The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

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The Day the Earth Blew Up:
A Looney Tunes Movie
The Day the Earth Blew Up A Looney Tunes Movie poster.jpg
Teaser poster
Directed by Pete Browngardt
Written by
  • Darrick Bachman
  • Pete Browngardt
  • Kevin Costello
  • Andrew Dickman
  • David Gemmill
  • Alex Kirwan
  • Ryan Kramer
  • Jason Reicher
  • Michael Ruocco
  • Johnny Ryan
  • Eddie Trigueros
Based on Looney Tunes
by Warner Bros.
Starring
Edited byNick Simotas
Music byJoshua Moshier
Production
company
Distributed by Ketchup Entertainment
Release dates
  • June 11, 2024 (2024-06-11)(Annecy)
  • February 28, 2025 (2025-02-28)(United States)
Running time
91 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million [2]
Box office$420,960 [3]

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a 2024 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Directed by Pete Browngardt in his directorial debut, it is the first original fully animated feature film of the Looney Tunes franchise to receive a worldwide theatrical release. The film is an adaptation of the Looney Tunes Cartoons series developed by Browngardt and features the voices of Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight. Its story centers on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as they try to save the Earth from an alien invasion.

Contents

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2024, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Ketchup Entertainment on February 28, 2025.

Premise

Due to a series of antics at the bubblegum factory, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig discover a secret alien plot to take over the Earth via mind-control. The duo must work together to stop the aliens, while trying to avoid driving each other insane. [4]

Voice cast

Production

In September 2021, it was reported that a film based on the Looney Tunes Cartoons series was in development at Warner Bros. Animation, focusing on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. [6] Kevin Costello, who previously wrote Warner Animation Group's Tom & Jerry released earlier that year, was announced as the writer, with Pete Browngardt returning from Looney Tunes Cartoons as an executive producer and director. [4] Eric Bauza reprised his voice role as Daffy and took over as the voice of Porky, replacing Bob Bergen. [7] Candi Milo replaced Lara Jill Miller as Petunia Pig. [5] Additional starring cast members include Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight. [1] Main animation for the film was provided by Tonic DNA and Snipple Animation. Titmouse, Inc. provided animation for 1 sequence. [8]

Release

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was originally set to be released on Max, which was then known as HBO Max, and the "ACME Night" block on Cartoon Network. [6] However in August 2022, it was reported that due to a restructuring at Warner Bros. Discovery, the film would no longer be released on HBO Max nor Cartoon Network and that instead would be shopped around to other streaming services. [9] In June 2023, the film was retitled Looney Tunes: Bubble Brains. [10] In October 2023, it was announced that the film would instead be released in theaters in 2024, with the title reverting to the original; GFM Animation launched sales and presented first-look footage at the American Film Market, which ran from October 31 to November 5, 2023. [11] [12]

The film's world premiere took place at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebration on June 11, 2024. [13] [1] It was first released theatrically in Germany and Switzerland on August 1, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures and Praesens-Film. [1] [14] [15] [16] That same month, it was announced that Ketchup Entertainment acquired North American theatrical distribution rights. [17] The film was screened at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 19, 2024. [18] It is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on February 28, 2025. [19] In order for it to be eligible for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the film was screened early in Los Angeles for 7 days starting on December 13, 2024. [20]

Marketing

The film was promoted during the Warner Bros. Discovery panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, where the film's original title was unveiled. [21] An early animation clip for the film was released on September 22, 2022. It was shown during the Warner Bros. Animation panel at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. [22] On December 10, 2024, a trio of teaser posters were revealed, which were the first piece of US marketing the film received. On December 12, 2024, the official English teaser was released.

Reception

Box office

As of December 12,2024, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie grossed over $400,000 worldwide. [3]

The film was released on August 1, 2024, in Germany, where it grossed $90,000 in its opening weekend.[ citation needed ] In Italy, the film was released on November 7 and grossed $152,000 on its opening weekend, finishing in 12th place. In its second weekend, the film dropped 59.1% and grossed $60,000, finishing in 18th. On November 14, the film was released in Slovakia and Bulgaria and grossed $20,000 and $35,000, respectively, and finished in eleventh and fourth place. [3] The film was also released in the Czech Republic on November 14, where it grossed $45,000 on its opening weekend, ending with $72,000 after its theatrical run.

