Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.
As a kid, I love watching animations, movies, series or both? They’re both fun, entertaining and for process done by drawings, computers or models, they’re not stranger as a work of arts for entertainment. On one side, I love Disney, they’re part of my childhood that I love watching movies from VHS tapes and DVDs, but then on the other side, there’s Warner Bros’s Looney Tunes, whenever I watching on TV or even VHS, I always want to see Looney Tunes with craziness featuring all of classic characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and many more. In case for the latter I’ve covered two Space Jam movies, the first one is a classic, despite it wasn’t received well, while the sequel is the equivalent of wanting to reunite your father, who’s completely broken down mess with heavy drink compared from squeaky cleaned appearance from good’ol days. That’s the sequel in the nutshell. However for over decades, Disney is dominating for releasing their fully animated theatrical films, except for Looney Tunes, they’ve never done making ANY theatrically animated film for nearly a century, which is not hard to why it took many years what we have in today’s review.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is a 2024-2025 post-apocalyptic sci-fi animated movie that was written/directed by Pete Browngardt and co-written by Darrick Bachman, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan and Eddie Trigueros.
The idea of this movie came during the development of then-upcoming “Looney Tunes Cartoons” on HBO Max, where the developer Pete Browngardt was asked to make a Looney Tunes movie on the big screen, not just another hybrid movie, but a FULLY Animated movie on the big screen that, again, WB had never done a cinematic Looney Tunes movie compared what Disney did many years ago. In their concept its gonna be a parody of classic alien invasion movies like “Invasion of the Body Snatcher” (which they actually parodied it with Bug Bunny) and “The Day The Earth Stood Still” (hence the reference from the title), featuring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. The development wouldn’t be until 2021 that they’ll hopefully this will be a big deal for a movie based on Looney Tunes.
Normally, WB would treating LT like a big deal that kids and adults enjoy this series either from DVD/Blu-Ray or even on streaming platform like MAX (though only in US), but alas, when we have the new current boss David Zaslav stepped in, he completely destroyed EVERYTHING whenever he touches at various animation and kids contents (including Looney Tunes) such as downgrading departments for kids like shutting down Cartoon Network website, taking down Sesame Streets’s deal and worst of all, canceling any projects for “tax write-off”, including a supposed promising hybrid film called “Coyote vs ACME”. Which we can all agree that “Tax Write-Off” thing is a complete Bullcrap! Yet, despite the stupidity what Zaslav and his executive did, we’re still hoping for the Looney Tunes’ first theatrical film to be released worldwide after the premier a year prior.
So, with all that said, will Porky and Daffy will save the earth to bring LT back to glory, or this film makes planet Earth blew up like bubble gum?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
For a looney takes on classic sci-fi movies featuring everyone’s favorite unlikely duo, its actually pretty nice for not just focus on comedy, but the heart as well.
The movie begins, like any sci-fi films, a scientist witnessed an asteroid flying by, but only quickly switch to an unusual UFO crashing down to Earth (along with ripped a roof from the house, more on that later), upon checking the crash site, while he’s quite surprised to see an UFO, right before he gets vanished from being startled. Meanwhile, we introduce to our hero, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, who’re adopted by Farmer Jim to taking good care of them, even if its different for adoption from Porky being straight, careful and helpful pig, while Daffy is about as insanely loony as we’ve seen. Once Jim is moving away to pass his house to them, it wasn’t as easier said and done from messy rooms, not-so perfect repair and worst of all, they have a lack of money, when they tried to get a job, it didn’t worked out from Daffy’s antic, because at the same time, they need to repair the roof in order to pay up for house inspection, it wouldn’t be until Porky meets Petunia Pig, a scientist employee of “Goodie Gum” factory to finding a perfect flavor for selling gums, impressed about her business with gum factory, Porky and Daffy were hired for their first shift. However, while Porky goes for conversation with Petunia, Daffy has seeing a scientist who’s possessed with a briefcase contains a green goo, which happens to be the same substance from damaged roof, and he starts pouring in the factory to contaminating gums in the supply, leaving Daffy going full on panic about the gums turning people into mindless zombies with alien gums. Its up to Porky, Daffy and Petunia to not only saving people in the city, but the entire world from evil Alien Invader.
