Summary
- Looney Tunes shorts were theatrically released before a focus on movies.
- Space Jam & sequels provided a beloved blend of animation & live-action.
- The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie balances modern & classic elements successfully.
Kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s are very familiar with various Looney Tunes compilations thanks to syndication on networks like ABC or Nickelodeon. They may not have even realized that these cartoons were already decades old at that point. They were theatrically released and shown ahead of bigger-name movies before the industry changed.
Looney Tunes: 10 Best Daffy Duck Shorts, Ranked
Daffy Duck is one of the most recognizable characters from the era of classic cartoons. Here are a few of his best Looney Tunes performances.
So, in a way, nearly every Looney Tunes short had a theatrical release, but in terms of real, full-length movies, there have only been four, with the latest being The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. How do they all match up? It’s time to rank the overall quality of every Looney Tunes theatrical movie.
4 Space Jam: A New Legacy
Bogged Down By IP
Space Jam: A New Legacy
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- July 16, 2021
- Runtime
- 115 minutes
- Director
- Malcolm D. Lee
- Cast
- LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Jeff Bergman, Gabriel Iglesias, Zendaya, Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Bob Bergen, Fred Tatasciore, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair J Wright, Harper Leigh Alexander, Khris Davis, Xosha Roquemore, Stephen Kankole, Jalyn Hall, Wood Harris, Jordan Thomas, Sue Bird
90s kids loved Space Jam, as it was a collaboration between two things they loved: Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan. Non-basketball fans could even appreciate the dominance Jordan had on TV. He was mesmerizing to watch on the court or in commercials, and Looney Tunes was on so many channels that it was hard not to love all of these characters. So, when rumors spread about a Space Jam sequel, fans were excited to see something new, but it took decades to come together. Space Jam: A New Legacy finally premiered in the worst year, 2021, which is when the COVID-19 pandemic was still going on.
That wasn’t good for the box office, but the movie struggled to gather a following because of quality, too. LeBron James may be a better actor than Michael Jordan, but he couldn't bring the heat to save this overloaded IP movie sequel. Space Jam: A New Legacy was seemingly more concerned about using Warner Bros. IPs to create buzz or memes online. Sadly, Bugs, Daffy, and the rest get sidelined to focus on very weird cameos by folks from Mad Max, The Matrix, A Clockwork Orange, and many others. It begged the question: Who was this movie for? When the movie used 2D animation like its predecessor, it was enjoyable, but these moments were very fleeting.
3 Space Jam
Come On And Slam And Welcome To The Jam
Space Jam
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- November 15, 1996
- Runtime
- 87 minutes
- Director
- Joe Pytka
- Cast
- Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle, Manner Washington, Eric Gordon, Penny Bae Bridges, Brandon Hammond, Larry Bird, Bill Murray, Thom Barry, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Shawn Bradley, Del Harris, Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos, Paul Westphal, Danny Ainge, Bebe Drake, Patricia Heaton, Dan Castellaneta, Linda Lutz, Nicky McCrimmon
Space Jam is not a perfect movie, but nostalgia does help it rise above other live-action/animated hybrids. The best version of this type of movie will forever be Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but the splicing of live actors and animated cartoons in Space Jam was still a technical marvel at the time. Thankfully, they are all over the movie, unlike its sequel. Even though Michael Jordan couldn’t act his way out of an abandoned Acme building, he is supported by cartoon characters who are oozing with charisma and other live actors as well.
Looney Tunes: 10 Best TV Shows, Ranked
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are enduring staples of TV, and they have the resume to justify it. Which are the best Looney Tunes shows ever?
Wayne Knight, who many may know as Newman from Seinfeld, and Bill Murray, who needs no introduction, help keep Jordan afloat for this bizarre crossover. Aliens invade Earth, rob the best athletes of their abilities, and then challenge Jordan and the Looney Tunes to a basketball match. It’s ridiculous, but kids weren’t going to see Space Jam for a coherent plot or well-rehearsed action. They wanted comedy gags, and they got plenty, plus a hard-to-forget tune in “Space Jam” by the Quad City DJs. It’s a perfect artifact of 90s pop culture and what the kids were into at the time.
2 Looney Tunes: Back In Action
They Should Have Never Left
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
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- November 14, 2003
- Runtime
- 90 minutes
- Director
- Joe Dante
- Cast
- Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear, Joan Cusack
Looney Tunes: Back in Action blends the live-action and cartoon bits well for a fourth-wall-breaking adventure that perhaps gets a little too into its spy premise. The movie opens in a Warner Bros. Boardroom meeting wherein Daffy is unhappy with his script, while Bugs doing anything in the background and gets a laugh from the table. It’s the perfect Bugs and Daffy energy that so many grew up loving, and that doesn’t stop as the movie goes on. Beyond boardroom meetings, the main plot revolves around a security guard on the WB lot getting roped into his father’s spy business.
Looney Tunes: 10 Best Bugs Bunny Shorts, Ranked
Looney Tunes have been a part of many people's childhoods, and Bugs Bunny stands out as the face of the series. These are his best shorts.
Tagging along are Daffy, Bugs, other cartoon characters, and one of the Warner Bros. Heads as they investigate what’s going on behind the scenes. There could have been more attention paid to the cartoon characters instead of the spy plot, but again, compared to the other two live-action movies, Looney Tunes: Back in Action is the one that gets the most right. Plus, it doesn’t have any sports stars trying their darnedest to be actors; Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, and Steve Martin are all great in their roles. It understands that these toons live in a hyper-realized world where nothing and everything matters. As long as they get a laugh, they’re happy, although Daffy would rather not be the butt of the joke.
1 The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Back To The Classics
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
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- March 14, 2025
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Laraine Newman, Wayne Knight, Ruth Clampett, Andrew Kishino, Kimberly Brooks, Keith Ferguson, Carlos Alazraqui, Rachel Butera, Peter Browngardt, Nick Simotas
- Runtime
- 91 minutes
- Director
- Peter Browngardt
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie manages to feel both modern and classic at the same time. It doesn’t rely heavily on modernized jokes save for a few phone bits and one penultimate joke about boba tea. These modern gags are thankfully few and far between, as the movie relies heavily on the dynamic between Porky and Daffy. Porky is the responsible one, while Daffy is more of his wackier self and not the arrogant prima donna often seen when he's paired with Bugs.
There are tons of great musical cues, slapstick humor, and references to old cartoons that everyone should be able to enjoy on some level. For a cartoon comedy, it has quite a bit of action too, and it's well-animated to boot, including one particularly riveting scene involving gassing and flame-throwing zombies. It’s hard to believe that it took decades to make one fully 2D animated Looney Tunes movie, released in theaters, and without any live-action actors. Hopefully, it does well enough for Warner Bros. To greenlight a sequel, direct or spiritual, and to bring that fabled Coyote vs Acme movie out of the vault.
10 Best Looney Tunes Games, Ranked
Loads of Looney Tunes games have been released over the years and some are downright wacky and fun even to this day.