Review: "THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is a Pure "Looney Tunes" Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 of 2025 (No. 2042) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) – animated

Running time:  91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

Rated: MPA – PG for cartoon violence/action and rude/suggestive humor

DIRECTOR:  Pete Browngardt

WRITERS:  Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan, and Eddie Trigueros

PRODUCERS:  Michael Baum (line); Alex Kirwan (supervising)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:  Sam Register and Pete Browngardt

EDITOR:  Nick Simotas

COMPOSER:  Joshua Moshier

ANIMATION/SCI-FI and COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Carlos Alazraqui, Kimberly Brooks, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- Fans of traditional, hand-drawn animation and fans of the “Looney Tunes” will want to give “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” a try for the simple fact that it is a traditional, hand-drawn, Looney Tunes animated film

-- However, it is good, not great, but it goes down like nostalgia-infused hot cocoa.

-- Eric Bauza's voice performances as both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are so pitch perfect that I would swear that Looney Tunes voice legend, Mel Blanc, had performed the roles

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a 2025 American animated science fiction comedy from director Peter Browngardt.  Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, the film stars two classic “Looney Tunes” characters, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.  In The Day the Earth Blew Up, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the Earth from an alien invasion involving a creepy new flavor of chewing gum.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie opens in the town of Grandview.  There, The Scientist (Fred Tatasciore) discovers an asteroid heading towards Earth, and then, he discovers a UFO hurtling alongside the asteroid.  When the UFO crashes onto Earth, The Scientist goes to investigate the crash site, where he vanishes.

The story moves to Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza) and Porky Pig (Eric Bauza), and the story of how they were raised by Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore).  When Daffy and Porky become adults, Farmer Jim leaves everything to the duo under the promise that they would learn the power of responsibility through relying on each other.  Now, however, Daffy and Porky are in danger of losing the home Farmer Jim left them because they fail a city home inspection.

In need of cash for home repairs, the duo gets a job at the “Goodie Gum” factory, where they meet Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), a Goodie Gum scientist who is trying to develop the perfect chewing gum flavor.  Porky falls in love with Petunia, while Daffy keeps causing disasters.  That is all interrupted when the trio discovers that their is an alien conspiracy, initiated by “The Invader” (Peter MacNicol), and assisted by The Scientist, who is now possessed.  The Invader seemingly wants to control the world, using the launch of Goodie Gum's new flavor, “Super Strongberry.”  Are Daffy, Porky, and their new pal, Petunia, up to the challenge of saving the Earth from being... blown up?

There have been Looney Tunes films for several decades.  Those include The Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Daffy Ducks Quackbusters (1988), and the live-action animation hybrid, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).  However, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is the first fully animated and theatrically released Looney Tunes film that consists of entirely original material.  I hope that it is not the last, but The Day the Earth Blew Up isn't a great film.

Don't get me wrong.  It is entertaining, visually inventive, full of clever sight gags, and energetic.  The voice performances are exceptional, and Canadian voice actor, Eric Bauza, matches the sound and spirit of classic Looney Tunes voice actor, the late Mel Blanc (1908-89).  Two of Bauza's three Emmy Award wins are for his Looney Tunes work, and he should win some awards for his work in this film.

The Day the Earth Blew Up is charming and also respectful of its Warner Bros. animation roots and cartoon legacy.  For all its energy (mostly in the second half) and novel story elements, this film feels a bit too long.  Too much of the movie feels forced, and I get why Warner Bros. Pictures passed on distributing this movie itself.  The Day the Earth Blew Up is niche entertainment, and its limited box office appeal probably wasn't worth the time and costs of distributing it theatrically.

Luckily, Ketchup Entertainment didn't feel that way, and it gave this film a theatrical release, both domestically and internationally.  The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie deserved that, because despite my reservations, I believe it can start something.  Maybe, Looney Tunes can again be a really big thing with the youngest generations the way it once was with the oldest generations.

6 of 10

B

★★★ out of 4 stars

"THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is available on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: Kurosawa's "HIGH AND LOW" Remains a Superb Police Thriller

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 of 2025 (No. 2041) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tengoku to Jigoku (1963) – Black and White

High and Low – English title

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Japan; Language: Japanese

Running time:  143 minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)

Rating: Not rated

DIRECTOR:  Akira Kurosawa

WRITERS:  Hideo Oguni & Ryuzo Kikushima and Eijiro Hisaita & Akira Kurosawa (based on the novel by Ed McBain)

PRODUCERS:  Ryuzo Kikushima and Tomoyuki Tanaka

CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Asakazu Nakai and Taiko Saito

EDITOR:  Akira Kurosawa

COMPOSER:  Masaru Sato

DRAMA/CRIME/THRILLER

Starring:  Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Kyoko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Yutaka Sada, Takashi Kato, Takashi Shimura, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yunosuke Ito, Masahiko Shimazu, Toshio Egi, and Tsutomu Yamakazi

Tengoku to Jigoku (Heaven and Hell) is a 1963 Japanese drama and crime thriller from director Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune.  The film is best known by its English release title, High and Low (which is the one I will use for this review).  The film is a loose adaptation of the 1959 novel, King's Ransom, which was written by Evan Hunter (a pen name of the American crime and mystery fiction author, Ed McBain).  In High and Low, a Japanese businessman becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.

High and Low introduces wealthy Japanese businessman and executive, Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), who lives in an elegant hilltop house with his wife, Reiko (Kyoko Kagawa).  He is currently engaged in a struggle to gain control of the company where he works, National Shoes.  The board of the company is split between executives seeking to make cheap and low-quality shoes and the “Old Man,” the company's largest shareholder who who wants sturdy but unfashionable shoes.  Gondo rejects both sides.  He has envisioned a strategy of requiring high production costs for long-term profitability by producing high-quality shoes.  Gondo has secretly set up a leveraged buyout to gain control of the company, mortgaging all his property for the money he will need for the buyout.