When it comes to the story, while il give a credit for making something out of parody of classic sci-fi movies from the 50s, I like the idea of a food product like gums that turning people in alien zombies that Porky and Daffy are gotta dealing with to save the world, its much like “The Invasion of the Body Snatch”, whereas the aliens came from plant-like seed from different planet that resembling human upon hatching known as “Pod People”, but here, its an alien contaminated gums that turns people into mindless zombies. Il give credit for trying something similar, but slightly new, but the downside is that the story came off as but simplistic and feels just like any alien invasion while possessing or disguising as humans, leaving the story, while good for the concept, but felt flat to the ground like ACME products gone wrong. I think the main focus of this movie, is the bond between Porky and Daffy, whereas in cartoons are more like frenemies during the golden age, here, we do get to see the relation between of two where Porky just wants to be careful and be nice and normal, whereas Daffy is a constant troublemaker for his screwball and chaotic persona, even if he wants to helping out pretty badly, but in a not-so easy result what Porky wants. Its more Porky just wants to stick together without causing a mess like a respectful brotherhoods figure since their childhood days with Farmer Jim. While the movie has a nice heart-to-heart moments, but the biggest reason why we like to see it, its the comedy. Keep in mind, this is the movie based on Looney Tunes, which is not hard to see why comedy is the main focus, and I gotta say, it goes to the mix of old school and modern cartoon comedies, which I gotta say, they’re pretty good in LT’s fashion. Sure, there are some are not as perfect from what it used to, but I did enjoy some that it feels like its all coming back to me since I used to watching Looney Tunes or Merry Melodies, they gave smile and giving me a chuckle worthy. Its not as greater nor fresh, but again, il give a credit what they try to giving us some fun humors in LT’s fashion, some worked pretty good and fun, but some others, not so much.
The story is more of a weaker appetizer for being, while good concept, but not in a good execution, even if for one in a half hour long film, but it does have some good humors and nice extra ingredient to have heart moments.
The Animation
The movie’s budget is surprisingly cheap as $15M, its much as low than Novocaine, but Holy Smoke, the animation of this movie looks pretty damn good for bringing animation back to the old route, mainly the return of 2D animated film on the big screen, sure we do have some like Bob’s Burger movie three years ago, but im talking about the return of old fashion 2D animated film from Looney Tunes in modernization.
For starter, the animation is done by Warner Bros Animation (of course), while its no stranger that its based on “Looney Tunes’ Cartoons” (2020 – 2024), mainly both the show and the movie are based on Golden Age design of the early 40s, specifically when Porky and Daffy were both designed by Bob Clampett, which is exactly what Pete Browngardt picked when worked on LTC. Even though im much more of a fan of late 40s to 50s design when some cartoons were done by Chuck Jones and some others, but hey, that’s his pick of the style of the character design in modernization, while maintaining the old school style at the same time, which is pretty nice what they’ve working on.
Of course, when comes for the animation process, they went all in from wacky cartoon fashion when there’s a chaotic humorous moments in typical Looney Tunes, which again, some are pretty good and laugh, while some, not. Again, its mainly the energetic comedic moments involving Daffy Duck that they went all in for this. Of course, it wasn’t just the focus of Daffy for wacky animation, but the same can be said with The Invader, that they can also make a zany exaggeration reaction, which again, il give a credit for what they did for not just the animation, but the design of Invader that its an exaggeration version of typical alien design. Aside Invader, what about the design of the alien gums that they possessing people? Well, like I said before, il give a credit for unique and creative design as a Looney version of “Invasion of the Body Snatcher”, whether be people turning mindless zombies from alien gums that The Invader takes control or other times the alien gum can go shapeshifting into monstrous, giving the latter not just creative, but also creepy what it feels like when the alien gums are covering the body instead of possessing while being chewed.
Of course, it wasn’t just focus of comedic and wacky animation, but it also gives us other times to going on thrilling action or even calm down to give a romance and heart-t-heart moments. The action scenes are pretty cool to watch where Porky, Daffy and Petunia that they have to fight against mindless zombies in attempt to spit out and burn alien gums to death, which again, its a nice and creative idea to fight those alien gums back, especially they also gives a small suspension how those alien gums are menacing looking whenever they’re in control by those alien gums. As for non-comedy moments, the animation and the quality are actually pretty good for the textures and even a smooth animation ranging from Daffy and Porky’s origin to even a chemistry between Porky and Petunia. Even though (in Quick Fact) this movie was supposed to be a movie exclusive on Max, but decided to put it on the big screen, which I guess I can see why they wanna go ALL IN to bringing fully animated Looney Tunes on the big screen.
