the scene where the villains are about to attack Batman when he asks them to give him their best shot.
- The scene where Danny DeVito, dressed as The Penguin argues with Dustin Hoffman, dressed as Captain Hook is based on a true story. Dustin Hoffman, who played Captain Hook in the 1991 Speilberg film, Hook, was Warner Bros.' first consideration for The Penguin in Batman Returns. Other names considered to play The Penguin who were eventually thrown out included Marlon Brando, John Candy, Bob Hoskins, and Christopher Lloyd.
- Sean Young begging to be Catwoman in Batman Returns but being rejected by Tim Burton is based on a true story. Young was initially cast as Vicki Vale in the original Batman movie from 1989, but was forced to withdraw when she injured her wrist while horseback-riding in preparation for a scene which was written out of the script, and the role went to Kim Basinger. Young then subsequently set her sights on the role of Catwoman for Batman Returns, and in a now fabled incident, Young arrived at the Warner Bros. studio in a homemade Catwoman costume to confront Tim Burton and Michael Keaton. She used other people scouting the studio grounds, using walkie-talkies to communicate, to track down the producers after pregnancy forced Burton's original choice, Annette Bening, to bow out, and Michelle Pfeiffer was hired. Young then appeared in her Catwoman costume to denounce Burton on The Joan Rivers Show.
- When this episode aired as a regular TTA episode in syndication, bits and pieces of the episode were cut in order to fit in the Tiny Toons opening credits.
Transcript
- To read the transcript for this episode, click here.
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