Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Widescreen)

I have given this film 4 stars because my six-year-old son loves it, and I assume that's the age group it's aimed at. Brendon Fraser plays a security guard at Warner Brothers Studios who gets sacked, at the same time as a bossy female executive sacks Daffy Duck. Fraser and Daffy join forces to find Fraser's dad (Timothy Dalton) a film star who plays a spy who is actually a spy in real life. He has been kidnapped by a mad scientist (Steve Martin) who wants to find the Blue Daimond, which has magical powers. Fraser and Daffy have to get to the Blue Diamond before Martin does. also Bugs Bunny is trying to get Daffy back to the studios. The mixture of live action and cartoon characters will amuse children, and if you are a big Looney Tunes fan you should love it (I'm more partial to Tom and Jerry myself). On the other hand, if your main interest int he film was in the presence of Timothy Dalton, you may notice that there's not a lot of him in it really. Never mind, the kids will love it.

"Dynamite?" yells Jenna Elfman halfway through this film "Who has dynamite?". "Welcome to my world" comes Daffy Duck's reply. Yes indeed, welcome to the world of the Looney Tunes.
This film has been unfairly compared with Who Framed Roger Rabbit and, although not in that league at all, it has enough comedy and inventiveness to stand as a semi-classic in it's own right. At least it's not Space Jam.
I'm a firm believer that Bugs and co. can quite easily carry their own movie without the help of non-toons, but until then this'll do. For a Looney Tune fan such as myself there are plenty of character cameos and in-jokes to warrent several repeat viewings just to catch them all. The same goes for general movie fans (Roger Corman directs Warner's new Batman movie!?). Most, if not quite all, of the Looney Tune family get screen time with Daffy coming away with the lion's share. Other characters that are well served by the script are Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote and Marvin the Martian leaving the likes of Tweety, Sylvester, Taz and Elmer somewhat under-used - still, it's only a 90 minute movie. We also have a wonderful cameo from a suitably flat-looking Scooby and Shaggy - a joke against classic-versus-TV-animation for the keen-eyed!
A real high-light is the treatment that 'political correctness' gets in the script. We see Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzalez bemoaning P.C. attitudes (stutterers and racial stereotypes being somewhat taboo now) and, at one point, one of Sam's henchmen worrying that if he does indeed throw TNT out of the window "someone might get hurt". Sam's guns have been taken from him (although he's still allowed a cannon!) but at least Elmer Fudd has been allowed to keep his trusty rifle. Bugs Bunny's love of cross-dressing also gets questioned!
As with all of the other reviews for this film, I must mention the Louvre scene - Bugs, Daffy and Elmer running through a series of classic paintings. The DVD release allows a little more appreciation of this whole sequence with the use of freeze-frame. Other set-pieces that hit the spot are the Area-52 scenes (with lots of sci-fi fan pleasing cameos from classic aliens) and space-set climax.
The human actors are passable. Frazer and Elfman are not so bland as to be completely up-staged by the toons and Timothy Dalton proves he has a sense of humour by parodying his 007 character. I seem to be one of the few people who enjoyed Steve Martin's performance. Playing it ridiculously OTT, he is as close to a human-toon as possible - I think it works.
Overall, the script is funny enough although the 'plot' is incidental, the animation is excellent and interacts well, if not quite enough, with the real-world and, most importantly, all of the characters stay in character. But, as I said at the beginning, this ain't no Space Jam. Thankfully.

This movie is hilarious! I enjoyed every moment of it! If you were a Looney Tunes fan as a kid then you'll love this movie! It will bring back a lot of memories from watching it on tv. I would recomend this movie to anyone!