The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie | |
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Directed by | Pete Browngardt |
Written by |
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Based on | Looney Tunes by Warner Bros. |
Starring | |
Edited by | Nick Simotas |
Music by | Joshua Moshier |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Ketchup Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 91 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
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, and Laraine Newman. Its story centers on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as they try to save the Earth from an alien invasion.
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, making it the second Looney Tunes film to not be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures domestically after Bugs Bunny Superstar (which was originally released by United Artists).
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. [2]
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. [4] 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. [2] Eric Bauza reprised his voice role as Daffy and took over as the voice of Porky, replacing Bob Bergen. [5] Candi Milo replaced Lara Jill Miller as Petunia Pig. [3] Additional starring cast members include Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight. [1]
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. [4] 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. [6] In June 2023, the film was retitled Looney Tunes: Bubble Brains. [7] 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. [8] [9]
The film's world premiere took place at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebration on June 11, 2024. [10] [1] It was first released theatrically in Germany and Switzerland by the local branch of Warner Bros. Pictures on August 1, 2024. [1] [11] [12] [13] That same month, it was announced that Ketchup Entertainment acquired North American theatrical distribution rights. [14] The film was screened at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 19, 2024. [15] It is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on February 28, 2025. [16]
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. [17] 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. [18]
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. [19] [20] 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". [21]
Melvin Jerome Blanc was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy radio programs, including those of Jack Benny, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, The Great Gildersleeve, Judy Canova and his own short-lived sitcom.
Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in Ben Hardaway's Porky's Hare Hunt (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940). Bob Givens, Chuck Jones, and Robert McKimson are credited for defining Bugs's design.
Looney Tunes is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside the related series Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves.
Daffy Duck is a cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.
Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts featuring the character. Even after he was supplanted by later characters, Porky continued to be popular with moviegoers and, more importantly, the Warners directors, who recast him in numerous everyman and sidekick roles.
Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her significant other, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has pigtailed black hair.
Robin Hood Daffy is a 1958 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on March 8, 1958, and stars Daffy Duck as Robin Hood and Porky Pig as Friar Tuck.
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is a 1988 animated compilation film featuring classic Warner Bros. Cartoons shorts and animated bridging sequences, starring Daffy Duck. The film was released to theaters by Warner Bros. on September 24, 1988. It was the final theatrical production in which Mel Blanc provided the voices of the various Looney Tunes characters before his death in July 1989.
You Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1940 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short film directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 18, 1940, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on March 4, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck along with a number of other prominent Looney Tunes characters. The title is a play on the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Jeffrey Bergman is an American voice actor who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera.
Deduce, You Say is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on September 29, 1956, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The title is a play on the exclamation, "The deuce, you say!"
Daffy's Inn Trouble is a 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by David Detiege. The short was released on September 23, 1961, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
The Prize Pest is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson, and written by Tedd Pierce. The cartoon was released on December 22, 1951, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
This is a list of all cartoons featuring Porky Pig. Directors are listed in parentheses.
Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies is a 1972 American animated one-hour television movie that was broadcast on ABC on December 16, as an episode of the anthology series The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie. In this Filmation-produced movie, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and other Looney Tunes characters interact with the characters from the Filmation series Groovie Goolies.
Peter Browngardt is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, producer, and voice actor. He is currently working as executive producer and creative director behind Looney Tunes Cartoons. He is best known for being the creator of Cartoon Network's Uncle Grandpa, in which he also voices the title character, a spin-off of the earlier Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. Pete has had prior experience working on shows such as Futurama, The Venture Bros., Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. His main contribution to the Adventure Time series is storyboarding and writing the episode "Wizard".
Looney Tunes Cartoons is an American animated television series developed by Pete Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. The series made its worldwide debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 10, 2019, and premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020.