Film Review: The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Film
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Director: Peter Browngard
Warner Bros Animation
In Theaters: 03.14.25
As much as I hate to start off writing anything by talking about “my generation” because it makes me feel and sound old, my generation was one of the last that grew up with the original Looney Tunes cartoons as part of our essential cultural lexicon. As such, it may seem foolishly optimistic to believe that The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie will find an audience in theaters for kids. But maybe they aren’t the target audience.
The Day The Earth Blew Up follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza, Space Jam: A New Legacy), who have been inseparable since childhood, raised as brothers by their towering, benevolent guardian, Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore, Trollhunters, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew). When Jim passes on, they inherit his home, which has since become run-down in the middle of an ever-growing suburban neighborhood with a strict HOA. Struggling to keep their home, the duo takes jobs at the Goodie Gum factory, where they meet eccentric flavor scientist Petunia Pig (Candi Milo, Casper’s Scare School, Rumble). Meanwhile, a mysterious asteroid crashes nearby, revealing an alien spacecraft. Its pilot, a cackling invader (Peter MacNicol, Dragonslayer, GhostBusters II), unleashes a mind-controlling goo that contaminates the factory’s latest gum. As the town succumbs to the alien influence, Daffy, Porky, and Petunia must stop the invasion—if they can manage to stay on the same page.
The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was originally made for Max, and was almost lost to us when DC supervillain David Zaslav took over Warner Bros, until it was saved by Ketchup Entertainment and given a theatrical release. The chance to see it in theaters is truly a gift, not only to those who grew up on the characters but also for fans of the painstaking precision of 2D hand-drawn animation. While kids are likely to enjoy it once they watch it, it may not have as strong a hook to draw them there as a new Minions movie would, but it has plenty of laughs for the parents, and even grown-up animation fans will enjoy going to see it on their own and basking in the nostalgia of it all. This particular take on Daffy focuses more on his, well, daffy behavior and tendency to mess everything up than the ego and temper that tend to come out most when he’s tangling with Bugs Bunny, and because it is still hoping to play to young audiences, it’s the right choice. The dynamic between Porky and Daffy as the loyal brothers, with Porky as the elder and wiser brother who often gets exasperated but also looks out for Daffy, mixes laughs with sweetness and just the right ratio. The romance between Porky and Petunia is an absolute delight, with Petunia played as a strong and capable woman, but with plenty of ability to make mistakes and provide her own share of comedy. The sequence where Porky and Daffy first meet her features some surprisingly blatant double entendres from Daffy that work because they are played with hilariously clueless innocence. MacNichol shines as the voice of the Invader, relishing the opportunity to go as over the top as he’s ever been.
The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is everything you could reasonably want it to be: a great mix of wistful throwback and just enough modern sensibilities to strike a perfect balance. The bottom line is that if the name Looney Tunes caught your attention, you’re going to be happy with this movie. If it didn’t pique your interest at all, then it’s not aimed at you, though there’s still a good chance that it could win you over if you’re willing to give it a go. The movie earns a strong recommendation from me, and I’m rooting for big big box office rewards. Th-th-th-that’s all, folks! —Patrick Gibbs
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