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Loonatics Unleashed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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n the year 2772, when a massive meteor knocks the Earth off its axis, supernatural forces are unleashed. In Acmetropolis, it's up to six superheroes to keep the evil forces from destroying the world.
Thanks to cosmic dust, the descendants of Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Tasmanian Devil, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote have teamed up into an unstoppable group boasting special super powers. Ace Bunny, their leader, has laser vision; Lexi Bunny, the second-in-command, can blast objects with her mind; Danger Duck, the wannabe leader, can teleport himself; Tech E. Coyote, the gadget guru, can regenerate; Slam Tasmanian, the destructor, creates tornadoes; and Rev Runner has supersonic speed. They operate under the guidance of Zadavia, who sends the team on their missions.
In "Loonatics on Ice," an iceberg lands in Acmetropolis and begins freezing everything. Just as the Loonatics realize something is up in the city, Zadavia calls and tells them the entire planet could be facing a new ice age if they don't melt the iceberg.
The Loonatics leap into action armed with Tech's new Retrofire Master Blaster. But when the Blaster doesn't work, Slam is pressed into service as Plan B, and he creates a tornado of heat that starts to melt the ice.
Unfortunately for our heroes, mutant techno Vikings led by Gunnar emerge out of the ice in a quest to freeze the Earth. The Loonatics find themselves frozen, and they barely recover before Zadavia tells them they are about to have even bigger problems. When the Viking's boat starts hurling frozen spit wads at them, it's only the beginning as the Loonatics struggle to thwart Gunnar's evil plan.
Not the Looney Toons we remember
Loonatics Unleashed is a great idea that doesn't quite work in the way the creators most likely planned. Adults and fans of the Looney Toons characters will find themselves left cold by this re-envisioning of the cartoon characters and their world. That said, younger kids won't care and will enjoy this series based on what it is rather than what it could have been.
The Looney Toons baggage simply reminds those of us who can remember that Loonatics Unleashed isn't very funny in a way adults will appreciate and that the characters aren't enough like their ancestors. Sure, there's a little bit of Bugs in Ace and Taz in Slam, but not enough to do anything other than distract us. While Danger Duck does most of the comic heavy lifting and is the most recognizable, it's just a pale imitation of the character that lives large in our memories. The Loonatics look too much alike, and it's difficult to know Ace from Rev or Tech once the action starts.
Still, on its own merits as a children's action show, Loonatics Unleashed works. The jokes will make the younger set laugh, and they'll be caught up in the colorful anime-inspired animation. The characters' colors will be enough to distinguish them for kids until they learn what each superhero's powers are.
The initial villain in "Loonatics on Ice" is a giant robot, and that's familiar territory that offers easy access for the series as a show kids will be comfortable with. Beyond that, the upcoming villains look like they might have popped out of Power Rangers or Justice League. Luckily, they've recruited some heavyweights for the vocals, including the likes of Tim Curry, voice star Phil LaMarr, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Clarke Duncan. That should help this series, along with lots of 7-year-old viewers.
Adults shouldn't be too disappointed that their old friends Bugs and Daffy aren't back the way we remember them. At least their kids will appreciate this new group of superheroes, and on a Saturday morning they are the ones who will be watching. —Kathie
Also in this issue: 2005 Fall SF TV Preview: Part I, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Supernatural Series Premiere
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