Over 90 years. More than 1,000 shorts. Dozens of TV shows. Two Space Jams. One Brendan Fraser vehicle.
The Looney Tunes brand has taken on many forms throughout its nearly century-long history. Despite a lackluster performance in the last decade, few characters hold more space in the collective consciousness than some of the hallmarks of the “Merrie Melodies” crew. Who among us can point to the day we were introduced to Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck? I feel as if I’ve somehow known them since birth.
Yet this week miraculously marks a new first in the world of Looney Tunes. Despite being a cornerstone of cartoons and comedy since nearly the beginning of animated film, the Looney Tunes gang never managed to appear in a theatrical animated feature.
That is, until now.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Film” brings Daffy Duck and Porky Pig to the forefront in a hand-drawn, 2D-animated adventure. Directed by Pete Browngardt, the film drops the “Merrie Melodies” mainstays into a science fiction flick as they become the planet’s last hope in the face of an alien invasion.
The animated movie takes clear inspiration from 50s B-movies, utilizing Daffy and Porky as actors in a sci-fi horror story. As the two characters — in this movie, brothers — take up a job at a local chewing gum factory to pay for renovations to their family home, they begin to uncover a vast conspiracy connecting their place of work to an alien invasion. With the help of Petunia Pig, Daffy and Porky must use their wits (well, Porky’s wits) to fight the invaders off and possibly save the world.
As a film, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” is slight. Riffing on a number of sci-fi classics — most transparently, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” — the adventure makes little room for surprise, instead relying on beloved characters to carry a trope-filled romp. As dual protagonists, Daffy and Porky are strong choices. But while the film is a fun, breezy film for families, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” never fully shakes a “made for streaming” feeling that looms over it.
Though it releases in theaters tomorrow, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” had a complicated path to becoming the Looney Tunes’ first theatrical animated feature. Warner Bros. originally announced the film as a part of the animation initiative “ACME Night,” stating it would air as part of a Sunday night family programming slot on Cartoon Network before heading to Max (then, HBO Max).
Eventually, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” joined the hit series “Batman: Caped Crusader” on a list of cartoon projects abandoned by Max and shopped out to other companies. The independent company Ketchup Entertainment picked up the movie’s distribution rights in North America.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” joins fellow Looney Tunes projects amid a surprising lack of faith in the brand from its parent company, WB. In late 2023, Warner Bros. announced plans to cancel the live-action/animated hybrid film “Coyote vs. Acme.” Despite Warner executives in charge of the decision having not seen the film, they opted to permanently shelve the completed product for tax write-offs — a fate similar to the cancelled “Batgirl” movie. Like “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” WB moved to shop out a fully animated Looney Tunes musical, “Bye Bye Bunny,” rather than move forward with releasing it on their service. In every case, the studio moves away from throwing its weight behind one of its most celebrated and historic properties.
Watching “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” it’s hard to imagine why Warner Bros. no longer seems to want this brand. Even when operating below their peak capacity, 90 minutes with the Looney Tunes often flies by quicker than 90 minutes without them.
The movie carries the breakneck pace and zany humor deserving of a Looney Tunes outing. Rarely do two lines go by without one of them accompanying some sort of punchline or sight gag. Not all jokes land with the same weight — I can’t say I put “Daffy Duck twerking” on my Looney Tunes wishlist — but “The Day the Earth Blew Up” plays a numbers game. The movie goes to bat every few seconds for 90 minutes, and while it strikes out on a few occasions, it also hits its share of singles, doubles, triples and home runs.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” wisely focuses on only a handful of Looney Tunes characters to tell its tale, leaving the rest for another adventure. Aside from the trio of Daffy, Porky and Petunia, all the major players are original creations. This allows for fun character designs, with the central villain and one of his monstrous gum-based invaders looking appropriately silly and scary.
The movie zeroes in on the central relationship between Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, one often explored for gags across the Looney Tunes canon. They’re a regular odd couple: one a pig lacking confidence, the other a duck without self control. Porky routinely stutters through his syllables, while Daffy charges ahead through a pronounced, almost defiant lisp. These two characters are perfectly calibrated for each other, and while “The Day the Earth Blew Up” doesn’t tread any new ground in their relationship, it smartly chooses them as a duo able to hold their own for 90 minutes.
Yet there are times when “The Day the Earth Blew Up” feels tedious. The sci-fi story at its center, though fun in moments, never fully engages. There’s a degree of meanness and cruelty present in many Looney Tunes adventures that doesn’t materialize here — aside from a few choice jokes, this movie is much more sentimental that it is anarchic. It never fully rises above its obvious made-for-TV origins, despite its eventual theatrical release.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” is far from the best Looney Tunes outing — it lacks the edge and originality that make their best shorts stand the test of time. Still, I celebrate a breezy, slickly animated romp attempting to bring these beloved characters back to the forefront. There’s a real love for the Looney Tunes present in the DNA of “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” and it makes for a plenty enjoyable watch — I just hope it’s not the only Looney Tunes feature coming our way.