Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live-action/animated comedy film directed by Joe Dante and written by Larry Doyle. The plot follows the Looney Tunes characters Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny as they help aspiring daredevil Damian "D.J." Drake, Jr. and Warner Bros. executive Kate Houghton find the "blue monkey" diamond, to prevent the evil Mr. Chairman of the Acme Corporation from using it to turn mankind into monkeys that will manufacture his products; the group also attempts to rescue D.J.'s father, an actor and spy who has been captured by Mr. Chairman. The animation was directed by Eric Goldberg. It was made following the success of Space Jam (1996), to which it was originally developed as a sequel, titled Spy Jam. The film was theatrically released in the United States on November 14, 2003, by Warner Bros. Pictures and was a box-office flop, grossing $68.5 million worldwide against an $80 million budget. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its sense of fun but criticized the screenplay. This was the final film to be scored by composer Jerry Goldsmith, who died less than a year after the film's release. This was also the final film to be produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation. Along with this, it was also the last theatrically released feature film to prominently feature the Looney Tunes characters until 2021's Space Jam: A New Legacy.