Loonatics Unleashed

Loonatics Unleashed is an American superhero animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran on Kids' WB for two seasons from 2005 to 2007. It also aired on Cartoon Network internationally. The series was based/inspired on the Looney Tunes cartoon characters, with the series described by Warner Bros. as an action comedy. Loonatics Unleashed is meant to be a mixture of the Looney Tunes shorts' irreverent style of humor and a modern action animated series, with the characters designed in a more action cartoon-inspired style.
Unlike previous Looney Tunes-related shows, Loonatics Unleashed has a darker tone and takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, following multiple minor story arcs. The initial concept designs were met with backlash among fans and there were petitions to have the designs changed, while Sander Schwartz defended the show's direction, saying the classic characters were "sharing DNA" with these new ones, and it was an extension of the franchise. Sam Register, who became WB's executive vice president of creative affairs in 2008, considers the character designs "a reminder of what not to do". This serves as the final series of the Looney Tunes TV franchise to premiere in the 2000s decade. After Loonatics Unleashed ended, the franchise would go on hiatus until the release of The Looney Tunes Show on Cartoon Network, four years later.

Plot

The events of Loonatics Unleashed occur in the year 2772, the year that a meteor strikes the city planet of Acmetropolis by crashing into one of its oceans, knocking it completely off its original axis. Instead of destroying the planet, the meteor crashes in a waterfront, releasing waves of supernatural energies causing some of the planet's citizens' genetic codes to be severely altered, granting them special abilities and strengths.
A mysterious and powerful woman named Zadavia calls upon six of the affected residents to form a team of superheroes. She becomes their commander, dispatching them for the purpose of combating any and all threats to Acmetropolis and its citizens. The newly formed team is known as the Loonatics, with their base operating out of the 134th floor of a large tower. These characters are the descendants of the classic Looney Tunes characters, according to multiple press releases and official sources. Descendants of other Looney Tunes are unverified, though they can be inferred in certain situations based on names, behaviors, and appearances.
It is later revealed that Zadavia is in fact an alien and had used her powers to knock the meteor slightly off-course, preventing the total destruction of the planet. It is also revealed that a mysterious figure, later revealed to be Zadavia's older brother named Optimatus, caused the meteor to strike Acmetropolis in an attempt to destroy his sister.
In the second season, the show takes on a lighter tone and many more descendants of other Looney Tunes characters are introduced, the majority of which only appear once in the series. The super villain characters from the previous season are rarely mentioned or rarely appear, though a few do remain relevant to the plot of several episodes. Zadavia becomes a less mysterious figure and regularly participates with the Loonatics in their adventures, appearing in-person rather than only through her hologram. Two more aliens from Zadavia's home planet are also introduced, Deuce and Keyboard Man. In the season's finale, the Loonatics are temporarily joined by one of their previous adversaries, and Optimatus is replaced by Deuce as the series arch-villain.

