Looney Tunes: Back in Action: Difference between revisions

The second feature film attempt at reviving the [[Looney Tunes]] franchise since the fall of the original [[Warner Bros]]. cartoons, after ''[[Space Jam (Film)|Space Jam]]''. Released in 2003, this film is another good example of the [[Roger Rabbit Effect]]. [[Daffy Duck]] is fired from the Warner Studio and falls in the middle of a search for a mysterious Blue Monkey diamond that the secret agent father of a security guard is also trying to find before the Head of Acme does. Without Daffy, [[Bugs Bunny]] just can't do his job, and he heads out across the world with the VP of Comedy to retrieve him. Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman star as said security guard and VP, Joe Alaskey voices both Bugs ''and'' Daffy, and [[Steve Martin]] is a live-action villain who is the Head of the [[Acme Products|Acme]] Corporation that apparently invents all the malfunctioning devices known to cartoon-dom. [[Joe Dante (Creator)|Joe Dante]] directs. Eric Goldberg, who animated ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'''s Genie, directs the animation.

Rumor has it that Dante made this revival in response to his deep hatred for the previous film incarnation, calling this the "anti-''Space Jam''". Ironically, its working title was ''Spy Jam'', and had an action-oriented, [[James Bond (Filmfilm)|James Bond]]-like feel to it, instead of spoofing sports movies. It also was going to star [[Jackie Chan|Jackie]] [[What Could Have Been|Chan]]. The secret agent story remains, but Bugs and company are [[Animated Actors]] under contract at the Warner Studios lot, instead of otherworldly residents separate from our own. Rather than make all of them friends, they cast Elmer Fudd and the other supporting Tunes as enemies of Bugs and Daffy, several of which live around the world.

Financially, it performed even worse than ''Space Jam''... in fact, it's estimated that Warner Bros. lost between $60 million and $80 million on the film, making it one of the biggest box office flops ''ever'' -- [[Franchise Killer|theaters retracted the film out of embarrassment, and the series of brand new theatrical cartoon shorts were all canceled...]] some of which ''were already finished''. This film made the company realize there doesn't seem to be any clear future for the Tunes, except for the occasional television special, [[Duck Dodgers|a faithful new TV series]] and [[Loonatics Unleashed (Animation)|some controversial]] [http://www.deadline.com/2010/08/warner-bros-next-movie-star-bugs-bunny/#more-61224 updates] (at least until ''[[The Looney Tunes Show]]''). Still however fans have been known to state the movie is much better than ''Space Jam'', bringing the characters back to their roots, and has gained a cult following on DVD. In fact, many claim one of the main reasons the film failed at the theaters was due in part to the lousy marketing of Warner Bros.

{{quote| '''D.J''': What I really do is I... I'm a stunt boy!<br />

'''Daffy''': HA! You, a stunt boy!? Please!<br />

'''D.J.''': I am! You seen those ''[[The Mummy Trilogy (Film)|Mummy]]'' movies? I'm in them more than Brendan Fraser is! }}

* [[Aside Glance]]: Many characters do this when the ridiculousness of their situation is just too much to handle. Like when a Wal-Mart mirage shows up and they [[Lampshade]] [[Product Placement]]

** In an [[Animate Actors]] kind of way, this trope also applies to the Looney Tunes themselves. Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Porky, Speedy and several others are depicted as actors who did star in their real-life shorts, but Tweety, Sylvester, Taz, Yosemite Sam, Marvin and several others are just depicted as people who hase seemingly no connection to the Warner Bros. studio.

* [[Creator Backlash]]: Since the film came out, [[Joe Dante (Creator)|Joe Dante]] has really only discussed this movie publicly ''just once''. The one time he did all he could talk about was the [[Executive Meddling]] behind it, and "the less said about [the movie], the better." He did say though that "At least it's better than ''[[Space Jam (Film)|Space Jam]]''".

{{quote| '''Elmer Fudd''': Say your prayers, wabbit! It's wabbit season!<br />

'''Bugs Bunny''': Duck season!<br />

'''Elmer''': Wabbit season!<br />

'''Bugs''': Duck season!<br />

'''Elmer''': Wabbit season!<br />

'''Bugs''': Wabbit season!<br />

'''Elmer''': Wait a minute... * looks at script* <br />

** One would think this evidently leads to [[The End of the World Asas We Know It]], since it ends Bugs' historic survival instinct (besides cross-dressing which he was discouraged from doing anymore due to how modern audiences perceive the act). He really [[Large Ham|milks his injuries for all their worth]] in front of the big executives too. Like all classic cartoons, he gets better by the next shot.

