“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” has miraculously seen the light of day after four years in copyright limbo. Although developed by Warner Bros. Animation back in 2021, the film, along with other anticipated Warner releases, including the completed “Coyote vs. Acme” project, was shelved for a tax write-off for parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. Eventually, independent film distributor Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights, and on March 14, 2025, audiences were finally able to see the Looney Tunes “blow up the Earth.”
The film follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as good pals who, through a series of looney mishaps, discover an alien threat looming over Earth. With the help of Petunia Pig, the duo become the world’s last hope to save the planet.
The film pulls from ‘50s sci-fi B-flicks down to its ridiculous-sounding title, but with the classic “Looney Tunes” slapstick to keep things fresh. A common issue with parody movies is the lack of an original idea/commentary on what’s being parodied. While it’s funny seeing tired cliches and tropes turned into gags, they eventually become exhausting when they offer nothing original to contribute. Thankfully, this film avoids that.
The absurd situations many of these cheesy sci-fi classics offer perfectly suit the characters of the “Looney Tunes” universe. Who better to (or in this case, worse) save the world from impending doom than Daffy Duck and Porky Pig? Their never-ending incompetence not only serves for much of the film’s comedy, but it has audiences all the more rooting for their success.
Unlike the larger ensemble pieces “Space Jam” and “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” this film returns to the self-contained casts and narratives of the classic shorts. This means other popular fan favorites like Bugs Bunny, and, surprisingly, Marvin the Martian, are absent. This ultimately works out in the film’s favor as it functions as its own story. In fact, this is the first theatrical feature of a fully animated “Looney Tunes” storyline.
The animation is one of the film’s strongest points. As much as I love movies with an incongruous combination of 2D animation and live-action, it became exhausting seeing much of the brand’s theatrical releases follow this format. Cartoons can convey imagery and logic far beyond that of live-action, and “The Day the Earth Blew Up” maximizes this. Absolute care and precision were put into each frame of the film. The film’s hilarious slapstick comedy can be appreciated regardless of age.
That said, the film’s narrative is weak – but let’s be real, it’s a “Looney Tunes” movie. The narrative quality is the last thing audiences are going to care about. However, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that not much else is offered. I appreciate the film for all its silliness, but its lack of anything profound prevents it from being memorable. Boasting a gargantuan bundle of 11 writers, I’m dumbfounded that only the most basic approaches were taken for this film. It fails to create its own distinguishable identity in a near-century-old franchise consisting of over 1,000 storylines.
“The Day the Earth Blew Up” is a delightful return to traditional hand-drawn animation in cinemas. Its infectious energy rekindles warm childhood memories of watching the classic “Merrie Melodies” cartoons. And it’s heartwarming to think future generations will continue to experience these same happy memories. There’s still plenty of fun to be had with this entry, but I couldn’t help wishing there was more substance. Still, its existence shines an optimistic light on the release of future “Looney Tunes” projects (cough cough, the completed “Coyote vs. Acme” film shelved for a tax write-off). But until then, as the pig would say, that’s all, folks!
3.5/5
