35) The Day the Earth Blew Up (2025)

              

"Chew!"

Director
Pete Browngardt

Cast

Eric Bauza - Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
Candi Milo - Petunia Pig and the Old Lady
Peter MacNicol - the Invader
Fred Tatasciore - Farmer Jim and the Scientist
Laraine Newman - Mrs. Grecht
Wayne Knight - the Mayor of Grandview
Ruth Clampett - Waitress Maude

I didn't realize until after watching 2025's Looney Tunes movie, "The Day the Earth Blew Up" how much I missed seeing a new movie traditionally animated. By that, I mean an ink and paint cartoon. My eyes have consumed too much CGI animation from from Pixar and the like for way too long. 

I don't recall the last time I've enjoyed an "old school" animated movie. It was definitely years ago. 

When it comes to the Looney Tunes, I've always preferred the cartoons animated by the late, great Chuck Jones or Friz Freleng between 1938 to 1963. In my youth I was a dedicate viewer of the Looney Tunes along with the Steven Spielberg spin-off "Tiny Toons" from the early to mid-1990s. The same goes for Spielberg's "Animaniacs" - one of the best animated series that ever aired. It wasn't Looney Tunes but it was close enough. 

"The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show" was part of my Saturday morning cartoon viewing routine back in early nineties. The show was the last in my morning lineup. When its credits rolled, that meant the rest of my weekend could now start. 

I often joke with my wife, a long-time Disney afficionado, that Looney Tunes are a lot funnier than Disney animated shorts. I have to admit, deep down, I really believe that's true. 

So, the movie begins as a scientist witnesses a UFO crash near his laboratory. He goes to inspect the aftermath, and then suddenly disappears. 

Meanwhile, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) struggle to save the farmhouse they've inherited from Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore) who raised them both since their duckling and piglet days. 

Among the repairs needed to satisfy the inspecting eye of house inspector Mrs. Grecht (Laraine Newman) is a giant hole in the roof caused by the same UFO. 

Mrs. Grecht threatens to seize the property if repairs aren't made. So, Daffy and Porky try to get a job. Unfortunately, they quickly lose each job they're hired into. 

They finally land a solid gig working for Petunia Pig (Candi Milo) who's a gum flavor expert at a chewing gum factory. Of course, Porky has got the hots for Petunia. 

It's there that Daffy discovers a strange green goo being mixed into the gum and turning gum chewers into mindless zombies. 

This strange green goo is just the tip of the gum wad. Petunia, Daffy and Porky figure out that an alien invader is behind it with plans to control the people of Earth so it can invade and conquer. Typical alien behavior if you ask me. 

So, now they have to save the planet before it's kaput! 

If this movie demonstrates anything, it's that classic animation is still as entertaining and appealing as it used to be, and the Looney Tunes are still hilarious even with the same old gags and jokes. 

The movie brings back the appeal and classic humor of the Looney Tunes. Daffy, Porky, and Petunia are the only Looney Tunes characters in the movie which keeps things in focus. It has all the feels of a Looney Tunes cartoon embraces the traditional methods and formulas that made these cartoons last through decade after decade.

This movie has Porky Pig wearing gloves. Daffy Duck is not so much the Daffy who'd glare at Bugs Bunny and spit out his saliva saturated catchphrase, "You're despicable!" No, this is the Daffy Duck who'd jump around a lot like a maniac, or rather a Looney, and shout, "Woo - hoo! Woo - hoo!" 

The movie is old school to the core with a variety of throw backs to classic, and I do mean classic, Looney Tunes cartoons. It even includs one of my favorite gags from the old cartoons in which a member of the movie audience stands up, his silhouette visible on the bottom of the screen, and interrupts the movie. Classic!  

Of course, there's just enough updated material to keep things fresh.

There's also a quick joke showing just how Daffy is responsible for Porky's famous stutter. 

I always preferred the Chuck Jones animated cartoons as those are the ones I ate my bowls of cereal to every Saturday morning while watching the "Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show." The only reason my younger self would get up early on a Saturday morning, 

The movie is pure entertainment right down to the plot. It's a satisfying throwback flick that, surprisingly, didn't get much attention when it was released in theaters in March of 2025. I saw adds for it, but not a lot of discussion. I kept it in the back of my memory until I was able to borrow a copy from the local library. 

The movie is a great entertaining triumph of hand-drawn charm and perfectly timed lunacy. I got more laughs out of the movie than I anticipated. "The Day the Earth Blew Up" proves that classic animation, smart storytelling, and timeless gags can still light up a screen.