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Aiming for a worldwide release on Feb. 28, 2025, “The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” has had a circuitous and oft-delayed path to the big screen after being abandoned by incoming Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav as a direct-to-streaming feature, before eventually getting a theatrical presentation courtesy of the most unlikely indie distribution partner.
Now check out the first hilarious trailer which arrived as the movie headed for an Oscar-qualifying engagement on Dec. 13, ahead of its global unwrapping next year.
This hand-drawn feature represents the first fully-animated movie in Looney Tunes’ long 80-year history and it originally debuted at France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival this past June. But it was a seriously bumpy ride for the imaginative sci-fi project that began in 2021 as an animated film for Warner Bros.’ Max streaming service directed by Peter Browngardt. “At least three, four times during the production I was waiting for that phone call [to shut down the movie,” Browngardt told THR. “It was a rocky journey.”
A stampede of no less than 15 screenwriters and story consultants have their names on the far-out cartoon tale, which focuses on Porky Pig and Daffy Duck stumbling onto a diabolical alien plot to conquer the Earth using wads of mind-control bubblegum and their attempts to rescue our planet from these candy-crazed extraterrestrials.
When Warner Bros. completed their merger with Discovery in 2022, “The Day The Earth Blew Up” was on the budgetary chopping block targeted for tax write-downs just like “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs Acme.” Following its successful screening at Annecy, the indie distributor Ketchup Entertainment stepped up and grabbed domestic distribution honors. Its talented vocal cast includes Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Wayne Knight, Fred Tatasciore, and Laraine Newman.
“‘The Day the Earth Blew Up’ is a historical moment for the Looney Tunes franchise, and we are proud to be partnering with Warner Bros. Animation to bring this film to audiences theatrically. We cannot wait for audiences of all ages to experience one of the smartest animated films in recent years,” Gareth West, CEO of Ketchup Entertainment, told Deadline.
Nick Cross acts as the animated feature’s Art Director with Aaron Spurgeon as Production Designer. Warner Bros. Animation’s Sam Register and Pete Browngardt serve as Executive Producers.
“The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” lands on Feb. 28, 2025.