Generation Beta (which is apparently the classification of today’s kids, born from 2025 to 2039) most likely won’t understand the power of hand-drawn animation cels, because they’ll never see it. These days, they’re all created via CGI and now artificial intelligence. As a Child of the ’80s, I highly valued my Saturday morning cartoons, along with a handful of weekday afternoon releases in syndication — I’m always streaming them these days because I’m super nostalgic!
Naturally, I was surprised (but not shocked) when Warner Bros. Discovery, the overall company that owns the rights to Looney Tunes, the historic cartoon series that originally debuted as black-and-white animated shorts back in 1930 and later enjoyed a revival of popularity with the arrival of color television sets, was totally removed from the HBO Max streaming service, which the company currently owns — and not just recent releases, but a whole lot more.
Not only was the entire back catalog removed, but also two animated feature films that were already completed, but never released. WBD simply tossed them all instead of giving the general public an opportunity to witness the end result of many years’ worth of hard work.
At the time, I couldn’t believe it. Why would a production company/distributor simply give away such highly valuable intellectual properties?
Much like Disney and The Muppets (Walt Disney Will Never Fully Appreciate The Muppets), individual properties that get swallowed up by large distributors often get overlooked (or at least not given as many opportunities to shine as they once did). It’s a wonder The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie even saw the light of day, let alone a premiere date at movie theaters.
Previously created by Warner Bros. Animation and inexplicably tossed aside in August of 2022, the film was later picked up by Ketchup Entertainment for North American theatrical distribution. While that theatrical window didn’t last very long, the film only accumulated $8.8 million at the box office. At least it premiered in movie theaters, which was never a guaranteed destination.
The sci-fi B-movie was originally destined for Cartoon Network airtime.
The Day the Earth Blew Up definitely accentuates its retro vibe with legacy characters in an all-new adventure. Friendship, tolerance, family and acceptance play key roles in the storyline, along with an invading alien attempting to turn the world’s population into gum-chewing Zombies.
“Who greenlit this garbage?”
Who’s the new dastardly menace dueling with the Looney Tunes franchise?
Originally written in 2021, the film’s distribution was held up due to the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery. And the script clearly feels aged, as “UFO” is mentioned instead of the modern-day designation of “UAP.” That’s just one obvious reference, but I enjoyed Daffy Duck and Porky Pig breaking the fourth wall and I liked the overall film.
The Music City Film Critics Association deemed it the Best Animated Film of the year (which I disagreed with) and the movie struck out at the 2026 Academy Awards last weekend, but its future might look even brighter as a streaming offering.
Coyote vs. Acme was the other completed animated feature film that also received a doomed fate, but it, too, was picked up by Ketchup Entertainment (with a scheduled theatrical release date of August 28, 2026). It wasn’t a coincidence that around the same time as the reorganization of WBD that Tubi made a major announcement of previous WB animated shows that would soon stream for free via its service, removing the previous paywall of HBO Max.
My eventual hope is for Paramount Pictures (and its subsidiaries) to make ALL Looney Tunes properties available to be watched by the public, whether they return once more to HBO Max, or in morning animation blocks to appear on Paramount Network TV, with a secondary hope that Tubi can keep on providing all the classic WB animated programs, free of charge for all to enjoy, young and old. And maybe, if Paramount actually reads the room (which WBD clearly did not), future animated films will be on the horizon.
Now, it’s all a waiting game for Looney Tunes fans, as the proposed Warner Bros. buyout inches closer toward inevitability, and I’m glad its prospective parent is Paramount and not Netflix.
Regarding TDTEBU, as Farmer Jim states, “The world can be a cruel place. But as long as you two stick together, you’ll be all right.” While he’s referring to Daffy and Porky here, he may as well have been discussing Looney Tunes and Warner Bros. The two should never part.
That duck may be looney, but releasing Looney Tunes was completely mad of Warner Bros. Discovery. Make your move, Paramount Pictures. Looney Tunes’ future is up to you.
“People are so set in their ways. They’re just afraid of the unknown.”