Voice actor Eric Bauza recently told me the “Looney Tunes don’t get the love and respect they used to.” Up until the past decade or so, it was unthinkable that somebody could grow up not recognizing Daffy Duck or Porky Pig. Of course, Warner Bros. hasn’t done the franchise any favors, burying finished films like Coyote vs. Acme. Amid these shakeups, animator Peter Browngardt has recaptured what Termite Terrace started through the Looney Tunes Cartoons streaming series. With The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Browngardt delivers a magnum opus that would make golden age animators like Bob Clampett proud. His daughter Ruth Clampett even makes a cameo as a waitress who throws Daffy and Porky a bone.

While there are other Looney Tunes movies, they’ve mostly been either compilation films or live-action hybrids like Space Jam. The Day the Earth Blew Up stands out as a wholly original, 2D-animated feature made for the big screen. Although the Looney Tunes have excelled in seven-minute shorts, adapting these characters for long-format stories comes with challenges. The Looney Tunes exist to make us laugh, but movies are expected to dig deeper. The Day the Earth Blew Up sets the ideal tone from its opening scene as an orphaned Daffy and Porky are taken in by Farmer Jim, who looks like he belongs in an oil painting above a farmhouse’s fireplace.

As Porky and Daffy grow up, Farmer Jim literally disappears into the sunset, leaving them his house. It’s touching yet surreal, which feels appropriate for a Looney Tunes movie that’s trying to have more heart. From this point on, the film is primarily classic cartoon humor, aiming to make us laugh with every sketch. Most of the jokes hit bullseyes while the weakest gags are still good for a smile. The closest we get to a dud is a twerking reference, but even that manages to stick the landing. Although there aren’t a ton of cameos from other Looney Tunes characters, the film is loaded with inside humor for longtime fans. It’s also a love letter to sci-fi staples like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You might not expect much from a plot involving aliens, bubblegum, and a house about to be foreclosed on. Yet, The Day the Earth Blew Up manages to be compelling and surprising with the movie’s title containing a twist.  

Eric Bauza takes on double duties voicing Daffy and Porky. Although Bauza’s Daffy remains spot-on, his Porky isn’t quite as polished. For me, actor Bob Bergen comes closest to replicating Mel Blanc’s Porky. Still, Bauza’s ability to seamlessly transition from Daffy’s looney laugh to Porky’s endearing stutter is a Herculean voiceover achievement. Peter MacNicol is also unrecognizable as an alien invader, and you could just eat up Candi Milo as Petunia Pig. Porky and Petunia share a sweet love story, but this is a buddy picture above all else. Porky and Daffy are underrated as a comedic duo with the latter becoming better known for his rivalry with Bugs. Their dynamic here is worthy of comparison to Abbott and Costello, leaving us hopeful they’ll meet Frankenstein in the next film.

If there’s another Looney Tunes movie, that is. As mentioned before, the Looney Tunes don’t get the respect they once did. It’s somewhat miraculous that The Day the Earth Blew Up is getting a theatrical release, albeit on a smaller scale than some other modern animated features. Here’s hoping a new generation discovers Daffy and Porky through the film. For lifetime lunatics, The Day the Earth Blew Up is virtually everything you could want. It’s consistently hilarious, ingeniously animated, and has just enough depth without betraying the franchise’s roots. It never forgets that this is a Looney Tunes movie, staying true to these timeless characters and their humor. To those questioning what the Looney Tunes mean to pop culture in 2024, The Day the Earth Blew Up simply replies, “That’s not all, folks.”