THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE – Review

This weekend sees a big “first” for two media superstars that have been in the pop culture “zeitgeist” for ninety years! Well, that’s one of them because his “partner” is actually a couple of years shy of that (still impressive). So, how can they still be working in a new flick, let alone pulling off some amazing stuntwork that would make Tom Cruise envious? Okay, ya’ got me. They are cartoon characters, so they never really age (any wrinkles can be easily erased). They aren’t from the “mouse house”, rather they’re from one of the main Disney rivals in the short subjects market, though many would say that their home base really had no rivals for consistently hilarious cartoons from the 1930s to the early 60s. And they’ve never been the stars of a full-length feature, though they have had “supporting roles” in a few. So, it’s finally their time in the spotlight for the manic mallard and the stammering swine on THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE. As the former would bounce about and say, “Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!”.

Now, they’re “off-stage” as the story opens. A scientist that appears to be right out of a 50s sci-fi flick (glass, lab coat, etc.) is alarmed by a look through his telescope. It’s a massive meteor heading toward Earth. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a flying saucer zips ahead of the rock. The UFO speeds up to take out a big chunk of a home’s roof before landing in a field. The scientist heads to the crater, peers downward, and lets out a scream before a weird green gas envelops him. And now the story’s main heroes are introduced. We learn how the towering “Farmer” Jim (voice of Fred Tatasciore) adopted two orphaned animals and raised them as though they were his human offspring. When they reach adulthood, Jim disappears into the clouds after advising them to always take care of each other and their home. His big farmland has now been taken over by the suburbs of the town of Grandview, but still standing is that home now occupied by Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (both voiced by Eric Bauza), quite an “odd couple”. It’s a hectic morning when they realize that it’s the day of the town’s “home inspection”. They scramble to clean up, but it’s all for naught when the haughty inpector, Ms. Grecht (Lariane Newman) points out (how did the boys miss this) the big hole in the roof (which is dripping with an odd glowing green goo). The place will be torn down in a few days unless the guys get the cash needed to repair it. But the duo fails in every job they attempt, so they stop in at the diner where fate arrives in the form of a sweet sow named Petunia Pig (Candi Milo). She’s a flavor research scientist at Grandview’s big business, the Goodie Gum factory…and they’re hiring! The boys get a job on the assembly line, but while Porky makes time with Petunia, Daffy spies that opening scene scientist lurching like a zombie around the massive vat of “Super Strong-berry” gum (the new big roll-out flavor). The interloper then pours some of that green goo into it. Daffy’s conspiracy instincts kick in. Can he convince Porky and Petunia that something is off? And could it be connected to the meteor and the UFO?

To say this is a “love letter” to the artists at “Termite Terrace” (the Warner’s animation ramshackle HQ back in the day) would be an understatement. Much like the classic shorts, this feature deftly mixes smart satire (SF, zombie flick tropes, and rampant consumerism) with stunning slapstick (Daffy can pull a giant mallet out of thin air). Sure, it is set in the modern age (Daffy wants to be an “influencer”), but there are lots of affectionate nods (even “Easter eggs”) to iconic imagery. They try and become baristas at “Bean’s Brews” (Porky’s original feline sidekick), the duo don caps from the short “Baby Bottleneck” as Raymond Scott’s “Powerhouse” music accompanies the conveyor belt, and even the great silhoutette bit that Tex Avery perfected. Speaking of the great animator icons, the main inspiration isn’t Mr. A, or Friz, Chuck, and R. McKimson, but the wild and wacky Bob Clampett (who gets a “shout out” and a “legacy” voice cameo). All the characters, especially the “lil’ black duck”, stretch, twist, and go delightfully “off model” in extreme forced perspective and screen-filling reactions. Much of the credit for the frenetic pacing and vibrant visuals (the surreal factory abstract sequence is super) has to go to director Peter Browngardt, who was also one of the fourteen (!) credited writers (hey, this is sixteen times longer than those shorts, so it makes some sense). Actually the only time the story starts to sputter is when a big conflict arises in the last act, perhaps to squeeze in some pathos and build some tension. But it doesn’t detract from the rousing finale and the overall sense of gloriously goofy and zany shenanigans.

Hey, here’s the duo from their first meeting in 1937’s “Porky’s Duck Hunt”!

Those stunning visuals are enhanced by the terrific vocal cast, who add lots of inspired energy even to the established toon superstars. I’m talking of course, about Mr. Bauza, who honors the legacy of the “man of a thousand voices” Mel Blanc with these reverent re-workings of the story terrific twosome. Milo also brings a lot of loopy fun to that “flavor fanatic” Petunia. Newman is a haughty hoot as the villainous “house enforcer”. But the main baddie may be the alien invader voiced by Peter MacNicol, who brings a campy menace to the long-fingered overlord, though I kept wondering why this wasn’t Marvin the Martian (perhaps they didn’t want to bring in more members of the classic ensemble). And speaking of honoring the originals, the soundtrack from Joshua Moshier seamlessly blends the Carl Stalling standards with sprightly new melodies, both merry and melodramatic. Oh, and you’ll enjoy that score over the end credits as you drink in the wonderful pre-production sketches and modeling poses (the scientist went through lots of variations). So, if you’re a fan of those original shorts or the recent batch made for the MAX streaming service, or just want to introduce your kiddos to those heroes of past Saturday mornings who actually inspired us to not sleep in after five days of school, do the Daffy “bounce’ into the multiplex for THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE. I hope that’s not all, “folks”!

3.5 Out of 4

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, March 14, 2025