Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988) [Warner Archive Blu-ray review]

Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters is a fond memory for me, while the other Looney Tunes compilation movies aren’t for some reason. I think it’s because my mom took me to see the one that arrived before Quackbusters and dubbed these kinds of movies a rip-off. Fine for HBO, but not fine for first-run theater prices. Talking to many now-adults of that era, the sentiment was shared. Some just had parents who didn’t give a damn and just wanted them out of the house. But given that there was only one non-mall theater near us at the time, options were limited.

Understand the history of Quackbusters

By 1988, Looney Tunes had seen many of its legendary talents retire or pass away, and the tradition of theatrical shorts had long since wound down. With a string of compilation features in prior years—like The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981) or Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island (1983)—Warner Bros. had found a way to recycle classic shorts in a “feature” format that introduced these old cartoons to new audiences. Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters effectively became the last major Looney Tunes compilation film, carrying the torch for an era about to evolve.

What’s it all about?

Quackbusters sets up a breezy premise: Daffy Duck (the perennial con-artist) inherits a fortune from a dying millionaire—J.P. Cubish, ironically one of his comedic “clients” from earlier shorts. But the inheritance comes with a moral catch: Daffy must use the money for public good. Despite wanting to hoard the cash for himself, Daffy is spooked into compliance by Cubish’s persistent ghost. Seizing on the 80s Ghostbusters mania, Daffy decides to open a paranormal elimination service, recruiting Bugs Bunny as a reluctant partner, Porky Pig as an inept sidekick, and other Looney cohorts as employees or clientele. The film’s title announces it all: we’re in for a half-horror, half-lunacy spree with Daffy as “Paranormalist at Large.”

How has it aged?

Though it references Ghostbusters and 80s culture, the bedrock comedic style is pure Looney Tunes—slapstick pun-ishment, rapid-fire puns, and an endearing irreverence that can subvert or parody anything. The comedic set pieces from the older shorts remain comedic powerhouses: Daffy’s meltdown in The Prize Pest, Sylvester’s paranoid fiasco in haunted hotels, or Bugs’s breezy outsmarting of a vampire never lose their comedic potency. The new sequences hold up well too, highlighting the Duck’s unstoppable ego in a new comedic context. If you love vintage cartoons, Quackbusters remains a surefire delight.

Will my kids like it?

Yes, as an anthology feature, Quackbusters can feel disjointed, shifting from old short to new short without a perfectly seamless story arc. But that’s part of the charm—like a mini Halloween special stuffed with decades of comedic gold. The new bridging segments do enough to create a semblance of narrative flow, never claiming to be fully cohesive. The comedic mania more than compensates for any leaps in continuity. For kids (and the kid in many of us), that sugar-rush pacing offers unstoppable laughs.

Let’s talk about that Quackbusters Warner Archive Blu-ray

What about those special features? Quackbusters comes with a variety of cartoons to watch after finishing your main feature of…cartoons. Plus, you get well that’s about it. It’s not like I was expecting a Quackbusters commentary or anything. However, it’s just amazing to see a film like this cleaned up so well for the Blu-ray era.

The new Warner Archive Blu-ray apparently uses a 4K scan of the original 35mm interpositive or best elements available, presenting the film in 1080p. The result is that both the old shorts (some dating back to the 1940s/50s) and the 1988 bridging animation look more vibrant and sharper than any prior home video edition. The differences in line thickness or color style between old and new are more apparent in HD, but so is the consistency of color correction. The restoration team took care to unify the color palette across decades, ensuring no jarring transitions. Each old short reveals extra detail in the backgrounds, brush lines, and that beautiful 2D hand-drawn aesthetic.

The disc also boasts a newly remastered DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. This might be the definitive way to experience all those comedic sound effects (like Daffy’s frantic “Hoo-hoo!” or a ghost’s moan). Carl Stalling’s and Milt Franklyn’s orchestrations from the classic era come through with new depth, while any 1980s additions to the soundtrack hold up in clarity. The entire comedic tapestry—foot stomps, ACME gadget blasts, Daffy’s spittle-lisp—remains in crisp definition. For fans used to fuzzy VHS audio, it’s a joyous upgrade.

Today, with the Warner Archive Blu-ray’s stellar restoration, the film’s bold colors, mesmerizing linework, and frenetic comedic angles pop more than ever, accompanied by robust audio that grants each comedic effect a crisp ring. The bonus features—commentaries, behind-the-scenes glimpses, plus possibly some newly discovered bits—enrich the experience, painting a fuller portrait of how the film straddled old and new to remain thoroughly, well… “Looney.”

Buy Quackbusters on Warner Archive Blu-ray at MovieZyng and other outlets!