SYNOPSIS: In “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” a brand-new, hand-drawn 2D animated adventure feature now playing in theatres, chewing gum infected with alien goo turns earthlings into zombies. In a strange twist, the fate of the world lies in the hands of odd couple Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
CAST: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Directed by Pete Browngardt.
REVIEW: The first fully animated feature-length film in Looney Tunes history pays tribute not only to the legendary cartoons and the kind of b-movies that populated drive in screens when John Diefenbaker was Prime Minister, but also the friendship between Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, both played by Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza.
For longtime Looney Tunes fans, a sense of nostalgia hangs in the air.
The character designs harken back to the Bob Clampett-directed cartoons from 1939-1945, the heart of the Looney Tunes classic era, as does the anarchic brand of comedy on display in the movie’s big set pieces. Director Pete Browngardt, who co-wrote the script with Darrick Bachman along a laundry list of nine other writers, shows genuine respect for the history of the franchise but adds in some modern touches.
In order to pay for the upkeep of their home, bequeathed to them by their adoptive father, Farmer Jim (voice of Fred Tatasciore), Daffy gets a very 21st century job as a barista, but in keeping with his explosive personality, the testy duck loses it when people order complicated drinks.
None of it, the jokes, the slapstick or the cartoon anarchy, would mean much if the relationship at the heart of the movie didn’t work. Daffy and Porky are lifelong friends and the film’s portrayal of their camaraderie, which is threatened by the end of the world scenario, is both amusing and touching. There’s even a hint of passion as Porky and Petunia (voice of Candi Milo) become romantically involved. It’s all very sweet and provides a nice emotional counterpoint to the film’s preposterous humour.
Jam packed with jokes, sight gags and the well-worn friendship between Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” creates a world for the characters that should please old fans and get new viewers up to speed.
What’s up, Doc? A sequel to a twenty-five-year-old movie, that is what’s up.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy,” now in theatres, freshens up the 1996 Michael Jordan live-action/animated sports hybrid film with a new star and a lot of familiar (animated) faces.
The story begins in Akron, Ohio, 1988. Teenaged LeBron James is a gifted basketball player, but is distracted by his Game Pocket Computer and cartoons. A reprimand from his coach—“You’re a once-in-a-lifetime-talent!”—convinces him to focus on basketball and forget about childish things.
It’s a lesson he takes to heart.
By the time he’s grown, and a superstar, he’s all business and doesn’t understand why his son Dom (Cedric Joe) is more interested in coding than crossover dribbles. The younger James is busy too creating a basketball video game to become a team player.
Meanwhile inside the Warner Bros Serververse, Al-G Rhythm, a computer program stuck inside the Serververse, and who looks just like Don Cheadle, has his eye set on LeBron as his way out into the world. “Once I combine King James with my incredible tech,” she says, “I will finally get the recognition I deserve.”
Trouble is, LeBron is not impressed by the studio’s offer to scan him into movies, making him a virtual movie star. “Say yes,” the studio reps say, “and we’ll make mind blowing entertainment forever.”
But it’s a no. “It’s among the worst ideas ever,” says LeBron. “Athletes acting. That never goes well.”
Dom likes the idea, and his curiosity about the process leads him to the Warner Bros tech department, where he and LeBron get sucked into the movie studio’s server and come face-to-face with “nefarious nimrod” Al-G Rhythm.
Trapped in the digital space, the only way out is a high-stakes basketball game. LeBron must recruit the Looney Tunes gang to play against AI’s over-the-top Goon Squad, made up of virtual avatars with super powers and names like Wet-Fire, White Mamba and Chronos.
From the Nike logo LeBron leaves pressed into the ground when he falls into the Looney Tunes-verse, to the “Mad Max,” “Casablanca,” “Austin Powers” and “Matrix” takeoffs, to the endless mentions of Warner Bros in the script, it’s hard not to feel like intellectual property and product placement are driving the story. It’s a wild ‘n wooly world, imaginative and unpredictable but it often feels like marketing rather than a story.
Not that kids will care. And that is who this movie is for.
Director Malcolm D. Lee keeps younger minds entertained with video game and cartoon inspired action, while adults will get the clever Michael Jordan joke and bask in the nostalgia of sees old characters like Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian in new situations. There’s also a pretty fun game in spotting the mix-and-march of characters who make up the audience for the big game. I spotted the Gremlins, the flying monkeys from “Wizard of Oz,” Pennywise the Clown and a dozen or so others.
“Space Jam: A New Legacy” smooths away some of the adult edges from the first movie—there’s no Quentin Tarantino references this time around and Lola Bunny, now voiced by Zendaya, no longer wears a crop top—resulting in a family friendly film with good messages about being your authentic self and not what others want you to be and the importance of playing by the rules.
SYNOPSIS: In “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” a brand-new, hand-drawn 2D animated adventure feature now playing in theatres, chewing gum infected with alien goo turns earthlings into zombies. In a strange twist, the fate of the world lies in the hands of odd couple Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
