LITTLE ROCK — Kids, this isn’t your granddaddy’s Looney Tunes.
They’ve moved out of the woods and into the ’burbs.
See what I mean when The Looney Tunes Show premieres at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Cartoon Network.
Warner Bros. has brought back its most animated famous characters in an all-new halfhour series. Everyone is pretty much as you remember them, except Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck have moved to a tasteful middle class cul-de-sac.
I was a kid in the 1950s and don’t remember noticing where it was the Looney Tuners all lived. I’m told it was somewhere out in a forest, but moving to the ’burbs is supposed to be a big deal.
The first thing I noted with the new show is that Bugs Bunny is no longer gray and white.
He’s lavender and white. I’ll let that sink in.
Bugs has been gray and white since the 1939 short cartoon “Hare-um Scare-um.” America has loved the gray “wabbit” since he was drawn in his now familiar final form for “A Wild Hare” in 1940.
That was the first cartoon where Bugs torments hapless hunter Elmer Fudd and the first cartoon where Bugs utters his trademark quip, “What’s up, Doc?” Other than the color change, everybody appears the same in the new series.
Bugs is as brazen, sarcastic and self-confident as ever. And Daffy, despite his narcissistic, sociopathic, paranoid and insecure tendencies, is still Bugs’ best friend and seemingly permanent house guest.
We learn (from the Mexican mouse Speedy Gonzales) that Bugs has lived in the suburbanhome with its oddly 1960s decor for five years and Daffy has been his “temporary” house guest all that time.
Yosemite Sam lives next door.
Another neighbor is the greenfaced Witch (the loving mother of the giant red hairy monster Gossamer). Granny and her pets Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird live across the street.
Moving to the suburbs allows the gang to wreak havoc on a whole new landscape - the grocery store, department of motor vehicles or the country club.
Speedy, by the way, owns the local pizza joint, Pizzarriba.
The premiere episode, “Best Friends,” sets the scene for those unfamiliar with this mismatched duo. Daffy decides they can make a quick buck by going on the game show Besties, where best friends answer questions about each another.
It soon becomes clear that self-absorbed Daffy knows absolutely nothing about Bugs, although Bugs knows everything about Daffy.
For example, Bugs knows Daffy’s middle name is Sheldon, although Daffy first claims it’s Armando because that sounds cooler.
Competing against the pair for a fabulous cruise are goofy gophers Mac and Tosh, who look like but shouldn’t be confused with Disney chipmunks Chip ’n’ Dale. Mac and Tosh are nauseatingly perky and unfailingly polite. They own the local antiques shop.
There are other familiar Looney Tunes favorites joining the fun. Throughout the series we’ll see the eternally optimistic Porky Pig, Bugs’ ditzy but lovable occasional girlfriend Lola Bunny, Southern rooster Foghorn Leghorn, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, the suave, seven-time married skunk Pepe Le Pew and the newest character, Daffy’s girlfriend Tina.
Tina is tough, no-nonsense and street-smart. She works at Copy Place and is attracted to Daffy because she “loves a project.” The series also features the return of “Merrie Melodies” - the animated music videos of original songs spotlighting everyone from (a noticeably thinner) Elmer Fudd to still fragrant Pepe Le Pew. Also included are all-new computer generated cartoon adventures with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.
The Looney Tunes Show is one of those that works on several levels. Small fry will enjoy the slapstick, action and bright colors; adults will enjoy the sophisticated humor.
Following The Looney Tunes Show at 7:30 will be Season 2 of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Scooby and the gang are back solving mysteries in Crystal Cove.
Finally, this note for all the baby boomers out there. The legendary Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs and Daffy and countless other cartoon characters for nearly six decades, died in 1989.
Jeff Bergman handles the duties now and does a credible job.
TV Week, Pages 85 on 05/01/2011