The horror!! Not that this animated film is of the horror genre, but I meant that it produced that kind of emotional reaction in me. Now to put that statement in context, I, like most out there, grew up on a steady diet of animated cartoons featuring Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird. Their antics made us all laugh at how the tiny yellow bird always got the upper hand on the black and white puddy cat. It was formulaic, like Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, yet still, it managed to entertain.
Fast forward to the year 2022 and a new feature-length animated film starring Tweety and Sylvester (along with some support from Granny) is released and it is not at all like the old school cartoons. It looks different, the tone is different, voices are different….all just different. Now, don’t get me wrong, things do not have to stay the same to remain good. Actually, evolution is essential in something that runs a long time. It is essential, however, that the calibre either remains the same level or goes up. Here, Tweety and Sylvester feature a sharp decline in quality.
Story-wise, it is okay. They keep it simple. Change is underway on the island paradise many animals live on. Their queen has disappeared and a leadership void emerges. In a strange confluence of circumstances, it is discovered that Tweety Bird (voiced by Eric Bauza) is next in line to the throne. Once wearing the crown, Tweety is surrounded by a posse that includes Granny (voiced by Candi Milo) and Sylvester (voiced by Eric Bauza). Though it is said to keep your enemies close, here that appears to be not the right strategy as Sylvester discovers a plot to kill the new king. Question becomes – will he remain loyal or not?
Warner Bros. disappoints here as they take a beloved cartoon duo and do them bad. The expected amount of cartoon style violence is there so that might tickle the young people’s fancy, but the horror begins with the animation. It is truly awful looking. So amateurish it is sad. Also, unlike the original cartoons, there is precious little for adults/parents to sink their claws into. So it will be a painful watch for the older ones watching along with their kids. Looney Toons is not what it was back in the Mel Blanc heyday, that is for sure.
