Wikipedia

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

This article is about the film. For the tie-in platform video game, seeLooney Tunes: Back in Action(video game).

Looney Tunes: Back in Actionis a 2003 Americanlive-action/animatedcomedy filmproduced and distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures.It is the second fully original theatrical feature film in theLooney Tunesfranchise, and was directed byJoe Dantefrom a screenplay byLarry Doyle.The film starsBrendan Fraser,Jenna Elfman,andSteve Martinin lead roles, alongsideTimothy Dalton,Joan Cusack,Heather Locklear,andBill Goldbergin supporting roles, whileJoe Alaskeyleads the voice cast. Its plot, which parodiesactionandspy filmconventions, followsBugs BunnyandDaffy Duck(Alaskey) as they become intertwined in a plot by theACMEChairman (Martin) to transform the world's population into subservient monkeys using the Blue Monkey diamond. They accompany aspiring stuntman DJ Drake (Fraser) andWarner Bros.executive Kate Houghton (Elfman) on their journey to thwart the Chairman's plot, which doubles as a mission to rescue the former's abducted father, Damian (Dalton).

Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Dante[a]
Written byLarry Doyle
Story by
Based onLooney Tunes
byWarner Bros.
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDean Cundey
Edited by
  • Marshall Harvey
  • Rick W. Finney
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • November 9, 2003(2003-11-09)(premiere)
  • November 14, 2003(2003-11-14)(United States)
Running time
93 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$80 million[2]
Box office$68.5 million[2]

The film was the result of multiple attempts by Warner Bros. to develop a sequel toSpace Jam(1996). It was originally developed as a direct sequel titledSpy Jam,which was intended to includeJackie Chanin the lead role. Dante, out of a personal dislike forSpace Jam,substantially developed the project to more closely represent the personalities of theLooney Tunescharacters, withWalt Disney Animation StudiosanimatorEric Goldbergserving as the animation director. However, Dante reportedly had no creative control on the project, and the final film became different from what he intended. The film was the last project for composerJerry Goldsmith,who died eight months following its release;John Debneycomposed additional material for the score.

Looney Tunes: Back in Actionpremiered on November 9, 2003, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 14. The film received polarizing reviews from critics who considered it an improvement overSpace Jamand praised the animation and humor, but criticized the screenplay. It was abox office failure,grossing $68.5 million worldwide on an $80 million budget. Warner Bros., developing a franchise revival around the film, subsequently canceled several planned related projects, including new theatrical short films. It was the final film to be produced byWarner Bros. Feature Animation,and the last theatricalLooney Tunesfeature film untilSpace Jam: A New Legacyin 2021.

At the31st Annie Awards,the film was nominated for fourAnnie Awards,includingBest Animated Feature.

Plot

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Weary of playingvillainousroles inBugs Bunny's cartoons,Daffy Duckdemands his own animated film, but is instead fired by Vice President of Comedy Kate Houghton. Security guard and aspiringstuntmanDJ Drake is ordered to escort Daffy from the studio; in the ensuing chase, aBatmobiledemolishes theWarner Bros. Water Tower,leading to DJ's dismissal. Daffy follows DJ home, where the latter receives a message from his father, actor Damian Drake, who DJ learns is asecret agent.Damian tells DJ to travel toLas Vegas,contact his associate Dusty Tails, and find the blue monkey diamond. Damian is then captured by theAcme Corporation,led by the eccentric Mr. Chairman. DJ and Daffy depart for Las Vegas.

Bugs' routines fail without Daffy. Kate is told to rehire Daffy, or face termination herself. Kate and Bugs arrive at DJ's house, where they find Damian'sTVR Tuscanand use it in pursuit of DJ and Daffy. In Las Vegas, DJ and Daffy meet Dusty in a casino owned byYosemite Sam,who is employed by Acme. Dusty gives them a unique playing card, a clue to finding the diamond. Sam and his sidekicks pursue DJ and Daffy for the card, but they flee with Bugs and Kate. When the Tuscan crashes in a desert, the group camps out for the night while Bugs fails convince Daffy to take his job back, with the latter revealing he envies Bugs for being so popular with so little effort, and wishes it were like that for himself. The next day,Wile E. Coyotetries in vain to steal the card from the group.

The group eventually discoversArea 52,run by a woman known as Mother. Mother shows the group a short film about the blue monkey, which can devolve humans into monkeys.Marvin the Martian,imprisoned in the facility, leads a group of aliens to try to steal the card, but DJ's group escapes. SeeingMona Lisa's face on the card, the group conclude they must view the painting in theLouvre.

