The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
If people think The Muppets have been wasted at Disney, that’s nothing compared to how Looney Tunes has been treated over the decades at Warner Bros. Two “Space Jam” vanity films, and Joe Dante’s “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” is the extent of their output in theatres. Yes, we’ve gotten some TV shows featuring Bugs, Daffy and the gang, but for the most part, it felt as though Looney Tunes was an afterthought. Heck, we almost lost an entire feature film, “Coyote vs. Acme,” before Ketchup Entertainment picked it up for distribution in 2026. Say what you will about Disney and the Muppets, they never came close to taking a tax break on one of the features they were making.
This is a feature-length animated adventure starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig that came out back in March. I couldn’t get to it theatrically, but I’ve had the Blu-Ray from Ketchup Entertainment waiting for me to watch. The title is, obviously, a riff on the 1951 science fiction classic, but the film is pure Looney silliness. While I miss seeing some of the other iconic characters, focusing on Daffy and Porky is a great choice, especially as they find themselves in the middle of extraordinary circumstances, both in their lives, and the world as a whole.
At the heart of this film is a story about Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Raised by Farmer Jim together, they’ve lived on into being “grown ups” in the same house, which is in disrepair. One day, they must prepare for an inspection, but they work on everything except for the gigantic hole in their roof. If they don’t get the money in a hurry, they’ll lose the house. One of the jobs the work at is a gum factory, where Porky falls hard for Petunia Pig. Daffy also stumbles across a plot where the gum is actually designed to turn people into zombies as they chew. Oh yeah, near the beginning of the film, an alien lands on Earth, which is scientist comes across. How will they save the day?
Director Peter Browngardt’s animation is lively and crazy and fun, befitting the legacy of Looney Tunes, even as the film feels a bit long in the tooth at 91 minutes. There are some unexpected twists and turns, but “The Day the Earth Blew Up” rests on the dynamic between Porky and Daffy, and the two are as delightful together as they’ve ever been. This was a lot of fun for this lifelong Looney Tunes fan. I’m glad we have another movie within this universe lined up in the coming year.
