Vertigo Releasing presents Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up in UK and Ireland cinemas from February 13, 2026.
Synopsis
Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are Earth’s only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion.
Review
It’s quite hard to believe that there has never been a fully animated, feature-length Looney Tunes movie until now. Sure, there have been movies such as Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, which blended live-action with animation, but the fact that The Day The Earth Blew Up is the first solely animated movie to feature these iconic characters ever is very surprising.
So, considering this is a first for the franchise, does it manage to deliver in terms of being a fun animated movie, but also as a treat for lifelong fans? The answer to all of the above is a resounding yes.
Peter Browngardt, who has been behind a lot of the Looney Tunes shorts in recent years, directs this film with an unbridled sense of urgency as if this is the only chance he’s going to get at doing this. The whole thing moves at a rapid pace, very rarely coming up for air, but thankfully, the jokes manage to keep up as they are just as relentless as the film itself. The humour is fast and loud, mixing a large variety of comedic styles and joke types into one, ranging from good old-fashioned slapstick to fourth-wall breaks to double entendres and even some occasional uses of observational humour regarding modern society.
A lot of these jokes hit their marks perfectly, with some even going as far as to mix up animation styles for a single shot just for the sake of a laugh. The commitment to throwing as many jokes at the wall to see what sticks is really commendable here, as there are so many visual and verbal gags on offer that it is hard to catch every punchline the movie has in store. Even the story itself, which is a scatterbrained mashup of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Armageddon, gets funnier with every twist that occurs, and I just love how it chooses to double down on every bizarre choice it goes for rather than playing it safe.
There are a few moments of downtime dotted here and there, but even these scenes never fail to get a chuckle or two. The movie does deliver some rather entertaining and surprisingly suspenseful sequences as well, including a scene where a nightmarish bubblegum monster hunts down our main characters and a really enjoyable action montage set to R.E.M.’s It’s the End of the World as We Know It which put a massively stupid grin on my face.
The 2D animation on display is also something worth revelling in, as it retains and respects the classic hand-drawn style that the series is most famous for, whilst adding a frenetic sense of energy and vivid colour palette that makes everything pop off the screen in the most vibrant manner. In every essence, this still looks and feels like Looney Tunes but with a much-needed shot of adrenaline that it requires. The backgrounds maintain the hand-painted look from the original shorts, whilst the characters are designed and animated in a way that keeps their elasticity and bounciness that was so present in those classic cartoons.
On a similar note, Eric Bauza must be praised for voicing not just Daffy Duck but Porky Pig as well. He stays true to the characteristics we all know and love from these characters and introduces a little bit of complexity that is very much appreciated from a story perspective. There is also the addition of Petunia Pig, who is wonderfully implemented into the proceedings. It would have been nice to see some other familiar Looney Tunes faces in the mix, like Marvin the Martian or Bugs Bunny, but Petunia more than makes up for the lack of other characters with her charming but bold personality as well as the traits she shares with Porky. Though Daffy and Porky are rightfully at the front and centre of this story, Petunia is a more than welcome inclusion to the group.
It’s sad to see Warner Bros. drop the ball with this movie when it comes to distributing and marketing it, because The Day The Earth Blew Up is genuinely brilliant in every sense of the word. Now that it is finally getting the cinematic release it deserves in the UK, I implore as many of you as possible to go and see it. 2D animation is a rarity nowadays outside of TV, and it’s movies such as this that remind us not just how playful they can be but also how stunning they can look when done to a high standard. The fact that it happens to be a brilliantly wacky love letter to Looney Tunes is just the icing on the cake at this point.
Verdict
The Day The Earth Blew Up is the bonkers restart Looney Tunes needs on the big screen. With its colourful animation, bursting at the seams with endless amounts of laughs and energy from start to finish, this really is a must-watch for animation fans, young and old.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