At the Louvre, the group discover that the card contains a viewing window for theMona Lisaand use it to discover a hidden map ofAfrica.Elmer Fuddappears and chases Bugs and Daffy through several paintings to obtain the card. Meanwhile, Kate is kidnapped byBeaky Buzzardand Smith, Mr. Chairman's bodyguard. DJ rescues Kate, while Elmer disintegrates into tiny dots after emerging from apointillistpainting.

The group travels to Africa and meetGranny,Sylvester,andTweety,who escort them to the ruins of a jungle temple containing the blue monkey. At that point, Granny and company reveal themselves to be Mr. Chairman, Smith, andTazin disguise. Mr. Chairman teleports everyone to the Acme headquarters and tricks DJ into giving him the diamond in exchange for Damian's release.

Marvin is sent to place the diamond in an Acme satellite's ray gun; with it, Mr. Chairman plans to turn most of the world's population into monkeys to make his products before reverting the population into people who will buy them while everyone will be turning into mindless fruits. DJ and Kate rescue Damian from a death trap, while Bugs and Daffy chase Marvin into space. Marvin defeats Bugs, prompting Daffy to becomeDuck Dodgersin order to destroy the diamond. The intervention leads to Mr. Chairman transforming into a monkey, leading to his arrest. Bugs and Daffy return to Earth, where it is revealed that the preceding events were staged. Bugs promises Daffy that they will be equal partners, before the latter is flattened by the Looney Tunes rings.Porky Pigattempts to close the film with "That's all, folks!", but the studio closes, much to his indignation.

Cast

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Live-action cast

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Voice cast

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Production

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Title logo ofLooney Tunes: Back in Action

Looney Tunes: Back in Actionwas initially developed as a sequel toSpace Jam(1996). As development began, the film's plot was going to involve a newbasketballcompetition withMichael Jordanand theLooney Tunesagainst a new alien villain named Berserk-O!. ArtistBob Campwas tasked with designing Berserk-O! and his henchmen.Joe Pytkawould have returned to direct andSpike Brandt and Tony Cervonesigned on as the animation supervisors. However, Jordan did not agree to star in a sequel. According to Camp, a producer lied to the studio, claiming that Jordan had signed on in order to keep development going. Without Jordan involved with the project,Warner Bros.was uninterested, and cancelled plans forSpace Jam 2.[4]

The film then re-entered development asSpy Jamand was to starJackie Chan.Warner Bros. was also planning a film titledRace Jam,which would have starred racing driverJeff Gordon.Both projects were ultimately cancelled. Warner Bros. eventually askedJoe Danteto directBack in Action.In the early 1990s, Dante wanted to produce a biographical comedy withHBO,calledTermite Terrace.It centered around director filmmaker and cartoonistChuck Jones' early years at Warner Bros. in the 1930s. On the project, Dante recalled, "It was a hilarious story and it was very good except that Warner Bros. said, 'Look, it's an old story. It's got period stuff in it. We don't want that. We want to rebrand our characters and we want to doSpace Jam.' "[5]

Dante agreed to directBack in Actionas a tribute to Jones. He and screenwriterLarry Doylereportedly wanted the film to be the "anti-Space Jam"as Dante disliked how that film represented theLooney Tunesbrand and personalities.[6]Dante said, "I was making a movie for them with those characters [Looney Tunes: Back in Action] and they did not want to know about those characters. They didn't want to know whyBugs Bunnyshouldn't do hip-hop. It was a pretty grim experience all around. "[7]Warner Bros. hiredWalt Disney Feature Animation'sEric Goldberg,most known for his fast-paced, Warner Bros.-inspired animation of theGenieinAladdin(1992), to direct the animation.

On the film, Dante stated, "It's a gagfest. Not having a particularly strong story, it just goes from gag to gag and location to location. It's not a particularly compelling narrative, but, of course, that's not where the charm of the movie is supposed to lie." On the subject of filming, Dante stated that each scene with animated characters would be shot three times; first a rehearsal with a fake stuffed stand-in, then with nothing in the frame, and lastly, with a "mirror ball" in the shot to indicate to the computers where the light sources were. Afterwards, the animators would start their work and put the characters in the frame. According to Dante, a "problem" occurred when the studio executives grew tired of the film's jokes and wanted them to be changed. As a result, the studio brought in twenty-five gag writers to try to write jokes that were short enough for the voice actors todubinto an animated character's mouth. Despite this, the film has one credited writer.[8]

Dante stated that he had no creative freedom on the project, and called it "the longest year and a half of my life". Dante felt that while he and Goldberg managed to preserve the original personalities of the characters, the opening, middle, and end of the film are different from what Dante had envisioned.[9]

Release

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Box office

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Looney Tunes: Back in Actionwas released on November 14, 2003, originally planned to open earlier that summer. The film grossed $68.5 million worldwide against a budget of $80 million.[10][11]

Warner Bros. was hoping to start a revitalized franchise ofLooney Tunesmedia and products with the success ofBack in Action.New animated shorts andaDuck DodgersTV serieswere commissioned to tie-in withBack in Action.However, due to the film's financial failure, theLooney Tunesfranchise remained primarily on television for nearly two decades. Warner Bros. would not produce another theatricalLooney Tunesfilm untilSpace Jam: A New Legacy,which was released in 2021.

