by James Coulter
Warner Bros. has been doing the Looney Tunes dirty lately. Last year, they shelved the movie Coyote Vs Acme as a tax write-off, even though the movie had been completed. And as of this month, Max has removed all the classic Looney Tunes cartoons from its streaming service.
The Day The Earth Blew Up nearly suffered a similar fate as Coyote vs Acme. Originally, this animated Looney Tunes movie was going to be released on Max and Cartoon Network. However, in 2022, the movie was shelved.
The film, now picked up and distributed through Ketchup Entertainment, has since premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival last year, and had received a limited theatrical release before expanding wide as of this month.
But was this animated Looney Tunes movie worth retrieving from the ACME vault? Or does it deserve to be thrown into the Warner Water Tower along with the Animaniacs?
The Day The Earth Blew Up stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. After a meteor crashes through their roof, the cartoon duo need to get jobs to pay for the repairs or else risk losing their home. However, the meteor contains a mysterious green goop that’s being infused in chewing gum and turning people into mindless zombies. Can the duck and pig work together to stop this bad sci-fi movie premise?
Do you love the Looney Tunes? Do you love retro sci-fi B-movies like The Day the Earth Stood Still or The Blob? Do you just love animated movies in general and wish not every single one was computer animated? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you will love this movie.
The Day The Earth Blew Up is pure Looney Tunes goodness. The movie was animated by the same team that created the New Looney Tunes shorts for Max. The art style and animation perfectly emulates the classic Bob Clampett-style Looney Tunes shorts with all of their squash-and-stretch goodness.
Though, to be honest, sometimes the near-perfect emulation of classic Looney Tunes animation can be a bit of a fault to a tee. It’s rather uncanny to watch a movie with 1940s-style cel animation with references to Starbucks, smart phones, and influencer culture.
The plot is a loving (and biting) homage to sci-fi B movies from the 50s and 60s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing. It’s your typical alien invasion/zombie storyline with a very unique and hilarious plot twist at the very end.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the movie is how surprisingly heartwarming it can be. For a movie filled with squash-and-stretch slapstick, there’s plenty of moments that are truly touching. No spoilers, but the movie is about Porky and Daffy learning to support each other in the absence of a father figure. And those moments can tug at your heart.
Honestly, there’s not much else I can say about this movie that isn’t, “if you love classic Looney Tunes, you’ll love this movie.” In a time when 2D animation is sidelined in favor of 3D animation, when the Looney Tunes are threatened with being give the dip by Warner Bros. over tax breaks, we need to support movies like The Day The Earth Blew Up now more than ever.
