As many animated classics have been subject to questionable live-action remakes, it’s refreshing to get an original and traditional 2D animated feature on the big screen. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie opens in theatres across Australia and New Zealand from March 27th through Pinnacle Films.
Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, my favourite cartoon character pairing, star as two pals who become destitute when their home fails inspection following a collision of the third kind. In need of money, they land a job in a bubble gum factory where they uncover a pending alien invasion.
While the plot is basic and very typical of 1950s science-fiction, the animation and visual style have a nostalgic quality. I found the movie a very comforting watch. Modern digital techniques add some extra dimension to the movie’s framework, so to speak, but they don’t cheapen the overall classic animation style on display here. The voice acting is on point for Porky and Daffy, who sound appropriately younger than usual given the context of the film, but their sound is unmistakable.
Petunia Pig, who has long been a fringe member of Looney Tunes, is a welcome supporting player as a scientist helping our heroes. Her assertive vocals come from veteran voice actress Candi Milo, whose career spans almost 40 years, which includes the original Tiny Tunes from the early ’90s.
The Day the Earth Blew Up is mainly geared towards children, but there’s plenty to enjoy for older generations who grew up with Looney Tunes. There’s also some nuance for genre fans. Petunia and Porky pay homage to Night of the Creeps, and the otherworldly gum they battle resembles John Carpenter’s The Thing, but thankfully, in this case, it’s family friendly.
With animated filmmaking being such a big part of the industry, with just about every major studio now contributing, I’m not sure there’s much room for modest features like this thoughtful effort from Warner Bros. However, it’s nice to know there is still a lot of affection towards these immortal characters from behind the scenes, who have faith they’ll still resonate with modern audiences.
THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE
(2024, director: Peter Browngardt)
★★★½
stills provided by pinnacle films
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