Home media

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Warner Home VideoreleasedLooney Tunes: Back in ActiononVHSandDVDon March 2, 2004. The film was re-released on DVD in separatewidescreen(2.35:1) andfull screen(1.33:1) editions on September 7, 2010. It was also released onBlu-raywith bonus features on December 2, 2014. A double DVD andBlu-rayrelease, paired withSpace Jam,was released on June 7, 2016.[12]

Reception

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Critical response

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On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesthe film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 138 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The plot is a nonsensical, hyperactive jumble and the gags are relatively uninspired compared to the classicLooney Tunescartoons. "[13]AtMetacritic,the film has a weighted average score a 64 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews"[14]Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[15]

Chicago Sun-TimescriticsRoger EbertandRichard Roepergave the film "Two Thumbs Up"; Roeper called it a "cheerful and self-referential romp blending animation with live action in a non-stop quest for silly laughs", while Ebert called it "goofy fun".[16]

Awards and accolades

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The film was nominated for aSaturn Award for Best Animated Film,aAnnie Award for Best Animated Featureand aSatellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature.

Music

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This was the final film scored by composerJerry Goldsmith.Due to Goldsmith's failing health, the last reel of the film was actually scored byJohn Debney,though Goldsmith was the only credited composer in marketing materials and theVarèse Sarabandesoundtrack album only contains Goldsmith's music (although the first and last cues are adaptations of compositions heard in Warner Bros. cartoons). Debney receives an "Additional Music by" credit in the closing titles of the film and "Special Thanks" in the soundtrack album credits.[17]Goldsmith died in July 2004, eight months after the film's release.

Tie-in platform video game

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Main article:Looney Tunes: Back in Action(video game)

Looney Tunes: Back in Actionhas atie-in platform video game of the same namewhich was developed byWarthog Gamesand published byElectronic ArtsforPlayStation 2,GameCubeandGame Boy Advance.XboxandMicrosoft Windowsversions of the video game were planned, but were cancelled because of the financial failure of the film.

Notes

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  1. ^Animation direction byEric Goldberg

References

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  1. ^abcdef"Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)".Filmaffinity.RetrievedDecember 6,2024.
  2. ^abc"Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJanuary 25,2008.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmno"Looney Tunes: Back in Action".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedMay 18,2020.
  4. ^"Artist Bob Camp recalls the ill-fated" Space Jam 2 "".Animated Views. November 30, 2012.RetrievedJune 18,2014.
  5. ^"Joe Dante on Looney Tunes".Something Old, Nothing New. June 15, 2007.RetrievedJune 18,2014.
  6. ^"TFH PRESENTS THE MOVIES THAT MADE ME with your hosts Josh Olson & Joe Dante".RetrievedMarch 8,2023.
  7. ^"SuicideGirls".
  8. ^Sachs, Ben (August 8, 2012)."The orgiast: an interview with Joe Dante (part one)".Chicago Reader.RetrievedFebruary 13,2016.
  9. ^"The Den of Geek interview: Joe Dante".Den of Geek. February 21, 2008.RetrievedJune 18,2014.
  10. ^"Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)".Box Office Mojo.Internet Movie Database.RetrievedDecember 2,2011.
  11. ^Beck, Jerry(2005).The Animated Movie Guide.
  12. ^"Space Jam/Looney Tunes: Back in Action" product information
    Amazon.com
    Retrieved December 17, 2016
  13. ^"Looney Tunes: Back in Action".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJanuary 29,2008.
  14. ^"Looney Tunes: Back in Action Reviews".Metacritic.RetrievedJanuary 29,2008.
  15. ^"Find CinemaScore"(Type "Looney Tunes" in the search box).CinemaScore.RetrievedMarch 25,2021.
  16. ^"Looney Tunes: Back in Action:: rogerebert.com:: Reviews".Rogerebert.suntimes.com. November 14, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon June 5, 2011.RetrievedOctober 29,2012.
  17. ^Looney Tunes: Back in Actionsoundtrack review atFilmtracks.com.Retrieved March 18, 2011.
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