Critical response

Upon its respective premieres in Annecy and Los Angeles, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie received overwhelmingly positive reactions from attendees. [23] [24] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.4/10. [25]

Peter Debruge of Variety praised the film for its comedy and emotional core, and felt that the entire project was "crafted with love and a genuine respect for the franchise". [1] Rafael Motomayor of IGN awarded the film a 9 out of 10 star rating. He praised its comedy, emotional core, animation, and Bauza's voice performances, and referred to it as "one of the funniest movies of the year". [26]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Debruge, Peter (June 12, 2024). "The Day the Earth Blew Up Review: Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Save the World in Side-Splitting Looney Tunes Movie". Variety . Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ "From the Brink to the Big Screen: How the Looney Tunes Film Defied the Odds". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Milligan, Mercedes (September 1, 2021). "WarnerMedia Kids & Family Launching 'ACME Night' Block Sept. 19". Animation Magazine . Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Alexa, Laurén (January 25, 2024). "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie Headed to Theaters". Animation World Network . Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "WarnerMedia Kids & Family Launches New Family Destination, ACME Night, Sundays on Cartoon Network Starting Sept. 19 and HBO Max Next Year" (Press release). WarnerMedia. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Schreur, Brandon (June 10, 2024). "The Day the Earth Blew Up Clip Previews Theatrical Daffy Duck & Porky Pig Looney Tunes Movie". ComingSoon.net . Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/12/daffy-and-porky-to-the-rescue-director-peter-browngardt-looks-back-at-the-making-of-the-day-the-earth-blew-up-a-looney-tunes-movie/
  9. ↑ Mitovich, Matt Webb (August 22, 2022). "Batman Series, Urkel Holiday Movie Among Animated Projects Not Moving Forward at Max, Will Be Shopped". TVLine. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ Reif, Alex (June 20, 2023). "Annecy 2023 Recap: Warner Bros. Animation Teases Batman: Caped Crusader, Tiny Toons Looniversity, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and more at Annecy Festival". Laughing Place.
  11. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (October 26, 2023). "Looney Tunes Movie The Day the Earth Blew Up Launching at AFM From Warner Bros. Animation, GFM Animation (Exclusive)". Variety . Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ Humes, Kaitlin (October 28, 2023). "Looney Tunes Reveals First Look at First-Ever Fully-Animated Theatrical Release". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  13. ↑ Lang, Jamie (May 13, 2024). "First Looks and World Premiere Headline Stacked Annecy Celebration Lineup". Variety . Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (June 10, 2024). "Porky and Daffy Pull Fast One in Looney Tunes Movie The Day the Earth Blew Up Sneak Peek (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Day the Earth blew up - A Looney Tunes Movie". Praesens-Film. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  16. ↑ "WarnerBros.de | Ein klebriges Abenteuer: Daffy Duck und Schweinchen Dick retten den Planeten | Filme". www.warnerbros.de. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  17. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (August 8, 2024). "Warner Bros Animation's Looney Tunes Movie The Day The Earth Blew Up To Hit Theaters In New Ketchup Entertainment Deal". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  18. ↑ Taylor, Drew (September 29, 2024). "Animation Is Film Festival Includes 'The Day the Earth Blew Up' Screening, 'Moana 2' Panel". TheWrap . Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  19. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 17, 2024). "'The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie' Sets Winter 2025 Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (December 16, 2024). "From the Brink to the Big Screen: How the Looney Tunes Film Defied the Odds". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (July 25, 2022). "Looney Tunes Panel Shares Witch Hazel Special, LTC Movie, Tiny Toons Looniversity". Animation Magazine . Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  22. ↑ Taylor, Drew (September 22, 2022). "Watch a Clip from New Looney Tunes Movie The Day the Earth Blew Up (Exclusive Video)". TheWrap . Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  23. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (June 12, 2024). "Looney Tunes Movie The Day the Earth Blew Up Debuts to Boisterous Laughter at Annecy". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  24. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (June 12, 2024). "Annecy Attendees Go Looney for The Day the Earth Blew Up at Its Annecy Premiere". Variety . Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  25. ↑ "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  26. ↑ Motamayor, Rafael (June 28, 2024). "The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie Review". IGN . Retrieved June 29, 2024.
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