Revisiting beloved characters is a dicey proposition. Because one is older and familiar with the characters, the experience of encountering them for the first time can not be replicated. As a result, someone might judge the new work more harshly. On the other hand, one might miss the characters so much and have such warm feelings about them, that a person might round up their feelings, taking it easier on the work than it earns. It becomes difficult to sort out nostalgic longing from genuine criticism. That’s the struggle in reviewing The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie for a geriatric Millennial like this critic.

Keeping that tension in mind, I still feel confident calling The Day the Earth Blew Up not as good as Looney Tunes of yore while still being a fine successor in its own right.

The story pairs Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza) as surrogate brothers. Taken in and raised by Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore), the two grow up with his saintly patience. As Jim literally walks off into the afterlife, the two pledge to stay together and hold on to their home. In the years since the farmland has become a full-blown suburban neighborhood complete with overreaching HOA. Daffy and Porky have remained together despite growing up to be two very different Tunes. The house remains in their name even if it has…deteriorated some.

Unfortunately, an object crashing to Earth takes a chunk out of the roof, forcing them to look for work to pair for the repairs. Worse, that object was an alien craft whose “goo” is being mixed with the local chewing gum company’s newest product. Every person who chews it becomes like a zombie, motivated only to chew and force others to try the gum.

As a platform for vignettes, the plot is a good setup. It suffers, however, as it begins to force itself into a more straightforward narrative shape. Thus, the best bits come early, like a montage of the two growing up with fairly regular encounters with dynamite or their numerous failed attempts to find a place to work.

Petunia Pig (Candi Milo) makes for a delightful third leg of the film’s tripod when the two find a job suited to their unique dispositions—well, Daffy’s specifically—at the gum factory. It is soon after that, though, that the film takes a turn. As the larger plot takes hold, the laughs become lighter and more fitful. The second half is not without its moments, but The Day the Earth Blew Up loses its sense of anarchic effervescence.

The one factor that gives the back end some juice is Peter MacNicol’s turn as The Invader. He’s silly and theatrical, every bit the kind of bad guy you want in a Looney Tunes adventure. His secret favorite thing about Earth feels a bit too much like an ’80s gag about sushi or a 2010s one about kale. However, he delivers it with enough gusto, and the movie takes the baton and runs with it so well it turns the lousy idea good.

The animation is far more consistent throughout. Largely two-dimensional with moments of painterly excess, especially when it comes to Farmer Jim, it is bright and fun, just like one expects and needs. The creature design of a gum beast is an injection of something new that still fits. It’s a suitably kid-friendly monster that still registers as otherworldly and unnerving.

The Day the Earth Blew Up is not a return to classic Looney Tunes, but is a proof of concept. It demonstrates there’s a place for Looney Tunes on the big screen and creators capable of doing it. Given present-day Warner Bros., whether the company will recognize that proof and jump on it seems, unfortunately, doubtful. But that doesn’t change the quality of this one endeavor. Great in places, good in others, and a sign that the Tunes still have creative juice.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie chews up screens everywhere beginning March 14.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie Trailer: