Friday, December 28, 2012

Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006) Review:


Because Charles Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol is so popular, it's of no surprise that Warner Brothers decided to finally make their own Christmas Carol with their very own beloved characters, the Looney Tunes. And to get to the point, this adaptation is funny and great to watch. The difference between this movie and other Dickens film adaptations are that it takes place in the present. Playing the "Scrooge-like" character is none other than Daffy Duck. This is a wise choice because Daffy is usually a self-centered character and loves money to begin with.

I don't think I need to explain much here....
And just to show how wealthy Daffy is, the introduction will then move to an over-exaggerated, multi-complex, multi-floored shopping mall called the "Lucky Duck Mall". Working for Daffy are almost all the Looney Tunes characters and they all have their own problems. Elmer Fudd is sleep deprived, Coyote's starving, Marvin longs to go back to Mars and just like Bob Cratchit, the troubled parent who's honest enough to confront Daffy is Porky Pig. These scenes are hilarious to watch because each individual has their own screen time (though it isn’t much).

And don't worry Bugs Bunny is in here too. Even though he is not as involved with the story as you would think, he's still there and his presence is much appreciated. From what I viewed, screenwriter Ray De Laurentis looked like he had his heart in the right place. There are actually some truly touching moments in this movie no matter how ridiculous Daffy behaves by himself or around his employees in other scenes. A few examples of this would be when Daffy visits the past and sees himself as a child or when Marvin wishes to go back to Mars. The right emotions are there for these scenes and it shows.

Marvin looking at Mars from afar
The animation is clear and solid, and the colors were bright and vibrant. Even the musical score by Gordon Goodwin was great. Goodwin's score definitely displays to his audience that he knows what a Looney Tunes film requires. Plus within this, you’ll hear a lot of Christmas themed songs with jazzy tones. My only issue with the movie is that it's under one hour. Because of that, it feels rushed due to less time. I don't understand why the producers limited themselves to 45 minutes and that annoys me. With the time shortened, there's less time to expand and explore different components of each character.

Instead we get the bare bones minimum of each character. However, I won't let this flaw ruin my rating. The Looney Tunes bunch is fun to watch for any reason and because nothing was changed with the characters, I have nothing to be mad over. For the most part, all the voice-actors from Looney Tunes Back in Action (2003), plus some extras (that are well known too) like Jim Cummings lend their voices to make this Christmas special enjoyable for all audiences.

It may irk fans that the film is less than one hour, but this Looney Tunes Christmas special is amusing enough to overcome that weak point. Gordon Goodwin's musical score is one to remember as well; very festive.

Points Earned --> 9:10

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