Most if not all modern cartoon comedy series today can trace their roots back toLooney Tunes. The acclaimed Warner Bros. cartoons famously introduced characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety & Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, to name but a few. Even after nearly a century in existence, the timeless characters and their simple but effective gags still have the power to resonate with today’s audiences and make them laugh. That’s an impressive legacy, and it’s one that lives on, even if it doesn’t move forward, in HBO Max’s new take on the beloved animated series,Looney Tunes Cartoons.
The all-new series from Warner Bros. Animation, starring the cherishedLooney Tunescharacters, echoes the high production value and process of the originalLooney Tunestheatrical shorts with a cartoonist-driven approach to storytelling. The new series, which is due to arrive on the HBO Max streaming service on May 27th, will include 80 eleven-minute episodes, each comprised of animated shorts that vary in length and include adapted storylines for today’s audiences; fans can also look forward to holiday-themed specials. I had a chance to get an early look at the first three episodes (totaling six story segments and three interstitial gags) and I’m thrilled to say thatLooney Tunes Cartoonsis a hilarious throwback that hits all the right beats and never misses a step.
The first clue thatLooney Tunes Cartoonswasn’t going to be a hyper-contemporary adaptation of the property like, say, the “extreme” versions of Disney characters in the 90s or even a second generation of Bugs & co. as inTiny Toon Adventures, is the music. Familiar tunes likeCliff FriendandDave Franklin’s “Merry Go Round Broke Down” andCarl Stalling’s “What’s Up Doc?” immediately take you back to the first time you heardLooney Tunesthemes; the modern adaptations byJoshua MoshierandCarl Johnsonleave most if not all of the original tunes intact but provide a clean, modern sound. (And if you ever wondered where the tittle “Looney Tunes” came from, it and sister series “Merrie Melodies” were a play onWalt Disney’s own animated shorts “Silly Symphonies”, which were introduced slightly earlier.) The music itself (and the foley, of course) carries most of the comedy beats and slapstick moments of each segment, freeing up the animators and voice actors to go absolutely nuts.
Speaking of animation,Yowza Animation Corp.andTonic DNAdo a fantastic job of recreating the classic feel ofLooney Tunes, whether it’s in the segments themselves or the interstitials between them. The hand-drawn characters still pop against static matte-painting backgrounds (with the occasional interactable object poking out, which makes for fun gags along the way) and the animation is smooth. Every once in a while, a frame will linger on a highly detailed still for comedic effect, similar to visual gags made famous byRen & StimpyandSpongeBob SquarePants. ButLooney Tuneshas long been an incredibly imaginative world in which our heroes (usually Bugs Bunny, but sometimes Daffy Duck and Tweety) have access to Hammerspace, a working knowledge of the cartoonish environment around them, and an ability to break the fourth wall. Those hallmarks are carried over intoLooney Tunes Cartoons, to the delight of viewers and the detriment of the heels of the series; Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, and even Porky Pig still can’t catch a break nearly 100 years later, and it’s still absolutely hilarious.
Bringing their outstanding vocal talents to iconic characters areEric Bauza,Jeff BergmanandBob Bergen, among other top-tier talents. Bauza plays Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, and Tweety; Bergman voices Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, and Ralph Wolf; not to be confused with Bergen who stars as Porky Pig. Fellow veteran voice actorFred Tatascioreplays Yosemite Sam, Gossamer, and Sam Sheepdog, withCandi Miloplaying Granny, andMichael Ruoccoas Beaky Buzzard. Fans of old-schoolLooney Tuneswho still haveMel Blanc’s signature voice playing in their mind and memory will notice the obvious differences here, but the cast does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life with their own flair while honoring the long history that came before them.
As far as the stories and the gags go, there’s not a weak one in the early going, but there are stand-outs: “Boo! Appetweeet” has a fantastic setup that sees Tweety terrorizing Sylvester the Cat for once, while “Bubble Dum”, from the same episode, allows Daffy Duck (and the animators and Bauza) to make the most out of a simple situation when the cuckoo character happens upon some well-used street gum. There are plenty of sight gags and verbal plays throughout, meaning that there’s likely something for everyone to laugh at here. What youwon’tfind, however, is much if anything pulled from the modern era itself: No contemporary social issues, no attempt to balance gender roles, no real pop culture touchstones of our times (except for Porky Pig using a smartphone/handheld GPS in one instance). So whileLooney Tunes Cartoonscertainly feels like a revivification of the original series, there’s no real desire to push any social boundaries with the new approach.
Personally, I think that’s just fine. Not every new show has to advance the industry; entertainment for entertainment’s sake is okay by me, but your mileage may vary. IfLooney Tunes Cartoonsand the creative team behind the scenes set out to recreate the timeless classic top to bottom, then they’ve succeeded quite well. If you’re looking for progressive social commentary, you’ll find it elsewhere; and I havea few suggestionsonwhere to start. But if you’re looking for familiar characters, some easy laughs, and some well-produced animation from one of the greatest studios in the industry’s long history, keep an eye out forLooney Tunes Cartoonson HBO Max.
Rating: A-
Looney Tunes Cartoonsis produced by Warner Bros. Animation.Pete Browngardt(Uncle Grandpa)andSam Registerserve as executive producers. Look for it on HBO Max starting May 27th!
Dave Trumboreis Collider’s Senior Editor overseeing Streaming Content, Animation, Video Games, and all those weird Saturday-morning cartoons no one else remembers. Test his trivia IQ on Twitter@DrClawMD
