By Ian Chandler - March 24, 2025
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is an intriguing case. For those unaware, Warner Bros. Shelved the supposedly well-received Coyote v. Acme film, leaving fans angered. So, seeing this film see the light of day after some shopping among distributors made me a little hopeful, until I saw its trailer. I thought, "Boy, this is going to be rough." But surprisingly, I got more enjoyment out of it than I expected; even so, some decisions kept the film from flying as high as a UFO.
The picture stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, who are both voiced by Eric Bauza. Bauza does a great job with these two, as they sound in line with what you'd expect. Though, it is worth noting that Daffy here doesn't reflect the angry, sarcastic duck from the 1950s cartoons. Instead, he behaves like a looney duck that sometimes bothers Porky, which is reminiscent to older shorts such as "Porky's Duck Hunt." Porky remains the same as he's been for several decades now. These two as a pair, as proven by old source material, is as perfect as peanut butter and jelly. Jokes are built on their differences and their heartfelt moments are meaningful thanks to their long friendship. Heck, in this film, they grew up together as brothers.
The first thing that is truly noteworthy about this film is its animation. It is so refreshing to see a 2D animated film on the big screen. 3D animated films are neat, but when's the last time you've seen a 2D animation in theaters? Every frame is colorful, expressive, and bursting with whimsy. Most of the signature Looney Tunes slapstick wouldn't land as well in any other format. Speaking of things that don't land well, let's bring up about a third of the film's jokes. So, the film lampoons on 1950s sci-fi films, like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). This was a great move, as Looney Tunes was thriving during that decade. However, when it welcomed a B-movie alien plot, the film ended up being invaded by a foreign entity that terrorized the film's good will. What was this foul thing? Extensive, crass gross-out humor.
I understand that it's necessary to appeal to children as well, it is an animated feature after all. But, why would you put jokes that belong in SpongeBob or Ren and Stimpy into this movie? It's like telling a computer-science joke in front of an audience of football fans. The joke belongs somewhere, just not there. The looney slapstick was certainly going to make the children laugh, so the crude humor's inclusion feels even less justified. It wouldn't be so bothersome if it didn't take up a good chunk of this film's runtime. By the second act, this out of place sense of humor basically overshadows the silly, goofy gags the series is iconic for. This is Looney Tunes, not Nasty Toons.
Though it is unfortunate that the film's two prominent styles of humor whack at each other with oversized hammers, the colorful animation, silly voice acting, and good use of Porky and Daffy make the film worth a watch, maybe two. If you are not bothered by it including gross, Nickelodeon-like jokes, then you should mostly, possibly entirely, focus on the praises I have given this film. The crew obviously love the source material, but their ways of showing affection confuse me a little bit. Even so, it's still, at the very least, a competent family film. That's all I have to say about it, folks!
Score: 64/100
Summary: The Day the Earth Blew Up has a blend that includes funny gags, charming characters, and beautiful animation. However, the gross-out humor is an ingredient that doesn't belong in this Looney Tunes smoothie.
