The Day the Earth Blew Up
Eric Bauza leads the voice cast for THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP. (Photo: Ketchup Entertainment)
Overflowing with nostalgic appeal for legions of fans who grew up on Looney Tunes cartoons, The Day the Earth Blew Up captures the timeless spirit of its characters.
However, this breezy big-screen adventure — really more of a buddy comedy featuring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig — also infuses the throwback wholesomeness with a mischievous contemporary sensibility.
A delightful opening-credit sequence functions as something of an origin story for its anthropomorphic farm animals and lays the foundation for their brotherly bond.
They share an inherited farm house that belonged to their human father figure, who passed away years earlier, leaving them as orphans. “As long as we stick together, we’ll be all right,” Daffy explains.
Needing cash to repair a giant hole in their roof — perhaps caused by a wayward UFO — Daffy and Porky (both voiced by Eric Bauza) accept jobs at a gum factory, where they notice a scientist contaminating a new flavor with a mysterious green substance that might have also caused their mishap back home.
Not sure how to react, the duo’s suspicions are validated when the popular new flavor turns innocent chewers into zombies. The tainted supply eventually is traced to invading aliens trying to plant mind-control devices as part of a world domination scheme.
Their respective quirks and foibles are endearing as our unlikely heroes concoct an appropriately loony plan to save the planet, but can they set aside their bickering and summon the courage?
The patchwork screenplay leans into its silliness while poking fun at apocalyptic alien invasion movies and 1950s science fiction. However, the underlying plot feels stretched at feature length, too often resorting to outbursts of chaos and noise.
As directed by Pete Browngardt, who has helmed several Looney Tunes shorts in recent years. the film showcases some lovely hand-drawn visuals and self-deprecating silliness within its amusing mix of sight gags and one-liners.
Matching the legacy of legendary animated storytellers such as Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Mel Blanc is almost impossible. But at least The Day the Earth Blew Up affectionately proves that the brand still has enough adaptability to keep it relevant for any generation.
Rated PG, 91 minutes.