Well, they certainly don’t look their age. Thankfully, neither Porky Pig or Daffy Duck, both voiced by Eric Bauza, act their age either. Because, honestly, when you are having this much fun with characters that have been around since 1935, who cares?
That’s right! Daffy Duck and Porky Pig are back in action in The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and it feels as if Warner Brothers hasn’t missed a beat since the Looney Tunes heyday of yore as director Pete Browngardt’s film takes on an alien invasion by way of mind-altering chewing gum and parodies both The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, complete with a Busby Berkeley-like dance number thrown in the mix as well.
If it sounds like it is too much, well, that’s honestly a good thing because Warner Brothers Animation has been playing it safe for far too long with these characters. The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, written by 11 different people, feels completely at home as it wallows in the cheesy alien invasion movies of the 1950s and then, thanks to a select few pop culture references, sends the audience home with a wonderful grin glued to their faces.
The feature-length film might not be brilliant, but it definitely delivers a solid kick to the seat of the pants as Daffy, ever the lunatic and chaos agent, and Porky, the straight-man as it were for the Looney Tunes world, must save the day. Complete with an origin story, they watch their adoptive father, Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore, in a hilarious role) mosey off into the wild blue yonder, then take jobs at a chewing gum factory (which is where Petunia, voiced by Candi Milo, works as a flavor scientist), and then, as their home is destroyed by an alien (voiced by Peter MacNicol) intent on enslaving the world, must somehow fight off the invasion with their own . . . smarts.
The chaos which follows will leave you gasping for air. Thankfully, the classic animation styles are back, too. So, with restrained pop culture references, The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie feels like a serious attempt to bring back the Looney Tunes of another era and, quite honestly, I am here for it.
Featuring the voice talents of Wayne Knight and Laraine Newman, The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is unrestrained anarchy and it works both as a film and as a re-introduction to the on-the-road cartoons Daffy Duck and Porky Pig made so many years ago. The bottom line is that it absolutely works and you should go to the cinema and see this animated gem right now.
Now, with the unexpected success of The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, is it possible for Ketchup Entertainment to rescue the shelved Coyote vs. Acme film? I certainly hope so.
MPAA Rating: PG.
Runtime: 91 mins
Director: Peter Browngardt
Writer: Darrick Bachman; Peter Browngardt; Kevin Costello
Cast: Eric Bauza; Candi Milo; Peter MacNicol
Genre: Animation | Comedy
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Do you have any idea how hard it is for male ducks to lay eggs?"
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Official Site: https://gfmanimation.com/films/the-day-the-earth-blew-up/
Release Date: March 14, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are Earth's only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion.
