written by: Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan & Eddie Trigueros
produced by: Michael Baum, Peter Browngardt, Alex Kirwan, and Sam Register
directed by: Peter Browngardt
rated: PG for cartoon violence/action and rude/suggestive humor
runtime: 91 min.
U.S. release date: December 13, 2024 (limited) and March 14, 2025
It’s hard to believe it, but “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is the first-ever fully-animated Looney Tunes feature based on entirely original material released in theaters. Ever. That’s wild, considering these characters have been around for over 80 years. There were movies with basketball showdowns and theatrical releases of television cartoon compilations, but nothing original until now. Between 2020 and 2024, Peter Browngardt served as executive producer and creative director of the great Looney Tunes Cartoons series that ran on HBO Max and Max, and all that led to “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” a charming and often invigorating directorial debut starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The nervous and anxious co-stars get to carry their own movie in a goofy, frequently hilarious send-up of B-movie terror from the 1950s.
The beginning sets the sci-fi paranoia tone right away as we see an astronomer (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) discovering a meteor hurtling towards Earth, and he spots a UFO flying alongside it. The meteor breaks up, but the alien object falls near his observatory. As he follows it in his vehicle, we watch the irradiated green object take a bite-size chunk out of a farmhouse, contaminating a nearby bubble gum factory, Goodie Gum Company. That dilapidated farmhouse is the home of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both impressively voiced by Eric Banza), which was left to them by the now-deceased Farmer Jim (Tatasciore). There’s a revised backstory for the famous duck and pig, informing us that years ago, Farmer Jim took the two in and raised them as his own. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re brothers, more like bosom buddies.
The mismatched pair find themselves a bit overwhelmed as they scramble to get their house cleaned up for an annual inspection, unaware that their roof has a gaping hole coated in “intergalactic ectoplasm.” Of course, that physical disparity does not go unnoticed by Mrs. Grecht (Laraine Newman), the overdramatic field inspector who demands they repair their roof or face condemnation. Of course, that will require money they don’t have, so the twosome launch into a comical job search montage. They fail at every job they apply for: from baristas overwhelmed by hyper orders to TikTok influencers (which finds Daffy inflating his booty to Kardashian size), and a delightfully violent where the pair launch their own ride-share service that ends with them stuffing a client into the landing gear of an airplane, only for the poor guy to fall to his death immediately after take-off. They finally land work at the bubble gum factory thanks to Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), who works there as a top flavor scientist. A wonderful “Modern Times” influenced, art deco-inspired musical sequence encapsulates the characters’ first shift at the factory. These are the bits that genuinely make this a joy to watch.
As Goodie Gum is about to debut their brand new Super Strongberry flavor, Daffy uncovers a disturbing truth as he witnesses the aforementioned astronomer (now zombified with glowing green eyes) dumping irradiated goo into a giant vat of gum. Learning the goo turns the gum into a mind-controlling organism controlled by The Invader (a somewhat bland Peter MacNicol), who has plans to take over the world, Daffy tries desperately to convince Porky and Petunia and the rest of the townsfolk of the alien’s nefarious plans. Throughout it all, Daffy and Porky (often hilariously nicknamed “Pork” by Daffy) will have to work together and be reminded of Farmer Jim’s parting mantra that as long as they “stick together, everything will be alright.”
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” kicks into gear when Daffy and Porky are introduced to Petunia, finding Porky immediately falling in love. While Daffy initially encourages his pal to go for it with Petunia, we soon see the stress of the dangerous gum threat causing a rift between the two BFFs, with Porky realizing that Daffy’s involvement in just about anything usually makes it all worse. As chaos breaks out around town, the trio realizes they’ll have to take the fight up to the alien spaceship, which finds the brotherly interplay between Daffy and Porky comes to a head, causing the both of them to realize how much they need each other as the movie careens into its big finale.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” is thankfully in glorious 2D animation, the format Looney Tunes is meant to live and breathe in, and that in and of itself is a real treat. The trademark manic energy is evident throughout, and the idea of showcasing Daffy and Porky is ingenuous, giving them room to roam free from the upstaging of the likes of Bugs Bunny and Marvin Martian. As one of eleven screenwriters (don’t let that sway you; most of them are storyboard artists), Browngardt delves into the two leads in ways we’ve never seen before, providing an origin for Porky’s trademark stutter as well as an odd scene that briefly explains how Daffy can lay eggs. I got a kick out of all the classic science fiction movies referenced here, making it a fun inclusion for viewers in the know.
Most of the humor and Easter Eggs are rapidly paced and require the audience to stay on their toes as they go along for the kooky ride. Ultimately, it’s all tremendous fun, assisted by composer Joshua Moshier, who puts a new spin on music while paying homage to the classic score that accompanied all the famous Looney Tunes from way back. On that note, the movie could’ve benefitted from some new songs or at least more interesting covers of popular songs rather than the insipid “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” and the on-the-nose “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” from R.E.M., neither of which feel right for a Looney Tunes tale.
Still, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” is at its best when it takes some surreal turns, presenting some true animated artistry. There’s some much-needed cleverness amid the insanity that delivers some great imagination. I’m glad distributor Ketchup Entertainment rescued this movie from Warner Bros. Discovery since they didn’t know what to do with it. Hopefully they’re able to do the same with “Coyote vs ACME” as well. Bottom line: this movie is a hoo-hoo hoot, serving as an excellent vehicle for Daffy Dug and Porky Pig (two of my fa-fa-fa-favorite ch-ch-ch-characters, and hopefully securing big-screen adventures in the future.
RATING: ***
