The Day the Earth Blew Up: The Theatrical Return of an Iconic Duo

Let the Shenanigans Begin! 

A pig and a duck walk into an alien spacecraft with the goal of saving the world from a threat. Why? To bring two classic characters back to the big screen, of course! The Day the Earth Blew Up is the latest movie based on the beloved cartoon series, Looney Tunes. 

However, something worth noting about this installment is the unexpected lack of promotion behind it. With such an iconic franchise returning to the big screen for the first time since 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, you might be wondering why, exactly, this movie was released so quietly. 

To make a long story short, this film was nearly canceled by the original studio, Warner Brothers (WB), before they sold the film to Ketchup Entertainment, a much smaller production company. In fact, the movie was released during a rough time for the classic characters, as WB removed all original Looney Tunes shorts from its streaming service, Max, at the same time this movie came out. Considering how these shorts are among the studio’s most recognizable and iconic work, it is incredibly disheartening to see them being treated in such a neglectful manner.

Thankfully, the tunes have not yet lost their appeal, as The Day the Earth Blew Up was met with highly positive reactions from critics and audiences ever since its premiere at the Annecy Film Festival in June 2024. Even now, as the movie is screened in thousands of theaters across the country, this acclaim has remained intact while maintaining a steady box office stream. 

Personally, I love the Looney Tunes brand, having grown up on the classic shorts and original movies, including 1996’s Space Jam. I fell in love with its slapstick comedy and lovable characters, to the point where I revisit these products frequently when I need a good laugh. When I discovered this movie would be playing in theaters, my eyes widened with excitement while my inner childhood self started cheering as loud as possible. 

Eagerly, I headed down to the nearby Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Mansfield faster than a coyote chasing a roadrunner and booked a ticket to the earliest showing I could. As the credits rolled, I was left with one question: did this movie satisfy my inner child, or was it as pleasant as a failed product from the ACME corporation?

Don’t Look Up

The Day the Earth Blew Up centers on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as they live a suburban life. One day, they discover an imminent threat from an unidentified flying object as the citizens of their town start turning into zombies. With nowhere to go and time running out, the two unlikely heroes must work together to save the planet before it meets an explosive demise.

Directed by Pete Browngardt, who served as the creative director of series reboot Looney Tunes Cartoons, the film features a talented voice cast including Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatisciore, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight among others. 

I am pleased to report that this movie is a worthy addition to the Looney Tunes franchise, and serves as a strong reminder as to why I fell in love with these characters in the first place. It maintains the zaniness the characters are known for while still finding ways to evolve their humor and writing. In turn, this makes for a film that can appeal to a broad audience, whether they are familiar with Looney Tunes or just discovering them. 

The story is engaging throughout, simultaneously presenting high stakes and big laughs to keep the viewer’s eyes glued to the screen. It establishes the threat of an alien attacking Earth quite well, providing a solid conflict to the plot which makes way for plenty of creative ideas and sequences as our heroes fight back. In fact, this movie almost reminded me of horror stories like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The War of the Worlds, not just for the extraterrestrial foes, but also the stakes it establishes and effects the antagonists leave on Daffy and Porky’s town.

Make no mistake, though: even with the overarching threat, this is still a Looney Tunes movie, after all. The film does not take itself too seriously as it devotes its runtime to the classic slapstick comedy the characters are known for. Resulting from this is a wide range of goofy antics and over-the-top moments which led to hysterical punchlines. 

Honestly, this is the hardest I’ve laughed at a movie in a long time because of the sheer variety of jokes in several different environments. This movie turns the humor dial up to the maximum level, leading to a hilarious adventure that never gets stale. 

I did have one nitpick with the movie overall: its core story is a bit predictable, especially in the first two acts. The plot is generally quite simple, and hits many familiar plot beats which were consistently easy to see coming. Thankfully, the other aspects surrounding it keep the movie engaging, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t know the way many plot points were going to play out. 

I will say, though, this movie does have a very creative plot twist leading into the third act. For the sake of preventing spoilers, I won’t say it here, but what I will say is that something is revealed about the main antagonist–known only as the Invader–and his role in the story. This twist not only surprised me, but also left me laughing aloud for the 900th time in a row. Despite the overall predictability of the story, there are still plenty of creative moments in its humor and writing which more than make up for it.