{{quote| '''Bugs''': Oooooh the paaaaain! Ooooh the agoneeee~[[eeeee~]]eeeee!}}

{{quote| '''Yosemite Sam:''' Throw it out the window! Throw it out, throw it out!<br />

'''Mook 1:''' But innocent people could be hurt...<br />

'''Sam:''' THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW!<br />

'''Mook 2:''' [[Think of the Children|It'll send the wrong message to children!]]<br />

* [[Executive Meddling]]: Reportedly, a ''lot''. Tons of scenes that were in the middle of animation were cut by the producers. Not to mention the lousy marketing.

* [[Face Palm]]: Daffy: "You know, I'm beginning to think that ''this'' one is the spy car!" * Bugs facepalms*

** The deleted scenes had a ''very'' different opening for the film, which features Daffy as a superhero fighting an evil Elmer Fudd and his organ operated robot-thingy (a [[Crazy Awesome]] opening not so different from ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 3'')--only to reveal that it's Daffy trying to pitch a film idea, with the Warner Bros. complaining that he killed Elmer in the end.

{{quote| '''Yosemite Sam''': (after slipping on a banana peel). Dadburn slapstick cliches!" ::opens fire on the banana peel::}}

{{quote| ''(car stops a foot from the ground)''<br />

'''Bugs''': "Well, whadaya know. Outta gas!"<br />

'''Kate''': ''(As scene begins to fade out)'' "What? That's not how it works!"<br />

''(fadeout disappears and car smashes into the ground)''<br />

* [[Mythology Gag]]: [[Space Jam (Film)|"Let's do some drills."]]

* [[Never Say "Die"]]: Played straight then subverted when Mr. Chairman orders Marvin the Martian to destroy Daffy.

{{quote| '''Mr. Chairman''': Destroy the duck, and when I say destroy the duck, I mean kill him! Kill him painfully and maliciously.}}

{{quote| '''ACME Chairman''': ''You see, if the [[Chained to Aa Railway|Train of Death]] doesn't kill him, tthen those [[Cartoon Bomb|crates of TNT]] will. Not to mention the [[Anvil Onon Head|2-ton anvil hanging over his head]], and-- Oh, look. There's the Pendulum [[Doomy Dooms of Doom|of Doom]]! What's the Pendulum of Doom doing there?! I did not order the Pendulum of Doom! [[Subverted Trope|It's overkill! Get rid of it!]]}}

{{quote| '''DJ:''' There's a... man whose got a woman. She's tied up in a burlap sack. He's taking her to the Eiffel Tower.<br />

* [[Retcon]]: The whole reason this movie exists (see opening paragraph for an explanation). It managed to be truer to the characters and humor than ''[[Space Jam (Film)|Space Jam]]'', but barely anyone saw it in theaters!

* [[Rule of Funny]]: As opposed to ''[[Space Jam (Film)|Space Jam]]'', which had a more conventional plot, this is basically a Looney Tunes short extended to 90 minutes that just happens to be partially-made in live-action. Accept this, as it's the only way you could possibly enjoy the movie.

** Bugs recreates the [["Psycho" Shower Murder Parody|iconic scene]] from ''[[Psycho (Film)|Psycho]]''.

* [[Single-Minded Twins]]: Don and Dan Stanton show up as "Mr. Warner" and "Mr. Warner's Brother". Joe Dante fans might remember them as the grown-up versions of Ernest and Bertram Wilson from ''[[Eerie, Indiana]]''.

{{quote| '''Porky Pig:''' F-f-first they told me to lose the stutter, now they tell me I'm not funny anymore! ''[sigh]'' It's a pain in the butt being p-p-politically correct.<br />

** Also, during Mr. Chairman's succession of unmaskings, one of the disguises is... [[Space Jam (Film)|Michael Jordan.]] Which is quickly discarded.

* [[Talking Withwith Signs]]: Wile E. Coyote

{{quote| "They don't pay me enough."}}

* [[Throw the Dog Aa Bone]]: {{spoiler|After being the [[Butt Monkey]] for the entire film, Daffy weaponizes the fact that his beak gets constantly blown off and uses it to stop the satellite from firing thus making him the hero.}}

{{quote| '''Kate''': "You can't fire me! My films have made $950 million."<br />

{{quote| '''Daffy:''' "Don't start that again!"}}

* [[You Have Failed Me...]]: Mr. Chairman has Taz eat one of the VPs for questioning him. Also, a [[Deleted Scene]] reveals the reason why the VPs had to press their buzzers before speaking up.

{{quote| '''VP:''' Is that a rhetorical question?<br />

'''Chairman:''' ''[grins evilly]'' Oh goody. You forgot to press your buzzer.<br />

{{quote| ''[[Porky Pig|"A-Tha-th-th...TH-th-th...THA-Tha-th...mh-m-... G-g-go home, Folks."]]''}}