In 2019, while working on Looney Tunes Cartoons, Browngardt was asked if he had any ideas for a new Looney Tunes feature film. Browngardt eventually settled on the premise of a "sci-fiB-movie from the '50s," starring Daffy and Porky. He took inspiration from features of the era and shorts starring the cartoon duo. Warner Bros. Animation, alongside several vendors, provided the animation for the film, of which its character designs were modeled after the style of animator Bob Clampett. Joshua Moshier, who previously worked on Looney Tunes Cartoons, composed the film's score.
Upon its announcement in 2021, The Day the Earth Blew Up was originally set to be released on HBO Max and the "ACME Night" block on Cartoon Network. The film however premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2024 and had a limited release in the United States on December 13, 2024 by Ketchup Entertainment, before expanding wide on March 14, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $9 million worldwide against a budget of $15 million.
Plot
A scientist discovers a massive asteroid heading towards Earth and a UFO speeding past it; he records his observations on a tape recorder before investigating the UFO crash site, whereupon he is possessed by a strange green goo.
Many years ago, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig were raised by a farmer named Jim, who one day left everything to the duo under the promise that they would always stick together. In the present, Daffy and Porky fail a house inspection, and the inspector, Mrs. Grecht, gives them ten days to find enough money to repair a large hole in their roof (caused by the crashed UFO). However, Daffy's antics get them fired from every job they try. The duo eventually meet Petunia Pig, a scientist working at the local Goodie Gum factory trying to develop the perfect "explosive" flavor of chewing gum, albeit with limited success and actual explosions. Porky is immediately smitten with her, and she offers the two jobs at the factory to help launch their newest flavor.
After completing their first shift, Daffy catches the possessed Scientist contaminating the gum supply with more green goo and fears that an alien invader is plotting something sinister. Daffy tries to alert Porky, but he dismisses it as paranoia. The new gum flavor is launched worldwide, and Daffy realizes everyone chewing the gum becomes a zombie; he tries to warn the public at the launch party, but he and Porky are fired instead.
Daffy and an angry Porky ask Petunia to investigate a gum sample, where they discover an alien invader has indeed contaminated the new flavor. The Invader transforms the sample into a monster to prevent them from interfering, but they manage to incinerate it. The three concoct a plan to make the zombies spit out the gum with Petunia's rotten egg extract and burn it before the Invader can take control of them again. However, Porky tells Daffy to stay behind and produce more extract, concerned his ineptitude will ruin the plan.
Porky and Petunia save most of the town until Daffy arrives and accidentally destroys their weapons. The zombies capture and convert Petunia, destroy Daffy and Porky's house, and offer them to the Invader. With Earth's entire population zombified and the captured Daffy and Porky furious with each other, the Invader commands everyone to blow a combined bubble large enough to encase the entire planet. Daffy and Porky tearfully reconcile and escape confinement, free Petunia and the Scientist from the Invader's control, and pop the gum bubble surrounding the Earth.
However, the Invader reveals he was actually trying to protect Earth and its supply of bubble tea – the giant gum bubble was meant to deflect the massive asteroid still hurtling towards the planet. Porky, Daffy, Petunia, the Invader, and the Scientist develop a new plan to destroy the asteroid from the inside with Petunia's explosive gum and a horde of wind-up novelty teeth. When the teeth fail to chew the gum in time, Porky allows Daffy to go completely crazy, and his antics cause stalactite crystals to fall and "chew" the gum. Daffy gets stuck to a crystal while escaping, and Porky refuses to abandon him; the asteroid explodes before hitting Earth, but Daffy and Porky are presumed dead.
As everyone celebrates the Invader, the Scientist, and the heartbroken Petunia, the crystal with Daffy and Porky crash lands on Earth. Petunia kisses Porky and discovers that the crystal's flavor is the missing ingredient to perfect her gum. Furthermore, Daffy and Porky find that Farmer Jim left them a $5 million home insurance contract; they, Petunia, the Invader, and the Scientist build a lavish mansion with the money, angering Grecht.
Joshua Moshier, who previously worked on Looney Tunes Cartoons, composed the film's score.[11] Moshier enjoyed working with Bronwngardt on the project as the director was supportive of his creative choices. Moshier was tasked with translating the sound of the classic Looney Tunes shorts to a "modern cinematic presentation" and exploring the relationship of Daffy and Porky in the themes. The 80-minute score was recorded in Los Angeles with a full orchestra.[12] The soundtrack album was released digitally by WaterTower Music on March 14, 2025, and will be released on vinyl by Enjoy The Ride Records.[12][13]
Release
The Day the Earth Blew Up was originally set to be released on HBO Max and the "ACME Night" block on Cartoon Network.[8] 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.[14] In June 2023, the film was retitled Looney Tunes: Bubble Brains.[15] 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.[16][17]
The film's world premiere took place at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebration on June 11, 2024.[18][1] It was first released theatrically in Germany and Switzerland on August 1, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures and Praesens-Film.[1][19][20][21] That same month, it was announced that Ketchup Entertainment acquired North American theatrical distribution rights.[22] The film was screened at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 19, 2024.[23] Two days prior to the Los Angeles screening, Ketchup scheduled the film's wide theatrical release date in the United States for February 28, 2025.[24] On February 5, 2025, it was revealed that the film's wide release date was pushed back to March 14, 2025.[25] In order for it to be eligible for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for the 2024 awards, the film was released in Los Angeles for 7 days starting on December 13 of that year.[2]
Ketchup Entertainment will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray on May 27, 2025 in the United States. In Germany and Switzerland, the film became available on digital retailers on October 28, 2024.[28]
Reception
Box office
As of March24,2025[update], The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie has grossed $6.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $9 million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada, the film expanded wide alongside Black Bag, Opus, The Last Supper, and Novocaine, and was projected to gross around $3million from 2,827 theaters during the weekend.[29] It met those projections, grossing $3.2million.[30][31]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 83 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "Restoring much of Looney Tunes' quintessential charm with a daffy dose of high energy and inventive gags, The Day the Earth Blew Up goes to show that these iconic characters remain evergreen fun."[32]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[33] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 89% overall positive score, with 72% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[30]
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".[34]
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