Review: Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up – Finely tooned
Directed by Peter Browngardt
Voices by Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore
7.5/10
When a flying saucer crashes to earth, it clips the roof of Porky (Eric Bauza) and Daffy’s (Eric Bauza…serving double duty) home. As they try to earn enough money to repair their house, they come across an insidious alien scheme that could have dire consequences for the planet.
A Tex Avery-style wacky caper that manages to keep its manic pace throughout almost the entire runtime. To be clear, that’s like trying to run a sprint in a marathon. Making that work is a phenomenal achievement in its own right, but Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up has so much more to recommend it.
It is littered with references to classic animation from the esteemed studio, as well as ’50s and ’80s science fiction and horror references. Not many would have expected the same film to reference failed ’30s cartoon icon Beans the Cat as well as John Carpenter’s horror classic The Thing, but here we are.
Yet for all its film-literate cleverness, this is a movie that’s hilarious in its own right. It tackles the extended runtime by a constantly evolving story, playing like an extended series of short cartoons, while still managing to present a cohesive whole. It’s surreal (as expected from director Peter Browngardt’s involvement with Uncle Grandpa), referential, quick-paced, and sharp-witted.
Although we’re now more used to seeing Daffy paired with Bugs Bunny, Daffy and Porky’s partnership predates the creation of the rascally rabbit, way back to 1937 with Daffy’s debut in Porky’s Duck Hunt. In many ways Daffy’s personality is driven by this earlier iteration, as he’s much more the zany screwball than the cynical schemer that he’d become.
As such, Porky is set up as the straight man in this relationship, putting on a dependable and well-meaning front that the wholesome character is well suited for. However, he’s given more spice by a romantic subplot from the rarely appearing Petunia Pig (Candi Milo). Herself a character creation of the late ’30s, she’s only appeared a scant handful of times since then, but the pairing almost steals the show. Here she’s given personality and agency, breaking her away from being a pale clone of Minnie Mouse. That initial introduction alone, followed by the porcine meet-cute, is probably the highlight of the film and one of the funniest moments of the year so far.
A remarkably funny film that works for all ages. Whether your exposure to Looney Tunes is from classic reruns or the nineties and noughties revival, or this is your first experience, The Day The Earth Blew Up should entertain everyone.
DAVID O’CONNELL