Main characters

Ace Bunny: Descendant of Bugs Bunny. Before the meteor hit the city, Ace worked as a stunt rabbit in movies.
Lexi Bunny: Descendant of Lola Bunny. Before the meteor hit the city, Lexi was trying out to become a cheerleader at Acmetropolis University.
Danger Duck: Descendant of Daffy Duck. Before the meteor hit the city, Danger was employed as a pool boy.
Slam Tasmanian: Descendant of the Tasmanian Devil. Before the meteor hit the city, Slam was a fighter in a ring. Due to the nature of his combat, it is implied that he was a pro wrestler in staged fights.
Tech E. Coyote: Descendant of Wile E. Coyote. Before the meteor hit the city, Tech was a college student at the Acme Institute; although it was never explicitly stated, it is implied he was kicked out under the pretense of being "mad" after one of the faculty misused his machine, though, in his defense, he installed the self-destruct button for extra credit.
Rev Runner: Descendant of Road Runner. Before the meteor hit the city, Rev was a delivery boy and invented things.
Principal voice cast
Charlie Schlatter – Ace Bunny
Jessica DiCicco – Lexi Bunny
Jason Marsden – Danger Duck
Candi Milo – Zadavia
Rob Paulsen – Rev Runner
Kevin Michael Richardson – Slam Tasmanian, Tech E. Coyote
Additional voice cast
Charlie Adler – Optimatus
Joe Alaskey – Sylth Vester, The Royal Tweetums, Melvin the Martian, Stoney the Stone
Dee Bradley Baker – Otto the Odd
Jeff Bennett – Professor Zane, Dr. Fidel Chroniker, Colonel Trench
Bob Bergen – Pinkster Pig
Steve Blum – Fuz-Zs
Dan Castellaneta – College Professor
Michael Clarke Duncan - Massive
Bootsy Collins – Boötes Belinda
Jim Cummings – Additional Voices
Kaley Cuoco – Weather Vane, Paula Hayes
Tim Curry – The Ringmaster
Grey DeLisle – Apocazons
Jeannie Elias – Elegant Woman
Bill Farmer – Mr. Leghorn
David Faustino – Time Skip
Vivica A. Fox – Black Velvet
Mark Hamill – Adolpho, Ship Captain
Florence Henderson – Mallory Mastermind
Mikey Kelley – Rip Runner
Tom Kenny – Gunnar the Conqueror
Maurice LaMarche – Ophiuchus Sam, Pierre Le Pew
Phil LaMarr – Drake Sypher
Phil Morris - Additional Voices
Daran Norris – Alien Dad, Ralph Runner
Khary Payton – General Deuce
Cree Summer – Little Kid
James Arnold Taylor – Bugsy the Bug
Simon Templeman – Dr. Dare
Billy West – Electro J. Fudd, The Sagittarius Stomper
Serena Williams – Queen Athena
Candi Milo – Queen Grannicus
Production

Loonatics Unleashed began as a pitch by Christian and Yvon Tremblay, originally titled The Loonatics using reinterpretations of classic Looney Tunes characters. The team presented their pitch to then President of Warner Bros. Animation, Sander Schwartz, who responded favorably to the pitch, and after showing the concept to a focus group of kids was given a formal production commitment. David Janollari, then President of Kids' WB expressed enthusiasm for the series and referred to it as "a great way to take the classic Looney Tunes franchise that has been huge with audiences for decades and bring it into the new millennium".
The Loonatics were first unveiled to the public in February 2005 with a live-action/animated promotional short that featured the characters with early designs and names such as Zadavia being originally named Maxima. The reveal of Loonatics, in particular the characters' more angular and imposing designs, was met with ire throughout the Looney Tunes fandom. A petition demanding a change to the Loonatics designs garnered 85,000 signatures. The petition garnered enough of a response that Warner Bros. Animation issued a statement that the circulated drawings were early preliminary designs that had been since modified with softer, less imposing features.
In September 2006, The CW presented its lineup for the 2006–07 [United States network television schedule |2006–07 Saturday Morning schedule] with Loonatics Unleashed returning for a second season, with the press release describing the show as a "breakout hit".
In March 2007, The CW presented its lineup for the 2007–08 Saturday Morning schedule with Loonatics Unleashed no longer among the shows scheduled to air.

Episodes

Season 1 (2005–06)

Season 2 (2006–07)

Home media

Reception

Loonatics Unleashed received mixed to negative reviews.
Joly Herman of Common Sense Media gave the show two stars out of five, saying that the jokes are "no longer very funny" and the characters have "become little more than filler material."

In other media

In the New Looney Tunes episode "One Carroter in Search of an Artist", Ace Bunny makes a brief appearance. Bugs Bunny attempts to get the artist of the cartoon to fix his appearance. After turning into his original premiere design, he begs the artist to change him into something more current, and he turns into Ace, prompting Bugs to state, "Okay, now you're just messing with me".
In the Teen Titans Go! episode "Huggbees", when danger is reported to be located at the Warner Bros. studio, Raven asks if someone is rebooting the series, followed by a poster of the series accompanied by a stock scream. Another episode called "Unleashed" was more focused on the series with the Titans having to replace the Loonatics after they are killed off by a giant meteor strike.
Lexi Bunny, Slam Tasmanian, Danger Duck, and Ace Bunny appear in the Animaniacs reboot episode "Suffragette City". Dot refers to them as "whatever these guys are".