A New Era Of Looney Tunes In A New Decade

Eh, what’s up, readers [20]? I tawt I taw the official trailer for a brand new Looney Toons [41]…oops! I mean Looney Tunes cartoon! I did! I did taw the trailer for it [44]! From the 1930s to the 1960s, the original Looney Tunes cartoons won the hearts of many with its slapstick, witty humour and memorable cast of characters [24]. Throughout the years, we have witnessed other reboots and spin-offs of Looney Tunes, including:

•       The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995 – 2002) [29] [46]
•       Baby Looney Tunes (2002 - 2005) [4] [18]
•       Duck Dodgers (2003 – 2005) [6] [21]
•       Loonatics Unleashed (2005 - 2007) [23]
•       The Looney Tunes Show (2011 - 2014) [28]
•       Wabbit, later titled “New Looney Tunes” (2015 - 2019) [7] [8] [15] [26]

After a lot of positive, negative and mixed reception of these re-establishments and such, we are about to be infatuated with a brand new series that will stream on HBO Max in May 2020 [25] [44] [49]. The title of a whole new establishment of the witty wonders from Warner Bros. is simply “Looney Tunes Cartoons”. Surely it is a bit too generic, but at least I can see some great qualities the trailer has to offer so far, even though my boyfriend would probably tease me with the Big Chungus meme [17] [45].

Another establishment of Looney Tunes? Reboot seeing opens in May. [44]

My dearest boyfriend, if you are reading this, do not even think about it. [45]

The first public sign of a reboot of the franchise happening was an animated short titled “Looney Tunes Cartoons: Dynamite Dance” [43]. It was uploaded onto YouTube back in Summer 2019 and when I watched it, my mind was like “Suffering succotash!” because of how outstanding it is [20]. I still officially declare the short to be an outstanding masterpiece. I adore how each moment of Bugs Bunny’s usual flee from Elmer Fudd are very well-timed with the melody of the classical music as it enlightens the overall humour, including some slapstick with sticks of dynamite and TNT that captures the essence of slapstick humour from the old Looney Tunes cartoons [24]. There is no voice acting heard from the wabbit and the hunter at all, but at least it is no big deal as it enhances the premise of slapstick timed very well in the melody of classical music. My fellow cartoon critics, we have witnessed another reboot done right and it seems like it will be expanded in May 2020. It sure makes up for how plenty of us did not like the sitcom format of The Looney Tunes Show and how Loonatics Unleashed just seemed far too misguided [23] [28].

Look at this gorgeous title card. [43]

Come back here, you pesky wabbit!! [43]

It is a little odd how Bugs is wearing yellow gloves instead of his usual white ones [43] [44]. Looney Tunes Cartoons is not the first time he wore yellow gloves [39]. The same feature applies to Porky Pig, but at least he did not swear like he did one time back in 1938 [14]. As for the arrogant yet quirky Daffy Duck, I can see how his beak and legs are a deeper shade of orange. However, it is best not to judge an iconic character’s portrayal solely for a notable visual alternation. We also see the timeless moment of Wile E. Coyote chasing Road Runner and they do not seem to have any striking colour changes at all. But more importantly, their chase scene is a sign of reliable writing when it comes to avoiding making a reboot misguided. I think it is preferable to make the characters revert back to their more recognisable designs as some of the redesigns in New Looney Tunes might have been a little uncanny to some Looney Tunes fans with a few exaggerated features [7] [8] [26] [48]. Aside from that, I am glad that the characters still have their iconic designs in a slightly different art style.

I do not mind Bugs Bunny having yellow gloves since I strongly believe that character development is far more important. [44]

Remember the designs of the characters in New Looney Tunes [7] [8] [42]? Some of them were…less desirable. [26]

It seems like Pepe Le Pew ought to return in Looney Tunes Cartoons as well. He may be a hopeless romantic, but as someone who takes sexual harassment seriously and retired from DeviantArt for that particular reason, I can see why the more modern adaptions of Looney Tunes have not featured him giving Penelope Pussycat a hard time by not taking rejections from her for an answer [34] [47]. I suggest that the classic premise of him lustfully chasing a cat who he mistakes for another skunk can avoid being very controversial in today’s standards by making Penelope’s personality more fearless and cleverly cunning when it comes to avoiding him. An example of this can be temporarily flirting with him, then giving him some comical pwnage for harassing her. This would be similar to Minerva Mink’s attitude towards dudes she does not fancy very much in Animaniacs [5] [33]. Karma is a Witch Hazel, huh? Even though we are all familiar with the usual premises of each star, I can understand that standards and understandings will change over time and there can be added loopholes to make premises less uncomfortable for audiences with more cautious perspectives today.