Pig and Duck Amok

Two of the most iconic Looney Tunes characters take center stage for this outing: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Their talents shine in this movie, with Daffy providing a contagious energy and over-the-top nature while Porky is quieter and acts as the voice of reason. Surprisingly, they both have solid character arcs that are developed throughout the picture. Whether it be through a dialogue exchange or a bonding experience, the two show great growth throughout the picture and had strong development to their respective arcs, all culminating in a satisfactory conclusion. 

Accompanying the duo on their quest is another pig, Petunia, who serves as Porky’s love interest. Not only does she get her own time to shine, but she shares a lot of tender moments with Porky, primarily in the first and third acts of the movie. This is grounds for a cute subplot in which the two work together while growing closer throughout the feature. 

Though simple in concept, this side-story made way for a lot of great interactions between the pigs and did not distract from the main conflict. In fact, all of the characters in this film get to shine in their own way, with the pigs having a fun side-plot, the Invader introducing a strong threat, and Daffy putting the “looney” into Looney Tunes. 

The entire cast is played fantastically by their respective voice actors, with the standout being Bauza as both Daffy and Porky. Outside of this film, Bauza is a prolific vocal actor who serves as the voice of other Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian (neither of whom are in this movie). Here, he not only nails the voices of the duo, but also their respective energy, giving a skeptical-yet-eager approach to Porky and a loud, ecstatic take on Daffy. 

The rest of the cast, including Milo as Petunia and MacNicol as the Invader, provide their characters with their own particular energy which helps each of them stand out. Mixed with the craziness of the story and non-stop humor, the voice acting makes for another fantastic addition to this bizarre adventure. 

A Refreshing Visual Spin

In a world where the vast majority of animated films sport computer-generated designs, The Day the Earth Blew Up goes back the roots of what helped make Looney Tunes such an iconic brand through its own visual style. The movie features hand-drawn animation, an extremely rare process in mainstream theatrical animation. In fact, this art style is something not seen in a widely-released film since 2022’s The Bob’s Burgers Movie. I’m highly satisfied to say that the animation of this movie is a visual treat, not just for its uniqueness, but its overall flow as well.

The character designs perfectly capture the essence of the classic Looney Tunes characters while still finding ways to modernize them. This is not only shown through their humor, but also their fluent movements and exaggerated facial expressions. The animation itself moves smoothly and is extremely bright and colorful, leading to strong eye candy throughout the entire runtime. 

Additionally, every location the characters visit, whether it’s a run-down home or an alien spacecraft, has a unique visual style with its own unique setups for several jokes. Ultimately, this makes the movie an animated marvel, especially with how rare its art style is in today’s mainstream film world.

Without giving too much away, I will also say that the animation works greatly with the film’s main conflict. As Daffy and Porky’s town becomes zombified, the citizens are given distinct features like slow body movements and bright neon eyes, adding to the stakes of the plot. 

This is also the case with the Invader, who is designed creatively and gets his own fair share of laughs. Due to his own exaggerated facial expressions and fast-paced movements, he serves as one of the most unique characters in modern Looney Tunes. He does not shy away from his sinister nature, but his overall visual style still manages to get laughs out of the audience.

That’s All, Folks!

Overall, despite a few predictable plot beats, The Day the Earth Blew Up is a hysterical movie that perfectly encapsulates the potential Looney Tunes holds as a franchise. With stunning animation, fantastic voice acting, solid stakes, charming characters, and non-stop laugh-out-loud humor, this movie is a delightful watch for all audiences. Younger crowds will love the bright colors and zaniness of the main characters, while older audiences can still laugh at several jokes and appreciate the new approach to the standard Looney Tunes formula.

If you’re a fan of Looney Tunes, animation, or the comedy genre, this is a must-watch to satisfy your cravings. The Day the Earth Blew Up is currently playing in theaters across the nation, including the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas on Route 57. If you’re looking for something to make you laugh out loud and smile ear-to-ear, look no further than the latest adventures of Daffy and Porky!

This movie faced many difficulties to get to where it is now, but the journey ultimately paid off, leading to a movie which not only left me eager for more, but also satisfied my inner child.

My Rating