As for the rest, the backgrounds are actually pretty nice that its done in painting background and nicely shade quality from the background, the human designs are ranging from sorta based on realistic people to LT’s human design, which they’re both standard and also faithful. Though if I have a nitpick for the animation is the additional of CG, granted, some CG can look fine, but they can be a bit unfitting for the world of 2D animation, but I get they wanna limiting the animation with a small addition of CG, think of CG in this movie as an appetizer.
While there’s an itty bitty flaw, but the animation in this movie is surprisingly well done for being both creative, fun and faithful from old school style with modern twist.
The Characters
Even though it doesn’t have everyone favorite rabbit, but the movie does have some fascinating characters. Most of them.
Lets start off everyone’s favorite pair, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Eric Bauza), since the Golden Age, these two are memorable for their misadventures for their different personalities, whether be Porky being a straight pig to watch over without any dangers, while Daffy is “The Looney One” for causing a chaotic fashion. It may sounds like nothing new what we have in the movie, BUT, as I said before, its pretty nice to have a chemistry between of two, not because of their crazy adventure to save the earth, but also because be respectful and caring to stick together like brotherhoods since their youths, especially for keeping the Jim’s legacy clean for their home after Jim passed them. Which it works pretty good to give themselves, not just bring us back to the good’ol days of their journey, but also having a heart-to-heart together, which makes their updated developments done pretty good. But of course, il give a huge credit for Eric Bauza, while he did the best job for voicing as Daffy, but its quite surprising he also voiced Porky, sure its not like Bob Bergen, but at least Eric tried and I think he did a nice work of voicing Porky, though its not the first time he voiced everyone’s favorite straight pig.
Next up, is Petunia Pig (voiced by Candi Milo), who’s not only Porky’s love interest, but also a scientist who’s desperate to make a perfect flavor for gums, while she maybe an oddball love interest, but she’s surprisingly pretty good and well written, whether being struggled to finding perfect flavor, but also cute to see her chemistry with Porky. I gotta say, its pretty nice to bring this lost character back to light to give her chance to shine, kinda like Lola Bunny, along with Candi did a fun work of her role.
And finally, there’s The Invader (voiced by Peter MacNicol), the main antagonist in the movie where he controlled his human scientist to contaminating gums with green goo to taking control mindless people for his will. I find him to be a fairly descent villain in the movie, rather than a typical alien who comes down to killing people, here, he’s using contaminated gums to controlling people into mindless zombies as slaves for his threat, but he can also be a ticking time bomb when something isn’t going on his way. Though the issue I have is the plot twist where he reveals his reason, I won’t giving you a SPOILER details, but I find the twist is rather weak in my opinion, but still I find him pretty good and funny whenever he exploded, kudos for Peter for his performance.
As for the rest in this movie, there’s not much else to say, either being for small plot or just for humors, there’s The Scientist (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) who’s discovered a UFO before becoming Invador’s mindless partner, Farmer Jim (also voiced by Fred Tatasciore) who’s the still painted father figure who likes to give the advice to stick together in brotherhoods back in their childhood, and Mrs. Grecht (voiced by Laraine Newman) who’s the house inspector who gives Daffy and Porky two days limit to fix the room for warning deportation.
Despite the movie has a very minimal of characters, either for plot or laugh, but I find some of them are pretty nice and even fun, especially for the main ones for being likable and well written.
And now for my final opinion of this film
Overall, The Day The Earth Blew Up is surprisingly a very good film based on Looney Tunes, especially its been many decades we never had a Looney Tunes’ theatrical film in fully animated, despite WB is currently neglectful.
The writing is very good for heart-to-heart and jokes, the jokes are funny as what you expect for LT, some nicely done characters and the animation is so damn good for being another 2D animated film on the big screen.
While I appreciated this movie, but its nowhere perfect with flaws like some small jokes didn’t mesh well, the minimal of CG is iffy and the story, while a pretty good concept, but execution wise, it felt like its been done before like a parody. But yes, I do blame WB for the lack of marketing that, again, they’re pretty much screwing over their prop it’ll concerning me for another flop.
Despite the movie has flaws, its still a great and funny, not perfect, but definitely recommend to watch it both the fans of Looney Tunes and non-fans. Again, its all came back to me when I remember watching Loony Tunes or Merry Melodies that they’re fun to watch. With this movie, its worth to check it out.
For my rating, im gonna give this one an 8/10.
So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.
