Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Warner | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

Some of the most beloved characters that Warner Brothers ever created aren’t named “Batman” or “Rick Blaine”; rather they’re known as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote. The original “Looney Tunes” forever changed the way cartoons were shown and their impressive run has inspired generations of comedians, animators and entertained millions. So why then wasn’t “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” a funnier movie? It must have sounded good on paper – get Bugs and the whole gang back together and throw them in a scenario while intermingling with humans. Hey, it worked for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”; but why not here? Now before I proceed, I’m not bashing to movie. Kids will most certainly love it and for fans of the originals (even those of us who grew up on the reruns), there is some sentimentality to be seen, for sure. But I somehow got the feeling that everything was so…forced. We can’t forget Chuck Jones, the mastermind behind the original series, who just died in 2002. These characters were his life and Director Joe Dante, a fan of Jones and his work, has done his best to try and mold “Back in Action” in the same light as the original cartoons were years ago. Again…what went wrong?

"Looney Tunes" doesn't spend much time establishing the plot. The human characters are somewhat akin to cartoon characters themselves, so we’ll skip the introductions. The ACME chairman (Steve Martin, showing more life than he has in a while) is trying to track down a special diamond called the Blue Monkey. Why is it so special? Well, it has the power to turn humans into monkeys and back again. Just what every scheming person wants! His scheme involves having the monkeys build useless products, and getting the humans to buy them. Damian Drake (Timothy Dalton), who plays a James Bond-like spy in his movies (and, for the uninformed, Dalton did play the “real” Bond in a few movies), is also one in real life. Drake has been taken hostage while trying to find the mysterious diamond and gets the aid of his son, D.J. (Brendan Fraser), who has just been fired from his job as security guard on the Warner Brothers lot, to help him out. Additionally, the new Vice President of Comedy, Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman) has just fired Daffy Duck for not being funny enough; Daffy wanted more money and didn’t get it. End of story. Daffy has latched onto D.J. and the two of them head off to Vegas on the first leg of their adventure. What happens next isn’t as predictable as one might think, but there are laughs to be had. This isn’t a “bad” movie by any stretch, but it lacks the originality that the original shorts had. A semi star-studded cast is in top form, though if you’re looking for this type of movie that is really fresh and original, maybe that other rabbit would be a safer bet.

Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” looks simply great. As one might imagine, the cartoonish nature of the film means that it’s full of bright vivid colors (since when have cartoons looked dull and drab)? The live action parts mixed with the cartoons do look a bit different, showing the clarity of the animation. A particular scene comes to mind when Bugs re-enacts a scene from “Psycho”, one of the better examples of clarity on DVD. This is the typical big-budget studio movie and as such, we have some near reference-quality material here. Dante, shooting in the wider aspect ratio, manages to frame the action and it looks great here – as it should.

The audio is a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track and it also sounds superb. Cartoonish bombs and explosions (and various other sound effects) add to the dynamic stage that make this one good listen. From every sputter of Daffy’s speech, to the real voices in the movie, dialogue isn’t a problem. A majority of the action is limited to the front three speakers, but the surrounds kick in often and provide more than just background atmosphere. While this isn’t the best audio I’ve heard, I was more than impressed and this is the type of movie that allows for a better overall listening experience.

The supplements aren’t that robust and though this movie certainly has it’s audience, there seem to be only enough to whet the appetite. First up is “Behind the Tunes” a look at the making of the movie with Bugs and Daffy as the hosts. This covers the same information as a “normal” featurette, but they’re catering to the audience here and it’s nice to see something presented in an original way (though the material is the same as any other “Making of…” featurette). Next up is “Bang, Crash, Boom” which, obviously, focuses on the sound and visual effects used in the movie. It’s interesting to see how some of these effects were done and, again, we’re guided by our animated friends who tell us how it’s done. A series of seven deleted scenes is shown, all in non-anamorphic widescreen, with Bugs and Daffy looking on in a “Screening Room” atmosphere. The alternate ending and opening (and everything in between) are shown, and some without the finished animation. There wasn’t too much missed here and I can see why they opted to leave these scenes for the DVD. An all-new cartoon is shown, called “Wizzard of Ow” featuring my favorite Looney Tunes character, the Road Runner. Though lacking some of the same “bang” (pun intended), this is entertaining and proof that these characters will be with us for a long time. Lastly, some DVD-ROM material is included as is the original theatrical trailer, shown in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.