2003 film by Joe Dante
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live-action animated comedy film directed by Joe Dante and written by Larry Doyle. The film stars Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Steve Martin, with Timothy Dalton, Joan Cusack, and Heather Locklear in supporting roles. A parody of action and spy films, the plot follows Looney Tunes characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as they become intertwined in a plot by the Acme Corporation's chairman to transform the world's population into subservient monkeys using the Blue Monkey diamond. They accompany aspiring stuntman DJ Drake and Warner Bros. executive Kate Houghton on their journey to thwart the chairman's plot, which doubles as a mission to rescue the former's abducted father, Damian.
The film was the result of multiple attempts by Warner Bros. Pictures to develop a sequel to Space Jam (1996). It was originally produced as Spy Jam, which was intended to star Jackie Chan in the lead role. Dante, out of a personal dislike for Space Jam, substantially developed the project to more closely represent the original personalities of the Looney Tunes characters, with Walt Disney Animation Studios animator Eric Goldberg serving as animation director. However, Dante reportedly had no creative control on the project, and the final film became different from what he intended. The film was the last project by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and the final film scored by composer and Dante collaborator Jerry Goldsmith, who died eight months following its release; John Debney composed additional material for the score.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action premiered on November 9, 2003, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 14. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office failure, grossing $68.5 million on an $80 million budget. Due to the film's financial failure, Warner Bros. subsequently canceled several planned Looney Tunes projects, including new theatrical short films. At the 31st Annie Awards, the film was nominated for four Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.