'The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie' Review
- Dempsey Pillot
- Mar 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Release Date: 03/14/25 [Cinemas]
Genre: Adventure. Comedy. Family. SciFi.
MPAA: Rated PG.
Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment.
The Verdict: A Mistake
For the first time since being created nearly a century ago, the Looney Tunes are just now getting their first fully-animated film on the big screen: The Day the Earth Blew Up. You wouldn’t know it though because of the little-to-no marketing it has received. While lack of promotion often hurts films, here it’s a blessing in disguise because that means less people will witness how far the franchise has fallen from grace…
Now, the film both weaves a brand new origin story for Daffy Duck and Porky Pig while also paying homage to sci-fi classics such as The Day the Earth Stood Still and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It follows both characters as they struggle to make ends meet after the death of their father figure, Farmer Jim. After getting jobs at a local bubblegum factory, however, the two accidentally uncover a secret alien plot to take over the world via mind-control. As their small town begins to transform into mindless zombies, the duo must team up with a reimagined version of Petunia Pig to stop the aliens and fight back.
Despite an admittedly fun premise, the film fails to capture exactly what made the Looney Tunes so special in the first place. It trades the franchise’s timeless signature slapstick humor in for modern references and one-liners that fall flat. The first ten minutes alone feature “jokes” about stimulus checks, influencers and rideshare drivers. Watching the characters continuously be squandered for such cheap attempts at relatability makes you wonder who the film is truly for.
The only remotely redeeming qualities about the film are its animation. Any time 2D animation is used for a feature length film, it deserves to be praised. Before its sell-off, Warner Bros. could have easily demanded the film be animated in 3D to capitalize on the trend (especially after the success of Space Jam: Legacy). With the return of “flat” characters and crisp attention to detail paid to filling out this world, the film at least feels like a love letter to the original series. Even if it isn’t up to par with the storytelling or comedy, it’s bound to strike a soft spot for some. But that’s still not enough to make up for the film’s other shortcomings.
It’s usually fun to see the Looney Tunes thrown into a new and imaginative scenario, but the way it’s done here is borderline upsetting. Even dressed in the same style as the classic cartoons, with familiar voices, it still misses the mark in capturing the magic. Between the bizarre humor and the film’s nonsensical third act twist, it becomes clear how little the writers understand the brand. And if the lack of marketing wasn’t already an indicator that this was a cash grab, the lack of heart does. For an animated film, the result is mostly lifeless.
