REVIEW: “The Day the Earth Blew Up”

REVIEW: “The Day the Earth Blew Up”

March 21st, 2025

Martin Goodman

Set free at last from playing ridiculous basketball games that did nothing to showcase them; three venerable Looney Tunes characters showed a new generation of animation fans what the good old days were like.

Many fans recognize Porky Pig and Daffy Duck in their 1950s-60s Chuck Jones incarnations; Porky is a straight man to other characters, and Daffy is an incompetent egomaniac. You won’t find them if you are looking for them in the new feature film The Day the Earth Blew Up (referred to simply as Earth after this). In their earliest days, the characters were in the hands of the genuinely loony genius Bob Clampett, and it is his versions of the pig and duck who have made a glorious return to the big screen.

Porky first appeared in the 1935 Friz Freleng short I Haven’t Got a Hat, where he became a breakout star. Daffy Duck made his debut-woo-hoo in the 1937 short Porky’s Duck Hunt. Petunia Pig, in a surprising lead role, first showed up in the 1937 short Porky’s Romance. All three characters predate Bugs Bunny. Petunia’s career was short-lived; after five cartoons in a two-year run, she disappeared from the classic Looney Tunes.

An interesting fact: Each character had a different creator. Porky was the brainchild of Friz Freleng, while Daffy was the creation of Tex Avery (assisted by Bob Clampett). Frank Tashlin introduced Petunia. Clampett found himself handling both Daffy and especially Porky during the 1930s and 1940s, and his work is the stylistic reference in Earth.

Pete Browngardt may be a first-time feature film director, but his animation credits go back to 2000, and he has been Executive Producer of Max’s Looney Tunes Cartoons for the past five years while also directing and writing for the program. With an astonishing stable of ten other writers, Browngardt produced the best feature film starring any of the Looney Tunes characters.

Warner Bros Animation had the film in development since 2019, based on Browngardt’s love for the Looney Tunes and 1950s-style sci-fi films (the film’s putative villain resembles aliens from the 1957 flick Invasion of the Saucer Men). After some entanglements in releasing the film, which was initially slated for HBO Max and Cartoon Network, Earth finally found its way to US theaters in March 2025.

The film’s plot, which involves the invasion of Earth by a single alien, is an implausible, messy masterwork. By turning the planet’s inhabitants into zombies by infecting a popular bubble gum brand, the alien hopes to —but never mind. Powered by Porky and Daffy (who even get a backstory!), the movie kicks into high gear early and gets even better when Petunia, working as a chemist in the bubble gum factory, joins the fray. With its twists and turns, this nonsensical, joyful flick is much better experienced than explained in a narrative.

This review is far better served by focusing on the mechanics of Browngardt’s directing. Not only do Porky and Daffy appear as they did during Clampett’s heyday, but they also behave as if they never evolved beyond that point. While the picture has occasional touches of Tex Avery and Frank Tashlin present, Earth is a Clampett homage and even features members of the Clampett family in the cast. Earth features the version of Looney Tunes that influenced John Kricfalusi; the characters (especially Daffy) seem to have no physical or emotional boundaries or regard for the laws of nature. Watching the Warner shorts Baby Bottleneck (1946) and The Daffy Doc (1983) is suggested before (or even after!) seeing Earth.

There are the expected Easter Eggs. Beans the Cat appears in a cameo. Several dining establishments are named after Clampett and Avery. There are other in-jokes, but I leave them to sharp-eyed fans who will surely get them. Homages to Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Armageddon (1998) also fit nicely with the cockeyed plot.

Considering her dearth of appearances in the classic Looney Tunes, Petunia Pig’s inclusion, especially in a co-starring role, might have been problematic. Even those appearances displayed inconsistencies in character. Browngardt and his team of writers integrate Petunia seamlessly into the script. Petunia is flexible enough to fill each role, whether she plays a flawed scientist, surprise action hero, or Porky’s romantic interest. It is a tribute to the creative crew that successfully gave a character who played a minor role in Looney Tunes history equal footing with two of its biggest stars.

In one early scene, a wet and bedraggled Petunia slogs into a diner where Porky and Daffy are having coffee. It’s love at first sight for Porky. When we see Petunia through his eyes, she appears as a Veronica Lake-type bombshell. Browngardt ramps up the fun by cross-cutting Petunia’s actual appearance with Porky’s idealized vision of her.

Candi Milo, who replaced Lara Jill Miller during production, shines as Petunia. Eric Bauza is thhhhh-spot on as Daffy, capturing his lisping voice and manic whooping. He also does an admirable job capturing Porky’s signature stutter. Peter MacNicol is the sinister but campy alien mastermind.
Special mention goes to Joshua Moshier, who composed the score. Utilizing a full orchestra as WB once did, Moshier recreated the sound of a Clampett-era cartoon. His reworking of Raymond Scott’s “Powerhouse” adds fond nostalgia to the cartoon.

The animation is consistently good, even with five animation houses (primarily Warner Bros. Animation) contributing. Consider that each studio had to think and animate like Clampett or Avery might have done decades ago. That was likely no simple feat. A very brief in-credits sequence suggests a sequel. As Clampett might have added, Whyyyyy NOT?