THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE (2024)
Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are Earth's only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion.
After Warner Bros. shelved the highly anticipated Coyote vs. Acme live action/animated hybrid comedy pitting Wile E. Coyote alongside John Cena and Will Forte, it seemed like the company had no hope in Looney Tunes as a viable franchise that people would want to see. This makes the theatrical distribution of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, the first full-length, fully-animated, theatrical Looney Tunes movie inspired by low-budget 1950s sci-fi B-movies, feel like a minor miracle.
Directed by Pete Browngardt, The Day the Earth Blew Up features two of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza), in a feature film about alien invasions, foreclosures, gum obsessions, love at first sight, and destructive mayhem. Left on the farm of Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore), Daffy and Porky grow up as siblings and best friends, eventually inheriting the farmhouse from him. After an alien spaceship crashes on Earth, leaving a giant hole in their roof, Daffy and Porky must earn enough money to hire a roofer before the bank takes their home from them. This forces them to land a job at the Goodie Gum factory, where Porky falls in love with scientist Petunia Pig (Candi Milo) and Daffy unwillingly uncovers an alien’s (Peter MacNicol) plot to take over the entire planet through gum mind control.
The original Looney Tunes shorts were able to capture our attention and make us laugh for eight minutes, with memorable characters in zany situations. They seemed to transcend the barriers of time, with these characters becoming household names. Mel Blanc—one of, if not the greatest voice artists of all time–lent his larynx to these characters, somehow making each so unique. Much credit is deserved to Eric Bauza for voicing these decades-old characters, breathing life into them while honouring the incredible work of Blanc. While most modern animated films tend to cast A-list actors in financial ploys to draw in larger audiences, The Day the Earth Blew Up is the greatest testament to hiring true vocal talent. Bauza is phenomenal as Daffy and Porky, perfecting their idiosyncrasies and mannerisms. There are so many great callbacks to some of the more iconic lines of these characters. Daffy looking into the camera and in a trembling voice whispers “mother” would make any Looney Tunes fan happy to see. The film would not work at all without Bauza’s talent.
The rest of the cast are standouts too. Petunia Pig (also voiced by Mel Blanc for a time during the early days of Looney Tunes), draws from Candi Milo’s acting to match Porky Pig’s energy and give more depth to the film’s main side character. Peter MacNicol is fantastic as the enigmatic alien mastermind while Fred Tatasciore, in addition to playing Farmer Jim, is the scientist who first discovers the intruder, becoming his initial victim. Voicing these characters takes more skill in a feature-length film than a short, where emotional depth is needed to get us to care.
This is the second biggest strength in The Day the Earth Blew Up: crafting an emotionally mature film. The filmmakers could have chosen anyone from the long catalogue of Merry Melodies characters, but we landed with Daffy and Porky. In Daffy’s more famous shorts, he was battling with Bugs Bunny, or even with an animator in Duck Amuck (1953). Daffy always was losing, getting seriously injured along the way. But, that’s what was cathartic for the audience, because Daffy was mean, aggressive, and after our most beloved character. In The Day the Earth Blew Up, Daffy’s rude persona makes way for a more kind-hearted and innocent, yet ignorant brother who seems to mess everything up, even if by accident. This greatly helps us connect with him as he’s alongside the more level-headed and responsible Porky Pig. Despite how many times they refer to Daffy as “looney,” he’s still someone we care about. This character dynamic is well-written, even if the rest of the screenplay falters.
When the opening credits roll and the title card shows six writers, I was shocked by the amount of people involved in the making of this film, just for the next title card to reveal five more writers. I don’t know how 11 people got involved in the writing of this film, but the final product does show the weakness of having too many writers. At times, the film feels disjointed, like we’re jumping back and forth before ending scenes fully. The movie also has too many montage sequences taking away from the action. Some of the film’s modern day jokes also feel out of place, as if the Looney Tunes should exist in a place out of time. Yet, some of the moments of the original shorts are very dated culturally, so a joke about TikTok thirst traps isn’t going to be poorly remembered in the same way. The film’s plot isn’t revolutionary, but, as a whole, the movie could have used a little more focus and smoothing out around the edges to make each scene work together with others. However, its wit and great animation make up for the story’s missteps.
The Day the Earth Blew Up features incredible animation and art style. With art direction by Nick Cross, the entire team has created a dynamic 2D visual style. Even when the film dives into other styles for laughs, it maintains a unique comedic tone in its art that works. While Daffy and Porky maintain their same style, Farmer Jim has a static, almost paper-like quality of another age that is hilarious and really works for underscoring this otherworldly figure that brought our characters together, and we thank Farmer Jim for that.
Despite a disjointed script, The Day the Earth Blew Up is a fun family flick. For kids, there’s enough laughs and an earnest message on trust, brotherhood, and playing to our strengths. For adults, there’s enough more high-brow humour, like when Daffy suggests underground fighting as a viable source of income. Early on in The Day the Earth Blew Up, there’s a sequence where Daffy and Porky attempt a number of common jobs like plumbing and ride share. It starts with a title card, like the original shorts, and concludes with the iconic “That’s All Folks.” Such a funny scene with energetic 2D animation is the crux of what makes The Day the Earth Blew Up a unique achievement. Its ability to engage audiences of all ages with timeless characters who made their debut on the big screen feels so integral to the film industry. Where else can we hear Porky Pig’s iconic stutter (in this film brought on by a concussion as a baby) and Daffy yanking a wooden mallet out of nowhere to wreak havoc? So much of animation’s growth and visual humour comes from the Looney Tunes and it’s incredible to see it back in a feature film.
USA • CANADA • UK| 2024 | 91 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH
Cast & Crew
director: Peter Browngardt.
writers: Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan & Eddie Trigueros.
voices: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman & Wayne Knight.
