Now that Disney has shifted its focus to “live-action” adaptations of its classic cartoons (“Snow White” being the latest) and Latvia won an Oscar in 2025 for its 2024 animated feature “Flow,” it’s no exaggeration to say that the world of animation has been transformed.
What better time than now for Looney Tunes to make a full-fledged big-screen comeback with “The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” (Ketchup Entertainment/WB Animation)?
When an alarm goes off in an observatory, an astronomer (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) sees that an asteroid has appeared in the solar system and is bound for Earth. But he’s distracted by a UFO that crashes in Grandview, home of the Goodie Gum Factory. At the crater it formed, the green ooze from within enters the astronomer, turning him into a zombie.
In another part of town, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza), are mourning the loss of Farmer Jim (also voiced by Tatasciore), a surrogate father who raised them both. His parting words to them, about sticking together, play an important role in the movie, beginning when they learn that the home that was left to them failed to meet community standards, according to inspector Mrs. Grecht (voiced by Laraine Newman). To raise the funds for repairs they must find work. After getting fired as baristas, ride-share drivers, paper boys, plumbers, house painters, and babysitters, and being canceled as influencers, they secure jobs at the gum factory.
This is where Porky meets scientist Petunia (voiced by Candi Milo), who is hard at work perfecting the perfect gum flavor. However, Petunia isn’t the only one interested in gum. The Invader (voiced by Peter MacNicol) has a plan to get his green goop into the confection.
What at first appears to be a nefarious plan, turning the world into gum chewing zombies following the global launch of the new Super Strongberry flavor, is actually something else entirely. The blowing up of the earth involves enough bubbles to surround the planet and protect it from an asteroid. The movie unfolds through a series of silly, slapstick, suggestive, and satirical scenes, some of which border on “Ren and Stimpy” territory.
People of a certain age will likely recall that when they attended a theatrical release geared towards children, usually shown during a matinee screening, a Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Daffy Duck, or some other such character, would be shown before the movie started. Seeing Daffy and Porky, as well as Petunia, getting the full-length-feature attention they deserve is equally refreshing and nostalgia-inducing. It’s also amusing the way that adult-oriented humor is incorporated into the story, serving its purpose as (overly long) escapist entertainment for children and grownups alike.
Rating: B-
