As a filmmaker who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of animation, I can confidently say that Peter Lauer’s “Looney Tunes Cartoons” is a love letter to a golden age of cartooning, beautifully blending old-school charm with modern humor. The film’s quick wit and self-referential humor hark back to the Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network days, a testament to the creative spirit of a new generation of animators.
The Day the Earth Almost Exploded
Director Peter Browngardt shares, “I found myself anticipating at least four instances throughout the filming process for the call to halt production. It was a bumpy ride.
It’s an understatement to say so, but Browngardt joined the team in the second half of 2021 to create and guide “The Day the Earth Blew Up” as his debut feature film. Prior to this, Browngardt was a scriptwriter for the well-received HBO Max revival of Looney Tunes, a collection of fresh episodes featuring the classic Looney Tunes characters that demonstrated there’s an appetite among viewers for more Looney Tune adventures. Browngardt and his team, which includes around 15 writers and story consultants, devised an innovative concept where Daffy Duck and Porky Pig discover a clandestine alien plan to conquer the Earth using mind-controlling bubblegum. To save the planet without driving each other mad, these two beloved characters must work together.
Originally slated as a unique production for Max, the movie titled “The Day the Earth Blew Up” was unfortunately affected by the restructuring that many WB projects faced following Warner Bros.’ merger with Discovery in early 2022, much like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme. With Warner’s approval, the producers were given the opportunity to present it to independent buyers. This year, at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, Ketchup Entertainment, an indie distributor not typically associated with children’s programming (having previously distributed films such as Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Robert Rodriguez’s Hypnotic), acquired the domestic rights. The film will receive an Oscar-qualifying screening on December 13, before its wider release in February across approximately 1,500 screens.
In an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Browngardt shares his journey of overcoming numerous obstacles such as corporate mergers, financial constraints, labor disputes, and even a global pandemic, to finally bring the movie The Day the Earth Blew Up to the big screen.
Was there ever a moment during the chaotic development process of this project, when it seemed like it might end up being scrapped entirely, perhaps even failing to become the next iconic character like Batgirl?
Three to four times throughout our movie’s production, I anxiously awaited a call that could have halted the project altogether. It was an uncertain voyage indeed. Initially, we secured the greenlight for Max, however, a merger with Discovery occurred which left Warner Brothers heavily in debt. As a result, they began to trim numerous projects. Our film, despite having a relatively low budget of around $15 million for a feature, was among the last on their list. They focused on larger productions first and gradually reduced expenses, chopping and changing. Nevertheless, due to our manageable size, we were granted permission to continue with production. I believe they were also impressed by the progress we were making. Later, we received authorization to attempt selling the film to other studios, so we marketed it to various streaming services. Unfortunately, no one expressed interest in it.
At a time when uncertainty about the streaming industry’s future had people holding back, our movie was initially considered for distribution overseas by Warner Bros. International. However, a strike occurred, causing them to prioritize projects like “Dune: Part 2” and other major releases. They needed marketing for those big productions, so they declined. We were left to find alternative options. We marketed the film much like an independent production at a festival. A British company, GFM Animation, handled some international sales, but it was Ketchup Entertainment that came to our rescue. If we hadn’t secured domestic distribution, the project would have been scrapped. They were present at the Annecy screening, where we received fantastic feedback and positive press. They fully supported the project. It’s amazing that it will be released in February on 1,500 screens. Essentially, we produced an independent film within Warner Brothers. Isn’t that a strange turn of events?
It’s strange that the very first fully-animated Looney Tunes film isn’t being distributed by Warner Bros., but rather independently.
Absolutely, there have been films that combine existing Looney Tunes shorts, such as “Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island” from 1983 and the “Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie” from 1979. Then there are live-action/animation features like “Space Jam,” which can be seen as marketing campaigns for sneakers. However, this new film is a unique, original animated movie featuring Looney Tunes characters, which is remarkable given their long history of over 80 years. It’s surprising that it took so long to create an entire film with these classic animated characters like Bugs, Daffy, and even Mickey Mouse and Goofy. The movie “A Goofy Movie” from 1995 served as a significant inspiration for us in this endeavor.
Instead of asking “Why did you choose Daffy Duck and Porky Pig over Bugs Bunny, who seems more popular at the box office?”, you could rephrase it as: “What led you to select Daffy Duck and Porky Pig for this feature instead of Bugs Bunny, who appears to be a more commercially successful character?
