The Looney Tunes began as theatrical short films in 1930. They each focused on various anthropomorphized animals and even some human characters. They were created as competition to the Disney cartoons that began in the 1920's. Much as Mickey Mouse was the iconic, Disney character of the early 20th century, Bugs Bunny became the iconic character among the so-called Looney Tunes. However, the Looney Tunes had other popular characters, including Porky Pig, created in 1935 by Friz Freleng, and Daffy Duck, created by Tex Avery and Bob Clampett in 1937. In fact, Daffy Duck's first appearance in 1937 was him paired with Porky Pig. The two of them became a regular duo.
Pete Browngardt, a 40-something animator from New York, created a series for HBO Max called Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020), which ran till 2024. The series was a venue for more stories involving those stable of characters introduced 90 years prior. Each episode was less than 15 minutes. The first of those episodes involved a story between Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, spoofing a genre of films. It also involved a story for Marvin the Martian, taking place in outer space. By the end of that series, Browngardt was experimenting with different forms of animation. The final episode was done using stop-motion for example. If one has watched or is even slightly familiar with that series, this feature is basically an episode of that 2020 program extended to 90 minutes.
The title of this film is a reference to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), a science-fiction film about xenophobia, which at its foundation is about a person or group of people not trusting another. Browngardt's feature also references films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Night of the Living Dead (1968), and both of those horror classics could be interpreted as being about people not trusting each other or turning on one's fellow man. By the end, Browngardt's film here also comes down to this idea of trust and whether or not a person can trust another, which is also connected to whether or not one should accept someone for being who they are.
Otherwise, this film is buoyed by its comedy and sense of humor. There is over-the-top slapstick and pratfalls that is typical of Looney Tunes shorts. If one doesn't like seeing animals be hurt and abused accidentally over and over, then the laughs might not be abundant for most adults. That kind of idiocy might amuse children. However, adults can be satisfied with the clever gags and puns that are also abundant here. There are some really good joke writers at work here. The verbal comedy is consistent with really funny one-liners sprinkled throughout.
Visually, what was also sprinkled throughout was the different animation styles. Now, it's not like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. However, there are funny times where the style of animation and the style of drawing as well as character design were mixed with others. Initially, one sees that mixing of style in the same frame. The character of Farmer Jim is an example. He literally looks like an exaggerated painting that hardly moves and slides across the screen. It's juxtaposed with the normal 2-D line drawings that are typical of Looney Tunes. It's quite the juxtaposition.
Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude and suggestive humor.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 31 mins.
In theaters.