‘The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie’ Lets Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Go Wild With Zany Glee

Alci Rengifo

Right now we need a good laugh, even if it entails gags about the world facing potential doom. “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” harkens back to a classic form of animation we don’t get much of these days. Though Daffy Duck and Porky Pig have been around since the 1930s, you might be stunned to discover this is the first completely animated Looney Tunes feature ever. Typically they’ve been paired with live actors in settings bridging animation with the real world, as in 1996’s “Space Jam.” This movie is so light on its feet and delightfully crazy that you have to wonder why it took so long to get made. 

It is a tale of friendship, primarily that of Daffy (Eric Bauza) and Porky (also Bauza), who we learn were adopted as infants by Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). When Farmer Jim passes away, the two are left having to figure out how to pay for repairs on their house. This means looking for a job. Alas, Daffy and Porky are no good at basic employment that involves painting houses or delivering newspapers. Mostly the fault is with Daffy, who tends to go nuts and ruins everything. While lounging at a diner, Porky locks eyes with Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), a scientist who works at a chewing gum factory overseeing flavor quality. Love will have to wait since an alien from outer space, The Invader (Peter MacNicol) has arrived with a plan to use chewing gum to turn countless humans into zombies.

What strange times we live in that Warner Bros., the studio associated with the Looney Tunes, refused to distribute “The Day the Earth Blew Up.” Ketchup Entertainment is thankfully releasing the movie, yet it’s still a stinging example of where the industry stands at the moment. “This movie is like the anti-AI,” Milo told Entertainment Voice. “This is an art that could possibly be lost. And I have to say, watching this film in comparison to other hand-drawn that go into CGI, this film is pure Warner Bros. color. It is so colorful and with such different styles. You can see each animator’s hand in each segment.” The voice actor’s admiration and concern for this form of animation makes sense when you see the vibrant energy in every frame, including a wonderful sequence at a factory that turns into a tribute to Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times.” There are also cute nods at “The Thing” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 

“I feel like looney tunes has always been the anti-Disney cartoon,” Bauza told Entertainment Voice, “It’s like the complete opposite, and it knows where it is in this world. It’s not ‘Lord of the Rings,’ or ‘Harry Potter,’ or anything ‘major’ for that matter. But there’s just something so simple about how funny they can be.” It’s rather virtuoso work on display from everyone involved, from the tireless voice acting of Bauza doing two roles to the sly nature of the humor. Director Pete Browngardt, a veteran of the “Looney Tunes Cartoons” show, makes sure there’s enough for the little ones to giggle and the adults to howl at. Only Daffy can get away with yelling “I’ll help you get a piece of that” before letting us know he’s talking about pie. The fate of Earth hangs in the balance because The Invader sends a zombified scientist to infect the supply of the local bubble gum factory. Anyone who chews on the product is prone to becoming a, yes, zombie. What the alien is actually after is a zany gag that feels created by a team of writers (this movie boasts 11 of them) having a blast tossing nonsense around a room with much cheer. 

While the movie is great to look at as well with its skillful animation and pristine sense of color, the story isn’t devoid of a little bit of maturity. Now facing a major crisis, Porky has to be honest with the fact that Daffy is insane and a screw-up. He’s that friend who is clueless in how much trouble he causes. At one point, Porky finds himself breaking the bro code by abandoning Daffy to run off with Petunia, tasking the duck with laying eggs to help fight the zombies. Many of us have been Daffy at some point in life. He suddenly becomes more relatable than just a gag. “All Daffy wants to do is be there for Porky at his own expense (laughs),” said Bauza. “So I feel like that is the reason why I think these two were picked as well for the movie, because they’re not always out to get each other.”

Hopefully audiences give “The Day the Earth Blew Up” a chance. It’s funny in a truly classic sense, with the added irony that it is part of a major franchise at a time when so much of the movie landscape has been nothing but brands. The difference is there’s a special sense of history and sincerity to this one. At least it didn’t meet the infamous fate of “Coyote vs. Acme,” shelved by Warner Bros. and turned into a tax write-off despite inside reports that it’s quite good. Audiences who go see this one in theaters may reconnect with a funny bone we easily forget we have yet desperately need. It’s always had that extra layer of grit that I feel can still play in today’s audience,” said Bauza. “I know that we’ve been polarized. We’ve been hypersensitive to certain things, but I don’t think it should destroy the chances of a slapstick cartoon movie. I feel like this is why you go to the movies, to have this kind of relief from the stresses of the day. You will not need a therapist after you see this kind of animation.” 

“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” releases March 14 in theaters nationwide.