Warner Bros. first began releasing animated shorts in the “Looney Tunes” franchise in the 1930s. Since then, the franchise has evolved, adding new characters and going from animated shorts to TV series to feature films.

Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes franchise is no stranger to the movies, as history has seen the property go from theatrical shorts to packaged presentations of previous cartoons, and now, live-action hybrids mark its most recent phase.

In every way, The Day the Earth Blew Up pays homage to and follows in the tradition of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons preceding it. Now, if only Ketchup Entertainment could rescue the apparently stranded Coyote vs. Acme.

This grave injustice has been remedied. While far from being a classic, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” is a charming and often invigorating reimagining of key Looney Tunes characters (Daffy Duck and Porky Pig), with a look and sound that links it to past versions without feeling indebted to them.

“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” surprised me. I expected yet another big screen misuse of the animated Warner Bros. characters I’ve loved since I was a kid. Outside of 2003′s “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” and 1988′s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” movies featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig have not done them justice.

This animated movie with Porky Pig and Daffy Duck puts its classic characters through a depressingly witless and vulgar adventure.

The wildly propulsive adventure involves Daffy and Porky at the local bubble gum factory where they discover a secret alien mind control plot.

Subtitled “A Looney Tunes Movie,” this installment, directed by Peter Browngardt, takes bubble gum to a whole new level.