| The Day the Earth Blew Up | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pete Browngardt |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Looney Tunes byWarner Bros. |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Nick Simotas |
| Music by | Joshua Moshier |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Ketchup Entertainment (North America) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million[2] |
| Box office | $15.3 million[3][4] |
The Day the Earth Blew Up[a] is a 2024 American animatedscience fiction comedy film produced byWarner Bros. Animation. Directed byPete Browngardt in his featuredirectorial debut, the film is a spin-off from theLooney Tunes Cartoons series developed by Browngardt, and is the first fully animated and theatrically released film in theLooney Tunes franchise consisting of entirely original material. It features the voices ofEric Bauza,Candi Milo, andPeter MacNicol. The film followsDaffy Duck andPorky Pig as they try to save Earth from achewing gum-based alien scheme.
In 2019, while working onLooney Tunes Cartoons, Browngardt was asked if he had any ideas for a newLooney 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 animatorBob Clampett. Joshua Moshier, who previously worked onLooney Tunes Cartoons, composed thefilm's score.
Upon its announcement in 2021,The Day the Earth Blew Up was originally set to be released onHBO Max and the "ACME Night" block onCartoon Network. Instead, however, the film premiered at theAnnecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2024, and had a limited release in the United States on December 13, 2024, byKetchup Entertainment, before expanding wide on March 14, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $15.3 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.
In the town of Grandview, a scientist discovers an asteroid heading towards Earth, but then discovers a UFO hurtling alongside it, which crashes onto Earth. When he goes to investigate, he vanishes.
Years earlier,Daffy Duck andPorky Pig were raised by a farmer named Jim, who left everything to the duo under the promise that they would learn the power of responsibility through relying on each other.
In the present, Daffy and Porky fail ahome inspection when the inspector, Mrs. Grecht, points out a gigantic hole in their roof (caused by the UFO). With little time to repair their house before it is condemned, the duo is forced to come up with money to pay for the repairs. After being fired from multiple jobs due to Daffy's antics, the duo come acrossPetunia Pig, a scientist working at the GoodieGum factory, trying to find the perfect flavor. She offers the two a job at the factory, and they accept.
After completing their first shift with no issues, Daffy discovers the scientist pouring green goo into the gum supply. Recognizing the goo as the same residue lining the hole in their roof, Daffy tries to alert Porky, but he dismisses it as paranoia. The new gum flavor is launched worldwide, and Daffy realizes everyone who chews the gum gets turned into azombie. He tries to warn the public at the launch party, only to get arrested after he annoys the Mayor. Consequently, he and Porky are fired.
After a frustrated Porky bails Daffy out of jail, the duo meets up with Petunia again. Daffy asks her to investigate a gum sample, and she discovers an alien invader is responsible for contaminating the gum. The Invader turns the gum into a sentient monster to eliminate the three from thwarting his plans, but they defeat it. Getting an idea, the three conceive a plan to spray people with Petunia's rotten egg extract to make them spit out the gum and burn it while in mid-air. Concerned that Daffy will only get in the way, Porky tells him to stay behind and lay eggs to produce more extract.
Porky and Petunia are successful in their plan until Daffy decides to step in and try to fight back as well, causing him to accidentally destroy their weapons. Petunia is captured, while Porky and Daffy are abducted by the Invader. With all of Earth's population under his control, the Invader initiates the second step in his plan, which has everyone blow a bubble big enough to encase the entire planet. Daffy and Porky escape confinement, managing to free Petunia and the scientist as well, and popping the bubble.
However, it turns out the Invader was trying to protect Earth, as the asteroid from earlier is still hurtling towards the planet; he planned to use the gum bubble as a shield to bounce the asteroid away, saving Earth and its precious resource ofboba tea that he cherishes dearly. Remembering Petunia's exploding gum, the three, with the help of the Invader and the scientist, enter a weak spot in the asteroid and place a surplus of the gum by a large crystal, where a surplus of wind-up novelty teeth will chew up the gum. When the teeth are accidentally tipped over, Porky instructs Daffy to go crazy, where his antics cause stalactite crystals to fall and "chew" the gum. However, when the three attempt to escape, Daffy gets stuck, and Porky refuses to leave his side. The asteroid explodes before hitting Earth, and Daffy and Porky are presumed dead.
Whilst everyone on Earth celebrates, Daffy and Porky are revealed to have survived as they crash-land on Earth stuck to a large asteroid crystal, much to the joy of Petunia, who kisses Porky and also discovers the crystals are the missing ingredient for her perfect gum flavor. As Daffy and Porky examine their destroyed house, Porky discovers behind a family portrait he saved earlier that Farmer Jim left them a $5 millionhome insurance contract, thus allowing them to build a new house. Mrs. Grecht returns for a follow-up inspection, only for Porky, Daffy, Petunia, the Invader, and the scientist to flex their newmansion to her, causing her head to explode.
