I've been a fan of the Looney Tunes as long as I can remember. I was excited to see Warner Bros. attempting to bring them back into the mainstream, but this movie is almost unwatchable. But what can you expect from a film based on a Nike TV commercial. However, you can’t help but like Michael Jordan or the Looney Tunes (most of them that is).
The plot is cookie cutter. Aliens want to kidnap the Looney Tunes and force them to perform in an outer space amusement park. Because the aliens are short, the Looney Tunes decide to challenge them to a basketball game in exchange for their freedom. But when the aliens steal the abilities of NBA players, the Looney Tunes need help and enlist Jordan.
From the get go, this film smells of money. It’s a gigantic commercial. The product placement in the film is rampant. This film wasn’t written; it was assembled from sport movie clichés and advertising campaigns. As for laughs, there’s one or two funny jokes regarding Jordan’s fame and attempt at baseball, but that’s it. The gags for the Looney Tunes are recycled from the classic shorts.
Some of the Looney Tunes voice work is good like Billy West as Bugs Bunny and Dee Bradley Baker as Daffy, but Bill Farmer’s Sylvester is weak. Jordan is passable as a non-actor while Bill Murray, who is a friend of producer Ivan Reitman, comes off irritating, given a stupid extended cameo for no other reason than to have him in the film.
The new alien characters are terribly designed and worst of all boring. It’s pretty sad when an 81-minute movie has scenes in it that are clearly there for padding (i.e. Bugs and Daffy’s uneventfully boring trip to Jordan’s house). There is zero tension, or feeling of anything at stake, in this film. Plus, the deification of Jordon is sickening at times. At one point, he’s got a heavenly glow around him.
This film just shows Warner Bros. was nothing but total contempt for its classic cartoon characters. They don't even stay consistent with the established personalities of the animated icons. I can hear the argument now — but kids will like it. Yeah, but kids like soda and fast food and its not good for them either. Kids liked the original Looney Tunes shorts too and those had wit and style. For animation fans, this is a super low-point in toon history. Our kids deserve better than this crap.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
