Recap: Looney Tunes Cartoons Comic-Con@Home 2021

July continues to be the looniest month of 2021 as the Looney Tunes Cartoons crew made their way to Comic-Con@Home for the second year in a row. Their characters improved themselves during the show’s second season and played basketball with LeBron James, so anything goes at this point for this wacky gang. Moderated by voice actor Eric Bauza (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Marvin the Martian), the panel features Pete Browngardt (executive producer), Aaron Spurgeon (art director), Alex Kirwan (supervising producer), Caroline Director (storyboard artist), and Keika Yamaguchi (assistant art director).

The panel started with a hilarious clip of one of the season two episodes showcasing Bauza’s incredible vocal talents as Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian. Then he introduced the crew responsible for reintroducing the Looney Tunes to a new generation of fans. Throughout the panel, they discussed their experiences working on and honoring the cartoons without reinventing the wheel. They also mentioned the challenges they faced during the process.

During the discussion about fan reactions, Browngardt suggested that the fans liked how they managed to bring back obscure side characters for the show like Cecil Turtle. He also mentioned that he appreciated the positivity from the fans, which usually plays a pivotal role in its success. Alex Kirwan then talked about experimenting with different cartoons with some of the characters to see how viewers would react to them.

The main highlight of the panel is when they discuss their favorite moments or episodes of Looney Tunes Cartoons. Eric Bauza chose the episode that featured Bugs and Marvin, which also happened to be Aaron’s favorite. The Petunia Pig cartoon “Picture Perfect” was a favorite from Aaron and Caroline. That episode brought a challenge for the crew to develop a personality for Petunia. A challenge that they conquered with ease. Keika’s favorite episode was “Daffy Dentist” because of the storyline and working as an assistant art director. I thought it was excellent hearing them talk about the moments that they created for their audience. It showed how much fun they had developing the show.

They also discussed how the Looney Tunes continue to impact pop culture and resonate with audiences. Pete responds that they’re a mirror to our world. They’re a reflection of us and our mistakes so that we could laugh at those misfortunes. In addition, the crew reflects that people can just jump into the show without knowing the characters’ history, which efficiently helped gain new fans rather quickly.

Near the end of the panel, Pete Browngardt suggested that more cartoons are coming, including a back-to-school special that will premiere on August 19th. Eric Bauza closed it off with a clip of one of the show’s upcoming shorts. You can watch the entire panel discussion at the Comic-Con International Youtube channel. All of the Looney Tunes Cartoons episodes are now streaming on HBO Max.