Yeah. Le Pew’s prime premise has not aged very well [34]. Catchy song during the run of The Looney Tunes Show though. [47]

As unbearable Le Pew’s scent is, Penelope Pussycat ought to be devious and able to troll him when it comes to fighting back against unwanted romance. Upgrading her personality like that to Minerva Mink’s seduction ought to make the premise quite appealing to feminist viewers [5] [33]. [3]

Aside from Marvin the Martian who appears to be challenged by something unusual about a planet he tries to claim in the name of Mars [44], other memorable characters who could be returning in Looney Tunes Cartoons are:

·        Foghorn Leghorn [25] [49]

·        Petunia Pig [25] [49]

·        Taz [25] [49]

·        Cecil Turtle [25] [49]

·        Granny [25] [49]

·        Beaky Buzzard [25] [49]

·        Sam Sheepdog [25] [49]

Wait a minute! If Sam Sheepdog is returning, then that must mean Ralph Wolf, Wile E. Coyote cousin's is returning too [16] [27] [30]! Do not forget that Ralph has a red nose and white eyes while Wile E. has a black nose and yellow eyes. Surely the portrayal of Speedy Gonzales received criticism for stereotyping of Mexicans in about 1999 [24], but I suggest that his Mexican traits can at least be toned down to only a convincing and not too stereotypical state for Looney Tunes Cartoons. I am more than interested to see the portrayal of other Looney Tunes characters who have not appeared in the trailer, including a possible repeat of the best portrayal of Lola Bunny from New Looney Tunes for our fellow ‘90s kids and 2000s kids who loved her back then [4] [15] [18] [32] [37]. With the usual large variety of species with their unique personalities, Looney Tunes Cartoons could be one reliable rehash.

It would be lovely to be his two good friends who act like worst enemies in their jobs again. I have not seen them in a while [16]. [30]

Despite the controversy he caused, I would like this little amigo to return in Looney Tunes Cartoons as I remember watching him in his own Virgin Media advert. [38]

Be vewy, vewy quiet [20]. I’m critiquing the art style and animation now. The art style and animation are exceptionally faithful to the timeless legacy of the original Looney Tunes [2] [3] [13] [39] [42] [44]. How objects and other aspects in the backgrounds lack black outlines help the animated characters stand out splendidly for the viewers to witness their looney antics. As for items that are meant to be used by a character, there will be an outline around them to make them part of each animated antic, which is another sign of the crew in the part department taking the overall art quality quite seriously. I can also see how their palettes are not too saturated and the colours are appropriately selected for a healthy dose of realism in every setting, quite similar to the colour palettes of the background in Flea Circus, a cartoon from 1954 about a flea circus that was directed by no other than Tex Avery [53] [54]. The animation’s quality and flow briefly remind me of the animation of The Tom and Jerry Show, a reboot of Tom and Jerry that consists of a combination of its slapstick comedy and today’s standards when it comes to entertainment for today’s youth [9] [10].

The background that strongly resembles a zoo is an example of how easing the background are in the trailer of Looney Tunes Cartoons. [44]

I can say that the animation in Looney Tunes Cartoons is more fluid and lively than the animation in the webisode “Dating Dos and Don’ts”. [32]

We also see the wascally wabbit himself using a smartphone to summon a lot of adorable miniature versions of him and using a streaming service on a flat-screen television in order for Looney Tunes Cartoons to appeal to young people in today’s society [44], quite similar to how he used a flip phone in a Sprint advert for our fellow 2000s kids back in 2003 [40]. Even though I think that the use of today’s technology works better for characters who have been first established in the 2010s, classic characters using it is ultimately harmless and seems like a mild attempt that appealing to a new audience of millennials without trying too hard to be hip with them. I am not saying that it is beyond criticism though as I believed that the 2015 era of Bratz tried too hard to appeal to young girls of the 2010s with rather tacked on trends, thus causing their popularity to decline [11] [12] [55]. Call me an ignorant millennial or a social justice warrior all you want, but I would rather witness that than witness a rehash of the inconsiderate mockery towards Asian people and black people from the 1940s and 1950s cartoons [2] [13] [39] [42].

