Following the poster drop from earlier this week, we now have the trailer for the first fully animated theatrically released Looney Tunes feature film, The Day the Earth Blew Up. It comes from the team behind the latest revival series Looney Tunes Cartoons, currently available on the Warner Bros. streaming service Max, and follows an original story with Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Petunia Pig.
The team, headed by director Pete Browngardt and producer Alex Kirwan, brought the movie to Los Angeles’ Animation Is Film Festival in October, and io9 was in the audience to watch its North American premiere. The film is a huge love letter to the 94-year history of the franchise with a true sense of what Looney Tunes represents, astounding 2D animation, and explosive slapstick comedic performances from beloved characters wrapped up in a zany, fun good time.
Watch the trailer below!
The film is a throwback to sci-fi thrillers of the atomic age with two Looney Tunes legends at the center; it stars Eric Bauza as Daffy Duck and Porky with Candi Milo as Petunia Pig. Peter MacNicol provides the voice of the film’s antagonist with Wayne Knight and Fred Tatasciore in supporting roles.
While the film was made under Warner Bros Animation, the company has left the distribution up to Ketchup Entertainment here in the United States, where the film hits theaters February 28. If this film does well at the North American box office, it could open up the door for Warner Bros to re-examine plans for its completed film Coyote vs. Acme—shelved a year ago without any word of its status since, even after multiple Hollywood directors and actors praised its comedic efforts.
At the same time, there are also plans for a full animation IP shakeup with the new team over at Warner Bros. Animation. According to Deadline, WB Animation just announced a Tom and Jerry film written by Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, and Michael Govier that aims to start “fresh on the new iteration of the misadventures” of Tom and Jerry.
Back in August, Cartoon Brew (via Puck) reported Warner Bros. is planning a theatrical return for the Looney Tunes franchise eventually (but not too soon; the year cited was 2028). There were no further details on what that might look like—and fans should take any reports of future projects with these characters with a grain of salt, because we’ve seen how they’ve been treated in the past by Warner Bros. Discovery, thanks to Coyote vs. Acme as well as the similarly cancelled Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical.
The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie opens February 28.
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