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==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==
The concept of the show revolves around roommates [[Bugs Bunny|Bugs]] and [[Daffy Duck|Daffy]] living in a suburb of Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" and other characters including [[Lola Bunny]], [[Melissa Duck|Tina Russo]], [[Porky Pig]], [[Foghorn Leghorn]], [[Elmer Fudd]], [[Sylvester (Looney Tunes)|Sylvester]], [[Tweety]], [[Granny (Looney Tunes)|Granny]], [[Gossamer (Looney Tunes)|Gossamer]], [[Yosemite Sam]], [[Speedy Gonzales]], [[Marvin the Martian]], [[List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters|Pete Puma]], and more. The show's plots contain less visual gags, and are more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven than has been seen in past Looney Tunes shows, such as dating, love triangles, employment, and rooming.<ref name=overview>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Looney-Tunes-Season-1-Volume-1/15616 |title=The Looney Tunes Show: Season 1 Volume 1 |publisher=tvshowsondvd.com}}</ref>
The concept of the show revolves around roommates [[Bugs Bunny|Bugs]] and [[Daffy Duck|Daffy]] living in Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" and other characters including [[Lola Bunny]], [[Melissa Duck|Tina Russo]], [[Porky Pig]], [[Foghorn Leghorn]], [[Elmer Fudd]], [[Sylvester (Looney Tunes)|Sylvester]], [[Tweety]], [[Granny (Looney Tunes)|Granny]], [[Gossamer (Looney Tunes)|Gossamer]], [[Yosemite Sam]], [[Speedy Gonzales]], [[Marvin the Martian]], [[List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters|Pete Puma]], and more. The show's plots contain less visual gags, and are more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven than has been seen in past Looney Tunes shows, such as [[love triangles]], [[employment]], and [[rooming]].<ref name=overview>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Looney-Tunes-Season-1-Volume-1/15616 |title=The Looney Tunes Show: Season 1 Volume 1 |publisher=tvshowsondvd.com}}</ref>


===Wrap-Around Segments===
===Wrap-Around Segments===

Revision as of 00:27, 24 May 2014

The Looney Tunes Show
GenreSitcom
Created byBased on the characters of Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Robert Clampett, Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris, Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick
Developed bySpike Brandt
Tony Cervone
Voices ofJeff Bergman
Bob Bergen
Kristen Wiig
Fred Armisen
Maurice LaMarche
Jennifer Esposito
(Season 1)
Annie Mumolo
(Season 2)
Theme music composerCliff Friend & Dave Franklin (adaptation by Andy Sturmer)
Opening theme"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down"
Ending theme"What's Up, Doc?"
ComposerAndy Sturmer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSam Register
ProducersSpike Brandt
Tony Cervone
Matt Danner
(Season 1)
Hugh Davidson
(Season 2)
Rachel Ramras
(Season 2)
Running time22 minutes
Production companyWarner Bros. Animation
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseMay 3, 2011 (2011-05-03) –
present (present)
Releaseaudio_format
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The Looney Tunes Show is an American animated sitcom which premiered May 3, 2011 on Cartoon Network. The show features characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoons updated for the 21st century. It is produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

Synopsis

The concept of the show revolves around roommates Bugs and Daffy living in Los Angeles with "colorful neighbors" and other characters including Lola Bunny, Tina Russo, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Gossamer, Yosemite Sam, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Pete Puma, and more. The show's plots contain less visual gags, and are more adult-oriented and dialogue-driven than has been seen in past Looney Tunes shows, such as love triangles, employment, and rooming.[1]

Wrap-Around Segments

The show also features two other segments which wrap around the main plot. These consist of:

  • Merrie Melodies – Two-minute music videos (with the exception of "Daffy Duck the Wizard", which runs for twice as long) showcasing classic characters singing brand-new original songs.
  • Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote – A series of CGI shorts depicting Wile E. Coyote's attempts to catch the Road Runner. These segments have stopped production after Season One.