In 2019, while working on the seriesLooney Tunes Cartoons for thestreaming serviceHBO Max, series developerPeter Browngardt was asked if he had any ideas for a newLooney Tunes feature film.[7] After considering several genre settings, Browngardt eventually settled on the premise of a "sci-fiB-movie from the '50s," in the vein of films such asInvasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) andThe Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).[7][8] He also knew he wanted the film to center onDaffy Duck andPorky Pig, acknowledging the characters' previous appearances together in the science fiction-themedMerrie Melodies short filmsDuck Dodgers (1953) andRocket Squad (1956).[7]
In September 2021, it was reported that a film based on theLooney Tunes Cartoons series was in development atWarner Bros. Animation, focusing onDaffy Duck andPorky Pig.[9] Kevin Costello, who previously wroteWarner Animation Group'sTom & Jerry released earlier that year, was announced as the writer, with Browngardt serving as an executive producer and director.[10] In addition to Costello and Browngardt, ninestoryboard artists worked on thescreenplay and ultimately received writing credit.[7]
Eric Bauza voices Daffy and Porky, replacingBob Bergen for the latter character.[11]Candi Milo replacedLara Jill Miller asPetunia Pig.[5] Additional starring cast members includePeter MacNicol,Fred Tatasciore,Laraine Newman, andWayne Knight.[6]
Warner Bros. Animation, Tonic DNA,Powerhouse Animation and Snipple Animation worked on the film, withTitmouse, Inc. providing animation for one sequence.[7][8] The characters' designs were modelled after the style ofLooney Tunes animatorBob Clampett, while the design for The Invader, the film's antagonist, was inspired byInvasion of the Saucer Men (1957).[8]
Joshua Moshier, who previously worked onLooney Tunes Cartoons, composed thefilm's score.[12] 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 classicLooney 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.[13] The soundtrack album was released digitally byWaterTower Music on March 14, 2025, and on vinyl by Enjoy The Ride Records.[13][14] Plus, popular songs including "Chewy Chewy" byOhio Express, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" byBryan Adams, and more are used in the film.[15]
The Day the Earth Blew Up was originally set to be released onHBO Max and the "ACME Night" block onCartoon Network.[9] In August 2022, however, it was reported that due to a restructuring atWarner Bros. Discovery, the film would no longer be released on those channels and that instead would be shopped around to other streaming services.[16] In June 2023, the film was retitledLooney Tunes: Bubble Brains.[17] 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 theAmerican Film Market, which ran from October 31 to November 5, 2023.[18][19]
The film's world premiere took place at theAnnecy International Animation Film Festival celebration on June 11, 2024.[20][6] It was first released theatrically in Germany and Switzerland on August 1, 2024 byWarner Bros. Pictures and Praesens-Film.[6][21][22][23] That same month, it was announced thatKetchup Entertainment acquired North American theatrical distribution rights.[24] The film was screened at the Animation Is Film Festival inLos Angeles on October 19, 2024.[25] 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.[26] On February 5, 2025, it was revealed that the film's wide release date was pushed back to March 14, 2025.[27] In order for it to beeligible for anAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature for the2024 awards, the film was released in limited theaters in Los Angeles for 7 days starting on December 13 of that year.[2] In Australia, the film was released byPinnacle Films on March 27, 2025.[28] A4D version of the film was released on December 23, 2025 atWarner Bros. Movie World'sRoxy Theatre.[29][30]
The film was promoted during theWarner Bros. Discovery panel at the 2022San Diego Comic-Con, where the film's original title was unveiled.[31] An early animation clip for the film was released on September 22, 2022. It was shown during the Warner Bros. Animation panel at theOttawa International Animation Festival.[32]
Ketchup Entertainment released the film onDVD andBlu-ray on May 27, 2025 in the United States.[33] In Germany and Switzerland, the film became available on digital retailers on October 28, 2024.[34][35] The film was later made available on digital retailers in the United States on April 15, 2025.[36] The film was released onHBO Max (where it was initially intended to debut) on June 27, 2025.[37]
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie grossed $8.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $6.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $15.3 million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada, the film expanded wide alongsideBlack Bag,Opus,The Last Supper, andNovocaine, and was projected to gross around $3 million from 2,827 theaters during the weekend.[38] It met those projections, grossing $3.2 million.[39][40]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 86% of 111 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Restoring much ofLooney 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."[41]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[42] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed byPostTrak gave it an 89% overall positive score, with 72% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.[39]
Peter Debruge ofVariety 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".[6] Rafael Motomayor ofIGN 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".[43]
