REVIEW: “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” (2025)


WRITER’S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on March 21, 2025. 

It’s incredible that the Looney Tunes gang have been around for almost a century. Although they’ve starred in hundreds of cartoon shorts, a trio of compilation features, and a few hybrid picks, The Day the Earth Blew Up marks the first fully-animated theatrical release in their long history. And headlining this parody of 1950s sci-fi zaniness are the duo that was there at the beginning: Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. (Bugs Bunny wouldn’t premiere until the early-40s.) 

The plot of this new comedy is set up as the wacky duck and straight-man pig investigate the giant hole in the roof of their home, and eventually the strange phenomena stemming from the local gum factory. Slapstick mayhem ensues as they (along with a sweet scientist pig named Petunia) become unlikely candidates to save planet Earth from an alien invasion and a zombie apocalypse. 

It’s a thing that this movie exists, thanks not only to Warner Bros Animation but especially to independent company Ketchup Entertainment for supporting it. (They recently released the Michael Keaton dramedy Goodrich.) The trailers alone had me in hysterics. And even though I (and people from my generation and before us) grew up with these characters and cartoons, I didn’t think anybody made animation like this anymore. A few elements are a little too contemporary (a few too many butt gags, for one), and the backstory of Porky and Daffy adopted as farm animals seems like a retcon. But unlike Petunia’s description of a certain brand of chewing gum, the movie is, for the most part, far from “generic” and “unimaginative.” 

The Day the Earth Blew Up stands as an old-fashioned, entertaining, popcorn muncher that was made with sincere appreciation for its craft and its comedy. It’s a real throwback to what made these characters, and that iconic “Merry Melodies” theme, so edgy, meta, outrageous, and, of course, certainly looney. Speaking of which, the animation style is a cross between Max Fleischer, Terry Gilliam, and Bob Clampett—if only for Daffy’s more wild and berserk personality from those earlier 30s and 40s shorts. (The late Clampett’s daughter, Ruth, even has a cameo in the film as a waitress.) One factory sequence feels like a Roald Dahl book illustration come to life, combined with Busby Berkeley and Charlie Chaplin. Then there are the numerous fourth-wall gags (“We’ll be okay, as long as the plot doesn’t twist”), with an audience member silhouette as the cherry on top. 

The movie also has colorful, detailed art direction and set pieces, presented in a 2.39:1 widescreen format. The title is a play on the seminal 50s flick, The Day the Earth Stood Still, after all. One of the film’s highlights is a hilarious “episode” sequence (in Academy ratio) where the duo unsuccessfully tries to get jobs, topped off with the trademark “That’s all Folks” wall. Some homages to John Carpenter (a bizarre gum monster sequence a la The Thing) and George Romero (a horde of gum-chewing zombies) may be a bit too scary for younger viewers. Adults, on the other hand, may be amused by a supporting character obsessed with boba beverages (the second 2025 movie to do so since Love Hurts). 

It’s disappointing that Warner Bros has apparently been losing faith in—and choosing to forget—this franchise and its many characters. (The shelving of the live-action/animated Coyote vs. Acme in 2023 is one such indication.) It’s sad, considering the Looney Tunes are an important part of that studio’s legacy. Other than that, audiences shouldn’t be dissuaded from seeing the rare 2D Day the Earth Blew Up on the big screen, where it’s best experienced. 

The filmmakers (including director Peter Browngardt and eleven credited writers) really get these characters. The same goes for lead voice actor Eric Bauza, who succeeds the late, great Mel Blanc as the voices of Daffy and Porky—and several other Looney Tunes in the current iterations of this franchise. The hand-crafted work of these artists—not to mention some surprising heart and themes of friendship—are evident from the start to the end credits, while never forgetting its cartoon nature. It also puts a new meaning on sticking together. 

#filmfreeq #bekerianreviews #21stcenturycinema #ketchupentertainment #wbanimation #looneytunes #thedaytheearthblewup2025

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