Characters

Characters

  • Bugs Bunny (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Bugs Bunny lives a life of upper-middle-class suburban leisure, based off income from a popular Carrot Peeler that he invented. He lives in a well-appointed house, drives a compact car, and provides room and board for his friend, Daffy Duck. He spends his time watching sports on TV, hanging out with his friends and neighbors (mostly drawn from the classic Looney Tunes roster), and dating Lola Bunny (the latter under some protest). He generally plays the straight man to Daffy and Lola's various bouts of insanity, although he is not without his own quirks. He has exhibited somewhat compulsive/addictive tendencies, like having a high caffeine intake with coffee, becoming addicted to an energy drink that had dangerous chemicals in it, nearly leveled his own house in an increasingly deranged attempt to put up a shelf, and getting hooked on foods that contain butter. Despite being very intelligent, he has shown some level of idiocy, such as when he found jail "a smart aleck's" paradise and mistook the Tasmanian Devil for a dog.
  • Daffy Duck (voiced by Jeff Bergman) – Daffy Duck is the roommate of Bugs Bunny. Unlike Bugs and their neighbors, Daffy has no way of earning money and relies on Bugs for food and shelter. He has tried on numerous occasions to get rich quick, but ended up failing repeatedly. While Daffy's greed and jealousy of Bugs remains, it appears less antagonistic in the show. In the first episode, Bugs openly admits that Daffy is his best friend, despite his faults. Daffy has worked, and been fired from, numerous jobs due to negligence and/or incompetence. Despite this, however, Daffy has shown to be a very skilled hair dresser and successfully graduated beauty school. Daffy's two possessions that he is proud of are this blue recliner and his Papier-mâché parade float, constructed on top of a pickup truck, which is his main means of transport. In the episode "The Float", it was destroyed by a car wash incident and Daffy sought to replace it with a yacht by tricking Porky into giving him an expensive loan for a kidney transplant. But his less-than-stellar boating skills and a fight with Porky ended that ambition. He is rushed to the hospital and revealed that he actually needed a kidney transplant. Bugs pays the money, and Porky donates a kidney to Daffy. His parade float is repaired shortly after by Porky.
  • Porky Pig (voiced by Bob Bergen) – Porky Pig is one of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck's friends. Despite being extremely bright and bookish, Porky has an innocent, naive quality that Daffy frequently uses to his advantage, tricking Porky into parting with large sums of money or accompanying him in bizarre schemes. Porky originally worked a boring office job, but got fired following Bugs' example. He started his own catering company afterwards. In "Dear John," Porky was shown to have served on the city council. He starts a relationship with Petunia in the end of "Here Comes The Pig". In "Best Friends Redux", Daffy meets Porky's young self and ensures that he becomes good friends with Bugs & Rodney in their cabin, finally showing Porky an act of kindness.
  • Speedy Gonzales (voiced by Fred Armisen) – Speedy Gonzales is an extremely fast mouse who lives with Bugs and Daffy as their "mouse in the wall" and runs a pizza parlor called Pizzarriba. He is occasionally shown to act as Daffy's conscience. The episode "Sunday Night Slice" showed that Bugs bought his favorite restaurant Girardi's to prevent it from being closed and hired Speedy to help him. When Bugs decides he doesn't want to own a restaurant anymore, he hands ownership of it to Speedy who renames it "Pizzarriba".
  • Yosemite Sam (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) – Yosemite Sam is one of Bugs and Daffy's neighbors. He is a liar, a thief, and a cheat, amongst other things. He tends to annoy Bugs and Daffy.
  • Lola Bunny (voiced by Kristen Wiig) – Lola is Bugs' scatter-brained, bubbly, obsessive girlfriend, who has a habit of speaking rapidly, whether anyone else is listening or not. When they first meet, Bugs falls in love with her, but after learning how crazy and ditsy she is, he loses interest and often tries to escape her company. Lola develops a huge obsession with Bugs Bunny that the latter finds creepy; Lola is never put off by Bugs' responses to behaviour, that include taking photos of him in the shower, spying on him late at night, and often stalking him. Later in the series, however, Bugs eventually falls in love with Lola again which started when they went to Paris in the episode "Eligble Bachelors" and Bugs manages to stop her talking for a while.
  • Tina Russo (voiced by Jennifer Esposito in Season One, Annie Mumolo in Season Two) – A new character original to the show, Tina Russo is a female duck who is Daffy's girlfriend. She works at a copy store called "Copy Place". Tina is another straight character of the show, with a no-nonsense personality. She first starts dating Daffy because "she likes a project"; she tolerates his selfish and arrogant behaviour as she has a keen astuteness which allows her to read between the lines when they first meet; she works out that Daffy he is actually insecure and jealous, and that his vain attitude is really a front. Daffy is amazed she works this out so quickly, and later reveals Tina, through email, that he can't believe someone "so kind, beautiful, generous, and intelligent" would ever want to be with someone like him. After reading this, Tina is touched, and tells Daffy she loves him.

Recurring characters

  • Tasmanian Devil (voiced by Jim Cummings) – In this show, the Tasmanian Devil is portrayed as walking on four legs like a real Tasmanian Devil and his eyes are bloodshot red (later turned yellow when Bugs uses a taming trick that Speedy Gonzales taught him). Initially, Bugs believed Taz to be a dog and kept him as a house pet much to Daffy's discomfort. Eventually, Bugs learned the truth and tried to return him to his home in Tasmania only to find out that Taz would rather live with him. When Taz is not causing trouble for Daffy, he has occasionally tried to eat Sylvester. In the episode 'Ridiculous Journey' Taz spoke for the first time in the series, and had bonded with Sylvester and Tweety.
  • Pete Puma (voiced by John Kassir) – A dimwitted puma who is one of Daffy Duck's friends and does various jobs around town.
  • Witch Lezah (voiced by Roz Ryan) – A witch who lives next door to Bugs Bunny and is often annoyed at the antics of Daffy Duck. Witch Lezah is also a hypnotherapist by trade. The character is based on Witch Hazel, with 'Lezah' being 'Hazel' spelled backwards.
  • Granny (voiced by June Foray) – An old lady who is one of Bugs Bunny's neighbors. Granny is revealed to have been a spy for the Allied side in WWII. In "The Grand Old Duck of York," it is revealed that Granny teaches piano lessons.
  • Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner – Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are shown in short computer-animated segments in Season 1. They now only appear occasionally on the main show.