“Bring the kids!” – Bugs Bunny, 2020. [44]

Bugs Bunny blending in today’s society as he refrains from repeating his racism era [2]. [44]

Aside from a few differences for audiences at the beginning of the 2020s, let us analyse the humour represented in the trailer [44]. Tickling an opponent’s hand to beat them in an arm wrestle? I guess that is one way to win with wittiness. At some point, Wile E. Coyote gets confronted by a lit stick of dynamite, which is another sign of familiar slapstick enhancing the reboot’s writing. Speaking of slapstick, we also see Sylvester get crushed by a variety of household objects that have been blown out of a vacuum cleaner. Could the remote control Tweety is shown holding be involved? Gossamer sure got in touch with his feminine side when he began strutting his stuff in a pair of high-heeled pumps. It is amusing how Daffy is seen popping up from a puddle of cement posing as different iconic historical figures. I also like how the way Porky Pig had his head and arms through a drum is a reference to his iconic conclusive phrase [24], but I guess I will get to that a little later. I would love to also witness some other fourth-wall breaks as they are my favourite type of humour. Just ask Deadpool [52] [53] [57].

Gossamer is a gorgeous red creature, isn’t he? I know from experience [52] [53] [57]. [44]

“Th-th-th-that’s it!” – Porky Pig, 2020. [44]

Lastly, I would like to express my thoughts on the audio. I can tell that the music is a reference to Giovanni Jones, the opera singer that Bugs had a bone to pick with in “Long-Haired Hare” [36], which is a fitting aspect of trying to make Looney Tunes Cartoons seem like the most legitimate reboot of the original series yet. As for the voice acting, I just love the sound of talent [44]. So far, it sounds like Eric Bauza is doing a fantastic job at voicing Bugs, Daffy, Marvin, and Tweety [25] [49]. I am impressed at how Fred Tatasciore can nail the aggression and Southern-accent in Yosemite Sam’s voice [25] [44] [49]. Bob Bergen once again manages to deliver the stuttering in Porky’s voice excellently as he is fairly experienced in voicing him [19] [25] [49]. Given the opportunity to voice Elmer, Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn after some previous experience, we can hopefully count on Jeff Bergman as well [22] [25] [49]. It sure is nice to let a writer and storyboard artist voice a character too as Michael Ruocco will apparently do the voice of Beaky Buzzard [25] [49]. Another aspect that will enlighten a reboot is a cast of talented voice actors nailing the recognisable voices of each character.

“I just wove technowogy!” – Tweety, 2020. [44]

Aside from Wile E. Coyote remaining mute as he chases Road Runner, could he speak in a manly and sophisticated voice while confronting Bugs Bunny once again [48]? [44]

In conclusion, Looney Tunes Cartoons seems like one of the things we could need after how we selflessly succumb to self-isolation within lockdowns and send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who lost their lives during the devastating coronavirus outbreak [35]. With plenty of faithfulness to what made Looney Tunes popular and iconic since the 1930s, it is sure to appeal to both fans of the original cartoons and a crowd of newer and younger cartoon fans, just as long as any likely adult humour can be sneaky and subtle enough to not undesirably affect the appeal of a new and young audience [3]. Speaking of appealing to both an old and a new audience, there should some loopholes to avoid the scale being unbalanced and negatively affecting the reboot’s appeal since plenty of us are aware of how controversial a fair amount of the original cartoons were [24]. As we maintain strong hopes for a brand new establishment of Looney Tunes in a proactive manner, I suppose every era needs a little bit of Looney Tunes, quite like how each one needs a dose of Dr. Seuss [31] [50] [51]. Th-th-th-that’s all, folks [20]! Meep meep!

Apart from Daffy Duck taking cosplaying to a whole new level with cement, we are wait to see more adventures with the cast of iconic characters from Warner Bros. in May 2020. [44]

Gee, ain’t I a writer? [43]

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