Chuck Jones's 'Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur' was the sixth Daffy Duck cartoon and the first time Jones worked with the character. While he would eventually put his own stamp on the duck and direct many of the quintessential Daffy cartoons (including the incomparable 'Duck Amuck'), 'Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur' is something of a false start. At this early stage, Daffy was a purely wacky character whose manic energy had captivated audiences in frenzied cartoons directed by Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. In these early short, Daffy tears up the screen with his manic antics. 'Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur' is the first time a director significantly slowed the duck down. Personality-wise, the very early Daffy relied almost entirely on his frenetic insanity and by stripping him of this, Jones makes him a rather dull character. It is also noticeable that, despite his star billing, Daffy is relegated to a supporting player. The dinosaur that shares top billing is also given very little to do. For the most part, the spotlight is thrown upon a Jack Benny caricature caveman whose lax vocal rhythms set the tone of the cartoon. Back when Benny was a huge star, this character would no doubt have brought the house down but he barely raises a smile today, especially for a British viewer like myself. 'Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur' closes with an amusing punch line but the build-up is excruciatingly slow and uneventful. Reviewing the plot once the short is over reveals that practically nothing happens in 'Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur' and the weak, unenergetic gags do nothing to make up for this fact.