The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is bonkers, as expected. You get a full dose of Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. But the wackiness doesn’t stop there.
Director Peter Browngardt created Uncle Grandpa and worked on several other Cartoon Network shows. You see the influence there. As for Looney Tunes’ many creative iterations, Browngardt is influenced by the Bob Clampett years, aka the golden age of Looney Tunes (1930-1946). Browngardt says Clampett’s characters and stories were “unpredictable” and “off-the-wall” and the “least conservative” version of Looney Tunes in its long run.
You see that unpredictability on screen as you’re hit with zany montages that barrage you with sight gags and jokes. You blink and you miss something crazy.
The other reason Browngardt loved Clampett’s era is because of the gorgeous on-screen animation. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie has that same beautiful quality that really pops, especially when things get weird.
You’ll appreciate it most when things get out of control — when the gags derail the story for a moment — or on purpose to move the story along. You’ll see some classic Looney Tunes bits, but for the most part the comedy feels fresh. I laughed out loud several times. When Daffy’s face blew up, as it did in almost every Daffy cartoon, the specific animation of his facial damage made me and my kids laugh out loud.
We laughed a lot. Crack a brew or sip a screwdriver or hit that Jameson. The sauce will just make you laugh harder. Have fun with this one. Appreciate the art. Appreciate the humor. Rejoice that we still live in a world where wackiness is revered.
That’s all folks.
Sorry.
🎬🎬🎬
Where to watch
Rating: PG (Me: 5+)
Director: Peter Browngardt
Starring: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Laraine Newman
Run time: 1:31
Post-credits scenes: A quick bit after the long credits (which aren’t that long).
Bathroom breaks: Run Pee doesn’t have pee times for this one. My best estimate is to wait an 45 minutes for the story to settle in.
Sequel? Not based on box office, but streaming could make this one a home theater hit.
If you liked The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Story, check out these films:
- Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953 short) (5+)
- Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988) (5+)
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) (5+)
- The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) (5+)
- Space Jam (1996) (6+)
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