The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) is directed by Peter Browngardt, who also penned the script alongside thirteen (yes, 13) other writers. It stars Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Carlos Alazraqui, Fred Tatasciore, Kimberly Brooks, Laraine Newman, Peter Browngardt, and Wayne Knight. When an alien asteroid oozing glowing green goo demolishes their roof, adopted brothers Daffy Duck (Bauza) and Porky Pig (Bauza) set out to raise repair money before the city forecloses on their property. They soon land jobs at the local chewing gum factory, where Porky develops mutual romantic feelings for the resident flavor scientist, Petunia Pig (Milo). Meanwhile, Daffy discovers that the same green goo that covered the asteroid has somehow infiltrated the factory and contaminated its gum supply. Blinded by love as well as the memory of Daffy’s countless screw-ups, Porky refuses to listen. When residents who chew the gum begin turning into mindless zombies, it’s up to Daffy to save the day. 

The cast of veteran voice actors is as good as they get. Many modern animated films cast big-name actors solely to sell more tickets, which often results in well-known characters having voices that sound like a far cry from what the audience remembers and loves (Chris Pratt as Garfield). The Day the Earth Blew Up avoids this easy route by casting for quality instead of popularity. Candi Milo and Peter MacNicol are fantastic as their respective characters, but Eric Bauza is easily the star of the show. As both Daffy and Porky, his voice is indistinguishable from how they’ve always sounded, regardless of who voiced them. Whether it’s Daffy’s lisp or Porky’s stutter, he nails their distinct voices in a way that also feels natural. I never would’ve guessed that the same person voices them, and that’s precisely why I’m so impressed by it. 

As the title suggests, the film is appropriately loony. Although this may be too much for some people (especially adults with little connection to the IP), it’s balanced by some real emotional weight. Porky and Daffy (Daffy, in particular) could have easily been too zany, which would have felt frustrating. Thankfully, the script allows them to be serious precisely when it needs them to be. There’s a fine line between loony and psychotic, and this movie nails it. For example, Daffy is an unpredictable troublemaker (as he should be), but he is still capable of listening to reason when the situation calls for it. 

The film feels like the best kind of throwback in the sense that what it offers isn’t necessarily new, but it does FEEL new, and that’s what matters. The film isn’t shy about committing to the IP’s trademark use of comedic violence, which feels a tad risky in a modern context. In combination with a handful of surprisingly risque in-jokes for the adults, this feels more like an animated film from the turn of the century. Similar to something like Shrek (2001), this movie attempts to appeal to adults as much as it does children. That being said, this is still clearly a movie for kids, but if you’re willing to put yourself in those shoes, it’s a total blast. It also does a great job at allowing us to laugh at commonly touchy subjects without actually making fun of those subjects. For example, there is some occasional humor derived from Porky’s stutter, but it focuses on how it leads to humorous misunderstandings and miscommunications, rather than making fun of the disability itself. 

The Looney Tunes are at their absolute best when emulating popular pieces of fiction or even a particular genre as a whole. My favorite piece of Looney Tunes media growing up was Bah Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006), in part because of the way it parodied a well-known tale. The Day the Earth Blew Up does something similar, parodying classic zombie and mind-control films, such as Night of the Living Dead (1968), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, 1978), and The Stuff (1985). This once again helps elevate the film for mature viewers, but also serves as a good starting point for kids who crave scary material, but whose parents won’t yet allow it. My only disappointment is that the script makes the common but endlessly frustrating mistake of giving the supposed villain a random and unearned change of heart, supposedly beating our youth over the head with the idea that bad people don’t exist. Honestly, that’s a pretty terrifying and horrible lesson to teach kids. That being said, this isn’t as bad as most films because it leads to some pretty funny jokes, but it’s still slightly frustrating. 

Overall, this is a relentlessly paced, almost overwhelmingly zany throwback to when animated films were at their absolute best. It features a satisfying blend of both adult and children’s humor, while also finding a lot of heart in the relationship between its two leads. The story isn’t anything particularly new, but it feels new due to its comedic approach. If nothing else, it just feels nice to experience this world again. It’s been too long, and it honestly baffles me that Warner Bros. is seemingly intent on forsaking anything Looney Tunes-related. Imagine if Disney made a movie of this quality starring Micky Mouse, and then sold it to the highest bidder. That would be insanity, but I guess we should never expect movie studios to be sane. B+