“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” brought 2D animation back to the big screens March 14. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, along with their new scientist friend Petunia Pig, must work together to stop an alien’s plan to use chewing gum to enslave mankind. 

Despite the film being completed, it was set to be shelved alongside other Warner Bros. films. These include another Looney Tunes title, “Coyote vs. ACME,” as well as “SCOOB: Holiday Haunt” and “BatGirl.” The independent film company Ketchup Entertainment stepped up to release the film, originally intended for streaming, in theaters.

Eric Bauza, who voices both Daffy and Porky in the film, has frequently voiced Looney Tunes characters over the past five years. His performances of iconic friends including Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian and Tweety Bird have earned him two Children’s & Family Emmy awards for outstanding voice performance. 

His Daffy is exceptional as a wacky version of the duck, rather than the foil to Bugs Bunny audiences have become accustomed to. His Porky is a soft performance of the character, likely to elevate the emotional scenes with Daffy and Petunia.

Petunia Pig has for a long time existed as a more obscure Looney Tunes character. As Bugs and Daffy overshadowed Porky’s popularity in the ‘40s, Petunia essentially faded from the lineup, with her appearances dwindling to comics and merchandise. However, in later years she’s made more on-screen appearances like in “The Looney Tunes Show,” and “Looney Tunes Cartoons.” With the small cast of Looney Tunes characters in this film, Petunia gets more screen time than she might with a larger ensemble.

“The Day the Earth Blew Up” portrays Petunia as an enthusiastic and quirky scientist. She helps uncover the story’s mystery — sometimes with her flamethrower. While she is Porky’s love interest, she is also a fully capable and independent character.

While traditional 2D animation remains popular in anime, it is rarely seen in western films these days. For example, Disney’s most recent 2D theatrical release was “Winnie the Pooh” in 2011. “The Day the Earth Blew Up” proves that even with minimal marketing, people will come out to support 2D animation and the Looney Tunes. The film, with a budget of $15 million, neared $10 million at the box office after its second weekend in theaters, according to “Collider.” Ketchup Entertainment has now put in a $50 million bid to distribute “Coyote vs. ACME.”

”The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” is now playing exclusively in theaters.

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