Warner Bros. first began releasing animated shorts in the “Looney Tunes” franchise in the 1930s. Since then, the franchise has evolved, adding new characters and going from animated shorts to TV series to feature films.

This animated movie with Porky Pig and Daffy Duck puts its classic characters through a depressingly witless and vulgar adventure.

“The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” surprised me. I expected yet another big screen misuse of the animated Warner Bros. characters I’ve loved since I was a kid. Outside of 2003′s “Looney Tunes: Back in Action,” and 1988′s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” movies featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig have not done them justice.

This grave injustice has been remedied. While far from being a classic, “The Day the Earth Blew Up” is a charming and often invigorating reimagining of key Looney Tunes characters (Daffy Duck and Porky Pig), with a look and sound that links it to past versions without feeling indebted to them.

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck have been gracing screens since 1935 and 1937, respectively, but it took until now for them to star in their own full-length film, the first completely animated Looney Tunes feature to ever hit the big screen (how is that possible?

Subtitled “A Looney Tunes Movie,” this installment, directed by Peter Browngardt, takes bubble gum to a whole new level.