We picked Porky and Daffy particularly because, for one, they don’t always want to kill each other. Most of the other Looney Tunes characters are always trying to murder each other, hunting wabbits and whatnot. But we knew we had to do an emotional story. As much as we love to write jokes, we knew we had to really dig in and find a story to hold an audience for 90 minutes. Keeping the Looney Tunes style, we had to define them and their relationship and put them through the paces. But I didn’t want to change them. At the end of the movie, it’s still Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. They’ve had an experience and maybe learned something about each other, but they are still the same characters.
You also stayed true to the animation style. The film looks very old-school Looney Tunes.
My thing was: You don’t redesign Looney Tunes. You just keep making them. They’ve tried to redesign them in the past and it’s a fool’s errand. Something like Looney Tunes, that works so perfectly, these character archetypes, the style, and everything is like winning the lotto. You don’t mess with it. You stick with it and just refine, refine, refine. I mean, they’re the greatest cartoon characters of all time. Those shorts are probably the best comedy shorts ever made in film, up there with Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
However, Looney Tunes maintained their unique style for over 40 years under the guidance of classic directors, consistently experimenting with visual elements in their older cartoons. This is evident in the varied background graphics and the richly detailed settings. Moreover, each character’s design bore a distinct touch of the animator or director, reflecting an organic and dynamic approach rather than a repetitive copy-and-paste methodology.
For the film project, we gathered numerous Looney Tunes short clips. With approximately 1,030 in total (give or take), not all are easily accessible, but some individuals have methods for acquiring them. Our goal was to store these as Quick Time videos on our servers so they would be readily available for reference. It was like having the user manual right at your fingertips. We held numerous crew meetings where we watched these shorts, analyzed them, dissected the characters’ movements and dialogue. This process allowed us to deeply understand and emulate their unique characteristics.
Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, I found myself deeply fascinated by the hilarious world of films like “Dumb and Dumber” and “Borat.” Similarly, the character-driven comedy of “The Jerk,” starring Steve Martin, left an indelible mark on me. These movies feature unforgettable characters who experience a rich emotional journey, yet remain essentially unchanged – a captivating blend that I aimed to emulate in my creative pursuits.
Is it possible that multiple writers contributed to the script of this film, similar to a collaborative process often seen in television production?
As a gamer who’s been involved in the animation industry, I can tell you firsthand about my experience working on a project where I collaborated with screenwriter Kevin Costello on an early draft. However, due to the pandemic, our entire team, including Alex [Kirwan] and others, worked remotely over Zoom. We’d have lengthy calls, discussing the entire film, brainstorming sequences, and even discarding some ideas.
The movie seems to have a vintage Looney Tunes vibe, yet it incorporates plenty of humorous references that often break the fourth wall, making it strongly resemble cartoons from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.
Indeed, it seems that the ability to create jokes with the same tone as those from 1945 has evolved into something unique within our genetic makeup of creativity. During my time at Cal Arts, a renowned guest speaker, a director and animator, once advised us not to strive for constant originality but rather to be authentic and infuse our work with our personalities. This authenticity, combined with my affinity for Cartoon Network and SpongeBob SquarePants, among other things, is what shines through in my work.
The movie concludes hinting at a possible follow-up. How likely is it for there to be one? By any chance, do you happen to have David Zaslav’s contact details readily available?
I wouldn’t hold your breath. But that’s above my pay grade. I left the studio in February, literally, the day I approved the final version of the film was my last day at Warner Brothers. So I don’t know what the future is with Looney Tunes, with that company, or that world. But I think if you put those characters in the right hands, it would have a great future. I had a wonderful time, a wonderful experience making this movie. And I feel you could make a Looney Tunes movie out of any of those properties. The only obstacle, and I found this out when I was in some testing groups for the Looney Tunes shorts program, was that a lot of kids don’t know who Daffy Duck is. Disney’s always been good at keeping Mickey Mouse front and center with the young generation, that is why they have their preschool show and those different tiers of Mickey shows. Warner Brothers didn’t do that with Looney Tunes. And I think it’s been a mistake because, in my opinion, the Looney Tunes are much better characters.
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2024-12-17 02:55