Pass the Ketchup.

Ketchup Entertainment, that is: Ketchup is the company that saved the absurdly amusing The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie from being just another tax write-off for Warner Bros, which, after the movie was produced, scrapped plans to premiere it on HBO Max and The Cartoon Network.

Rather than give the movie the Batgirl treatment and chuck it into a vault forever hidden from human eyes, Warner allowed other services to bid on the movie, The winner was Ketchup Entertainment, which picked up the North American theatrical distribution rights.

And thank goodness they did, as The Day the Earth Blew Up is glorious entertainment that deserves to be seen on the big screen. The movie sets up a new origin story for Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, two of the three original Looney Tunes who appear in the film.

The Day the Earth Blew Up begins with a scientist who notices a giant meteor hurtling toward the Earth, and even more startling, an alien spacecraft close on its trail. But before the scientist can alert anyone, he is disappeared by something nefarious.

We then meet orphans Daffy and Porky (both voiced by Looney Tunes regular Eric Bauza), adopted as babies by the wise, kindly, and oddly-drawn Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore), who raises them with the mantra that the duo should always stick together, no matter what. After they mature, physically at least, Farmer Jim departs their lives in a scene that makes the audience wonder just who the heck this guy is. The scene is silly and funny in equal measures.

Left to their own devices, Daffy and Porky behave like the immature bachelors they are, but all that ends when a housing inspector tells them their home needs a new roof…which should be kind of obvious as it now has an enormous hole in it that is rimmed by some kind of green goo. Another mystery!

Now the duo need cash, fast, so its time to get a job. But unfortunately, Daffy is not cut out for the 9-5 life, and the two struggle to last more than a couple hours on at any place of employment. In a diner they debate their next move, but that discussion gets tabled when someone walks through the door.

That someone is Petunia (Candi Milo), a flavor scientist at the nearby Goodie Gum factory. Porky is immediately smitten, but there’s more to her than a pretty piggy face. She’s on the hunt for the most delicious flavor combination, though the gum factory she works at is more concerned with promoting its rebrand of another popular flavor, which angers Petunia.

Petunia happily recommends that Daffy and Porky apply for work at Goodie, and for once, the two find themselves a job they can do. But at the end of their first successful day, Daffy spies the scientist from the beginning of the movie and follows him as he introduces that weird green goo into the vat of gum the company is about to launch into the world.

Daffy tries to tell his porcine pals about the flavor additive, but neither they, nor anyone else believe him until it’s too late. The new flavor’s a hit, and as literally everyone chews up, something very strange starts happening.

The rest of the adventure involves our heroes trying to save humanity from itself, while also taking on the alien (Peter MacNicol) who instigated the whole crisis. Laraine Newman, Wayne Knight, Ruth Clampett and Carlos Alazraqui are also featured among the voice cast.

Director Peter Browngardt shares writing credits with Darrick Bachman and Kevin Costello, and said in an interview that he was inspired by old sci-fi movies like Invasion of the Saucer Men, and he told Warner Bros. about his idea to bring Daffy and Porky into that movie genre. The movie has been in one development phase or another since 2019, and has been waiting to be released since 2022.

Now, finally, the movie is in theaters, and it is definitely one to see. Though we only see a trio of Looney Tunes in this, that’s enough to propel the lively story forward. The script is clever and funny – the kind of funny that might require multiple viewings to catch all the jokes. The art is beautifully done in the style of Bob Clampett, long-time Looney Tunes animator, with the alien being modeled after those in Saucer Men.

The upbeat score punctuates the action and adds to the enjoyment, as do the non-stop gags and positive message. As it was just announced Sunday that HBO Max has now scrubbed the entirety of the Looney Tunes library from its platform, now would be a good time to support the toons (and Tunes) you’ve loved since childhood. See this excellent film in theaters ASAP.