Just as he is about to put the plan into action, Gondo receives a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his elementary school age son, Jun (Toshio Egi).  The kidnapper demands a ransom of 30 million yen, which Gondo is prepared to pay, but he soon dismisses the call as a prank when Jun returns home from playing outside.  However, Gondo learns that the kidnapper has mistakenly taken Shinichi (Masahiko Shimazu), the child of Gondo's chauffeur, Aoki (Yutaka Sada).

The kidnapper has realized his mistake, but he still wants the ransom.  Gondo is forced to make a decision whether to use his millions to complete the buyout of National Shoes or to pay the ransom to save Shinichi.  Meanwhile, the police arrive, led by Inspector Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai), who becomes the chief investigator of the kidnapping case, and who is ably assisted by his partner, Chief Detective “Bos'n” Toguchi (Kenjiro Ishiyama).  Can the police discover the identity of the kidnapper before Gondo is forced to pay the ransom, which would lead to his financial ruin?

High and Low apparently was and still is a big influence on films belonging to the crime sub-genre known as the “police procedural,” which focuses on the investigative procedures of law enforcement officers and agencies with them also being the protagonists.  [This genre excludes private investigators (P.I.).]  High and Low has been remade and adapted into other films and has also influenced other films and televisions series.  It is currently the subject of a reinterpretation by director Spike Lee in his upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest, starring Denzel Washington.

High and Low are like two mini-movies joined into one longer feature film.  The first half of the film focuses on Toshiro Mifune's Kingo Gondo and his conflicts and struggles.  Most of the first half takes place in the living room of his home, with Gondo stalking the space like a caged lion or besieged king.  Akira Kurosawa constructs this part of the film like a stage drama, and here, he shows a remarkable sense of staging and in film blocking (facilitating performances in a film via the precise arrangement of the actors).  Kurosawa seems to be composing his action as if each moment is a painting.

The second half of the film fully embraces the police procedural.  Kurosawa moves Gondo a little to the side and the police's chase and hunt of the suspect kicks into high gear.  Lead by Inspector Tokura and Chief Detective “Bos'n” Toguchi, the police attack the case at every angle they can imagine.  They race across the region, working a series of clues involving geographical vistas, background sounds and noises, and a variety of locals connected to the street life and roads in and around the city.  I got the biggest kick out of watching this part of the film.  I followed the the lead investigators as they pound the pavement and as the young police officers chase the suspect, who wears one of the eeriest pairs of reflective sunglasses I have ever seen in film.  There is a trip into the underground lair of zombie-like heroin addicts that is as chilling as any found in a horror movies and as breathtaking as a jaunt through the most sumptuous set.

I loved the actors' performances which emphasize action, procedure, and personality more than narrow characterization.  As usual, I adore seeing Toshiro Mifune, especially when paired with the great director, Akira Kurosawa.  I have seen Kurosawa's great films, such as Rashomon (1950) and The Seven Samurai (1954), which also star Mifune.  I think High and Low should join these two films as being among the great Kurosawa's best works.

9 of 10

A+

Friday, August 15, 2025

The "Criterion Collection" Blu-ray of HIGH AND LOW is available at Amazon.

NOTES:

1963 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Foreign Film” (Japan)

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 10th to 16th, 2025 - UPDATE #6

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

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NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Core "Scary Movie" actresses, Regina Hall and Anna Faris, are coming back as "Brenda" and "Cindy," respectively, for the Wayans Brothers’ restart of the early millennium comedy franchise.  The new Scary Movie, a Miramax production, is a big reunion, bringing the Wayans brothers back together for the first time in 18 years to write an all-new original script for the series, co-writing the script with Rick Alvarez.  "Scary Movie" is prepping for an October shoot in time for a June 12, 2026 global theatrical release via Paramount. Miramax has a first-look deal with Paramount. 

MOVIES - From THR:  NBCUniversal announced today that it has acquired all rights, excluding publishing, to Robert Ludlum’s popular "Jason Bourne" and "Treadstone" book series, in perpetuity.  As The deal fortifies the future of the "Bourne" franchise across NBCUniversal, paving the way for new installments from the universe of Ludlum’s beloved character and the spy world he inhabits.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  The writing-producing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who created Netflix's "Wednesday" series, are working on a new animated film based on "The Addams Family," for Amazon MGM Studios. It will be a reboot and will not be connected to Wednesday.

BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficePro:  The winner of 8/8 to 8/10/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros Pictures' "Weapons" with an estimated take of 42.5 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Pedro Pascal is circling a starring role in Tony Gilroy's next film, "Behemoth!," from Searchlight Pictures.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The American actor, Danielle Spencer, has died at the age of 60, Monday, August 11, 2025.  Spencer was best known for playing the role of "Deadra 'Dee' Thomas," the sarcastic sister of the lead character, "Roger 'Raj' Thomas" in the former ABC sitcom, "What's Happening!!" (1976-79).  Spencer appeared as Dee in a recurring role in the syndicated sequel series, "What's Happening Now!!" (1985-88).  After her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian.

From Deadline:  American actor and photographer, Dan Ziskie, has died at the age of 80, Monday, July 21, 2025.  A journeyman actor, Ziskie appeared in 18 episodes of the former HBO series, "Treme" (2011-13), and he had a recurring role on Netflix's "House of Cards" as the Vice-President of the United States.  Some will remember Ziskie as the character, "Frank Niggar" on the former Comedy Central sketch comedy series, "Chappelle's Show."  In 2017, Ziskie released a book of photographs taken in the New York City area entitled, "Cloud Chamber."