Other characters

  • Dr. Weisberg (voiced by Garry Marshall) – Dr. Weisberg is a physician who Bugs and the other characters often visit.
  • Walter Bunny (voiced by John O'Hurley) – Lola Bunny's father who idolizes Bugs.
  • Carol (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - A beautiful blonde who is Foghorn Leghorn's assistant and limo chauffeur who tries (and fails) to bring reason to Foghorn Leghorn.
  • Cecil Turtle (voiced by Jim Rash) – A turtle who formerly worked as a customer service representative at the Trans-Visitron cable company and later becomes a scammer an enemy of Bugs Bunny.
  • Hugo the Abominable Snowman (voiced by John DiMaggio) – A Yeti that lives in Alaska.
  • Beaky Buzzard (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A buzzard that rescues anyone in the desert in a hot-air balloon.
  • Petunia Pig (voiced by Katy Mixon) - A female pig that Porky develops a relationship with starting in "Here Comes The Pig".
  • Rodney Rabbit (voiced by Chuck Deezy) - A rabbit who is Bugs Bunny's old childhood best friend since summer camp.

Episodes

Season 1

A total of 26 episodes have been produced and aired.

Season 2

The second season premiered on October 2, 2012.[2][3]

Production

The Looney Tunes Show was first announced in summer 2009.,[4] however it was delayed several times before finally premiering on May 3, 2011. The characters feature new designs created by Ottawa artist Jessica Borutski over the course of two years.[5]

The animation is produced by Yearim, and Rough Draft Studios (along with Toon City Animation in the first season.) The Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner CGI shorts are produced by Crew972.

Crew

Home media release

Season 1

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
3-Pack Fun: The Looney Tunes Show 12 May 8, 2012[6]
There Goes the Neighborhood 14 August 7, 2012[7]

Music

Two albums compiling songs from the show have been released digitally by WaterTower Music:

  • Songs from The Looney Tunes Show, Season One (2012)[8]
  • Songs from The Looney Tunes Show, Season Two (2013)[9]

Reception

Though the voice acting has received praise, the series has been criticized for its infrequent use of slapstick, its lack of cartoon gags, character designs, and the "sitcom-styled" format that consists of the characters living in a suburban neighborhood.[10][11][12] The show, however, remains consistently popular, garnering an average of 2 million viewers every episode.[13][14]

In a 2010 interview with CBC News, series animator Jessica Borutski said in response to fan criticism of the series' new character designs, that the original designs were intended for adults and that "[it is] time for a new generation to meet the characters."[12] Borutski said, "a fresh, new design is the only way to keep characters alive."[12] Cartoon historian Chris Robinson noted also that the mark the original characters have on fans is indelible, and that fans are not receptive to change. "[Fans] just really become attached to these things," Robinson said. "It's just so strongly rooted in their childhood that they're unable to separate themselves."[12]

Awards and nominations

The Looney Tunes Show has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.[15]

Year Award Category Nominee Outcome
2011 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Voice-Over Performance Bob Bergen
  • For the voice of Porky Pig
  • Episode "Jailbird and Jailbunny"
Nominated
2012 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Voice-Over Performance Kristen Wiig
  • For the voice of Lola Bunny
  • Episode "Double Date"
Nominated
2013 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Voice-Over Performance Bob Bergen
  • For the voice of Porky Pig
  • Episode "We're in Big Truffle"
Nominated

References

  1. ^ "The Looney Tunes Show: Season 1 Volume 1". tvshowsondvd.com.
  2. ^ "The Looney Tunes Show Season Two Premieres Oct. 3 on Cartoon Network". Cartoon Brew. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  3. ^ "The Looney Tunes Show Officially cancelled". 2013-04-07.
  4. ^ http://animationguildblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/at-toon-factory-of-brothers-warner.html
  5. ^ CBC News http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/artdesign/story/2010/05/26/ottawa-looney-tunes-new-design-bortuski.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Looney-Tunes-Show-Jeff-Bergman/dp/B006WZIF7W/ref=pd_bxgy_mov_img_y
  7. ^ "The Looney Tunes Show: There Goes The Neighborhood". tvshowsondvd.com.
  8. ^ "Songs from the Looney Tunes Show - Season One". Amazon.com.
  9. ^ "Songs From The Looney Tunes Show - Season Two". WaterTower Music.
  10. ^ "Toonzone: the looney-tunes show three critics one reaction".
  11. ^ "REVIEW: The Looney Lunes Show".
  12. ^ a b c d "Ottawa animator bashed for Looney Tunes changes". CBC News.
  13. ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: TNT Rides NBA Doubleheader". The Futon Critic.
  14. ^ "Tuesday's Cable Ratings: MLB Playoffs, BET Hip Hop Awards No Match for "Anarchy"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance – 2011". Emmys.com.