'The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie' review: Saving the world, without pants
Published in Entertainment News
The world is under threat from a sinister chewing gum and a hurtling asteroid, and the planet's only hope is the team of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
That's the doomsday scenario in "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie," a delightfully gonzo, proudly old-school cartoon adventure where problems are solved the right way, with oversized mallets and makeshift gadgets, as well as a healthy dose of friendship and teamwork.
In the 90-minute 2D cartoon, rivals-turned-roommates Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) face eviction from their house if they don't fix a massive hole in their roof. This leads to them entering the working world, where they briefly try their hand at becoming influencers, leading to a gag where Daffy twerks, a true sign of the times.
But their home problems are minuscule compared to the threat posed by the Invader (voice of Peter MacNicol), an alien overlord looking to control the minds of the human population through a new flavor of bubble gum, which turns its chewers into mindless zombies. Enter Petunia Pig, an expert in all things bubble gum (she's voiced by Candi Milo), whom Porky enlists to fight the Invader and his evil ways. But maybe there's more to his plan than we're lead to believe?
It's best not to get too caught up in the plot mechanics of a Looney Tunes cartoon, it's all an excuse for the kind of 10-gags-per-minute lunacy that's been familiar to fans of the franchise for nearly 100 years.
"The Day the Earth Blew Up" carries on that legacy, and works as both a nostalgia blanket for older fans and an entry point for new ones, who may not be hip to Looney Tunes' ways. It shows that what has worked for generations can still work today, given the right care, attention to detail and loony spirit.
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'THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE'
Grade: B
MPA rating: PG (for cartoon violence/action and rude/suggestive humor)
Running time: 1:31
How to watch: Now in theaters
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