WhileThe Day the Earth Blew Upis the firstLooney Tunesmovie in a few years, it is almost guaranteed to avoid the last underrated outing’s most regrettable mistake. For such an iconic cartoon franchise,Looney Tuneshas a surprisingly sparse history on the big screen. Outside many compilation films that cobbled together their celebrated shorts for home video releases,Looney Tunescharactershave only starred in four feature films to date.2025’sThe Day the Earth Blew Upmarks the franchise’s fourth big-screen outing.
The Day the Earth Blew Upis also the first fully animatedLooney Tunesmovie, as all the franchise’s earlier outings mixed significant chunks of live-action storytelling with animation. 1997’sSpace Jamsaw the franchise’s heroes recruit Michael Jordan for a basketball game against aliens, while theunderratedLooney Tunes: Back in Actionwas a self-referential spy comedy where Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Brendan Fraser’s long-suffering stuntman, DJ, and Jenna Elfman’s overworked Vice President of Comedy, Kate, tried to foil Steve Martin’s cartoony ACME villain, Mr. Chairman.
The Day the Earth Blew Up Has A Much Smaller Budget Than Looney Tunes: Back In Action
The Joe Dante Movie’s Big Budget Resulted In Box Office Disappointment
Like theunreleasedLooney TunesmovieCoyote Vs ACME,Looney Tunes: Back in Actionambitiously attempted to act as both a self-aware critique of theLooney Tunesuniverse and a playful celebration of it. In this regard, it was a success. Legendary critic Richard Roeper called Joe Dante’s movie a “Cheerful and self-referential romp,” and its 56%Rotten Tomatoesrating is higher thanSpace Jamor its belated, lesser sequelSpace Jam 2: A New Legacy. However, Dante’s movie made one major miscalculation.
Looney Tunes: Back in Actioncost $80 million but made just over $60 million.
Although its reviews were unfairly une-nthused, one element ofLooney Tunes: Back in Action’s production that did deserve criticism was its budget.Looney Tunes: Back in Actioncost $80 million but made just over $60 million, making it the second surprisingly great flop of Dante’s later career afterGremlins 2: The New Batch. Like that sequel,Looney Tunes: Back in Actionis now viewed as an overlooked classic and largely redeemed in the eyes of critics. However,The Day the Earth Blew Uphas already avoided this issue with a much more modest budget of only $14 million.
The Day the Earth Blew Up Can Redeem Looney Tunes: Back in Action’s Unfair Reputation
Joe Dante’s Misunderstood Movie Was A Classic Looney Tunes Outing
After Brendan Fraser’s wen-earned career resurgence, it is relatively uncontroversial to note thatLooney Tunes: Back in Actionwas far better than its middling reviews suggested. Suffused with a vibrant visual style and the director’s trademark subversive wit, the mile-a-minute comedy is significantly better than the already-funSpace Jam. While the stellar reviews received byThe Day the Earth Blew Upmake it the most acclaimedLooney Tunesmovie by a stretch, this should encourage viewers to revisit Dante’s under-seen classic.
Coyote vs. Acme’s $70 Million Cancellation Is Worse When Looking At Past 21 Years Of Looney Tunes
Coyote vs. Acme’s cancellation drama is particularly sad because of rough the 21st century has been for the Looney Tunes on the big screen.
Looney Tunes: Back in Actionisn’t perfect, but it is impossible to resist the charms of veteran performers like Martin, Elfman, and Fraser acting alongside Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Not only that, but the presence of scene-stealers like Joan Cusack and Timothy Dalton, along with the movie’s inventive chase sequences and hilarious sight gags, ensures there is never a dull moment.The Day the Earth Blew Upmight be the most well-lovedLooney Tunesmovie, but its predecessor deserves some delayed recognition.
