Director: Pete Browngardt
Cast: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman, Wayne Knight
Plot: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig take jobs at a chewing gum factory, where they discover and alien plot to subject the people of Earth to mind control through chewing gum infected with an alien parasite.
Review: Although the Looney Tunes cast if characters have remained recognisable figures in pop culture since their inception almost a hundred years ago, it is largely off the strength of their older cartoon shorts rather than the modern interpretations of their comedy. Beyond the original Space Jam they’ve never found themselves successful on the big screen, with many of their features and live action/animation films failure to capture that special spark that existed in the heyday of Chuck Jones.
With that timeline recap, if there’s only one thing we said about The Day the Earth Blew Up, it would be that it feels more like a classic Looney Tunes cartoon than anything we’re seen for decades.
Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (Bauza, pulling double duty as the two lead characters) are shown to have grown up together under the caring eye of ‘Farmer Jim’, a weirdly animated Norman Rockwell type figure, and continued on to be roommates as ‘adults’. With a large hole having appeared in their roof, along with an unusual goo, forces them to find jobs to repair the damage before being evicted. Daffy’s antics makes this a challenge, but a chance encounter with Petunia Pig (Milo) lands them a job pulling levers at the gum factory. It’s here that Daffy discovers an evil alien plot.
The Invader (MacNicol) is a UFO piloting alien in orbit around the Earth, who has turned the gum into a parasite like creature that is turning people into zombies. Working together with scientist Petunia, Porky and Daffy set out to save the Earth and defeat the Invader. The only issue standing in the way is Porky lacking faith in Daffy to not do something insane.
It’s not the most complex of plots, but it’s got enough unexpected turns to keep it engaging for viewers of all ages. It keeps the gags coming quick, with a healthy blend of wordplay and physical comedy. Fortunately, it goes the opposite direction of the previous Looney Tunes effort Space Jam: A New Legacy by keeping the comedy style pretty timeless. There’s minimal references to modern trends (whilst the aforementioned dreck was only that) and even if one joke doesn’t land it doesn’t take long for another to roll along. Peter MacNicol provides some of the best line deliveries as the alien invader, and we suspect he was also the physical inspiration for some of the animation.
We don’t get many straight up comedies these days, or traditional animated features. It’s certainly nice to see a movie that delivers both is spades without forced subversiveness. We are surprised to see it coming out in theatres instead of straight to streaming, but it’s well worth checking out. If you’re a parent looking for something to take the kids to, it’s a damn sight less grating that whatever the Minions are up to. More people should see this to send the message that this classic approach is what works and we want more of it. Simple and childish, yes, but it works.
Rating: SEVEN out of TEN
