“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is one of the funniest films released in recent memory, and it’s not even close.
Fans of “Looney Tunes” could recall the great successes of ‘80s and ‘90s movies like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “Space Jam,” so it’s almost shocking that this is the first fully animated feature from the almost 100-year-old franchise.
The film follows the classic duo of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, both voiced by Eric Bauza, who were raised together by Farmer Jim. Farmer Jim leaves them in charge of their home and makes them promise to always stick together.
Daffy and Porky’s house falls into disrepair and after their roof is hit by a UFO, they fail a home inspection and must find jobs for the first time in their lives to pay for their roofing repairs.
They eventually get work at a gum factory thanks to Petunia Pig, voiced by Candi Milo, where they become entangled in a mysterious plot of an alien trying to control people’s minds.
Packed with the slapstick humor that made the franchise popular for decades along with classic horror and sci-fi references, it keeps both children and adults laughing throughout. The film is inspired by horror B-movies that were popular in the 1950s, and there are many references to them, most notably in the design of the alien antagonist.
The film takes a little while to get started. This could be because it was released during a time when “Looney Tunes” just isn’t as popular as it used to be. Many children coming to the theater could be seeing these characters for the first time.
In this case, it actually works to have more time in the exposition to establish the dynamic between Daffy and Porky. Viewers get to ease into the fast-paced physical comedy and cartoon violence that made “Looney Tunes” an enduring franchise.
The animation in the film is in 2D and uses a mix of the early animation style of the “Looney Tunes” short films and the more contemporary style of modern kids’ animation. This makes for a nostalgic but still fresh look that is colorful and fun, especially in a world where 3D animation has almost completely taken over the market.
Both the film’s director, Pete Browngardt, and the voice cast have worked on “Looney Tunes” before. Browngardt is the developer of “Looney Tunes Cartoons,” a Warner Bros. Animation TV show that featured some of the same voice actors from the film.
The voice acting is what stands out the most about this film. Many of the modern animated films like “The Lego Movie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” feature celebrity actors instead of professional voice actors.
While this is not a bad thing in itself, voice actors have completely different skillsets compared to traditional actors and are sometimes on another level when it comes to injecting energy into their performance while remaining versatile. Bauza is especially amazing in this film as he plays two completely different characters with their own unique voices.
With its absurd humor and charming animation, the people behind “The Day the Earth Blew Up” all came together to make a film that was obviously created with love and respect for the franchise while remaining distinctly its own film. 
