Search - Loonatics Unleashed - The Complete First Season on DVD

Fun-filled despite flaws

A. J. Perez | Bronx | 02/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The previous reviewer has obviously not seen the show, or at least very little of it. The DVD is the first 13 episodes in what has started out as a controversial show. Naturally, some haters (some who may not even glanced at an episode) will appear to spew a rant.

The premise revolves around 6 descendants of the Looney Tunes: Ace Bunny, Danger Duck, Tech E. Coyote, Lexi Bunny, Rev Runner and Slam Tasmanian. Each were given superpowers due to a cosmic collision which unleashed some strange radiation (that's as good an explanation as anything else I've seen in comics). They now fight crime as a team against super powered villains while getting debriefed by their their holographic Synergy-esqe boss, Zadavia.

Given that this is the first season, many of earliest episodes are a bit weak as the show was just getting its legs. The robot alien vikings from another dimension? Probably the weirdest foes to date. Not to mention that Ace had the annoying habit of parroting his anscestor's quotes, a trait that I found cringeworthy on more than one occassion.

However, the show has its good moments. Tech E. Coyote is not the poor inventor whose creations backfire on him despite the laws of physics, and he actually proves himself as a "Suuupa Geeeenius!" Danger Duck also provides some genuine laughs as comedy relief where Ace's quips fail.
The middle to end of the season is where the show starts picking up and turning out really enjoyable episodes. "Comet Comet" for example shows a brief origins story for the team members of their lives right before the meteor hit as well as gives a glipse at a supervillain that they will come across in the season finale 2-parter "Acmegeddon". "Menace of Mastermind" is definitely one to watch as it introduces a villain that can actually match the Loonatics' resident genius in terms of intelligence and innovation.

Overall, Loonatics is a show that is fairly decent and something that will probably entertain most kids and teens who give it a shot. Considering that this is only the first season, it has some flaws to be ironed out, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying it."

One of WB's worst efforts.

R. C. Walker | Encinitas CA, United States | 04/12/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Loony Tunes have ventured (at least) twice into the future. The first time was with the brilliantly funny "Duck Dodgers". The latter time was with this ... um ... effort. "Loonatics Unleashed" isn't without merit, and might be considered a good product were it not that it isn't up to Warner Brothers quality. WB cartoons are noted for their cheeky humor, appealing at least as much to adults as to children. These pedestrian superhero episodes, on the other hand, cannot fail to convince adults to pass them up.

The premise of the series is that 6 ordinary individuals (2 bunnies, a Tasmanian devil, a duck, a roadrunner, and a coyote) live on the "city-planet" of Acmetropolis and acquire super powers when a meteor strikes the planet in 2772. What's confusing is that the titles section features these individuals with a count-up to 2772 from the 21st Century. Cute, but frelling stupid.

In each episode, the super sextet - amid mildly amusing but essentially banal banter - fight various super villains. For the most part, these are types that appear in every mediocre superhero adventure series and even some of the better ones. Like many mediocre superhero series, this one takes its villains far too seriously for the context. And of course these guys are the only characters that laugh - the usual evil laugh, of course. Why is it that villains in predictable superhero adventures always - ALWAYS - laugh evilly at every opportunity? Animated material of this sort seems to leave laughter exclusively in the province of villains and (occasionally) their henchpeople and/or henchthings.

In point of fact, the makers of this series missed their best bets right from the get-go. The superpowers of the characters are sometimes based on their previous normal abilities, but sometimes not. The problem here is that we don't see enough WB looniness. Lexi and Ace have fairly ordinary biologically generated energy weapons and have virtually no personality traits one could describe as "Bugs-like". What we have here is basically the silly and drekish "Teen Titans", including its overly "modern" animation "look", but with animals. Feh.

The other misstep by the program's creators is (or are) the villains. As noted before, these are not terribly imaginative and do the evil-laugh bit excessively. Amazingly, the writers totally missed the obvious technique of making villains from stock WB characters as well as the protagonists. Adding to the fun could have been, say, Jupiter Sam - as well as The Fudd, still hunting wabbits - as well as Tech E. Coyote converted into a really neurotic villain - and so on. Ah, the sadness of missed opportunities....

Sadly, this whole production has gone into too much overtime (that is, a 2nd season). Nevertheless, we can rejoice that there's something new out there for the 14-going-on-9 crowd. The rest of us can hope for a 3rd season of Duck Dodgers.
"

Episodes rule. Features, meh.

R. C. Walker | 03/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, please don't skip this show because it's a "rip-off of clasic cartoons," made by "crackpot weirdos," or any other of the "creative" names some people think up for this show . It's worth the watch for those who've never seen it, and should only be disliked by people who honestly watched the show and didn't like it.
I am a big fan of this show. While Ace (descendant of Bugs) and Slam (descendant of the Tasmanian Devil) are not always my favorite of the bunch, Duck (descendant of Daffy) is always there to put in great laugh. Tech (decendant of Wile E.) and Rev (decendant of the roadrunner)'s relationship is not only hilarious both together and seperatley at times, but it proves that WB still has a taste for irony. Jessica DiCico does the voice of Lexi (descendant of Lola Bunny). All the characters can be humorous throughout the show, and some are well developed. I find the episodes to be very entertaining, and I plan to buy the season 2 DVDs when they come out.
I was, however dissapointed that there were no subtitles/better bonus features. The game was alright, but character bios and/or cast interviews and/or commentary would have been preffered.
If you are buying this DVD to study the show's creation, artists, or in depth characters, don't buy this DVD. But if you are a Loonatics Unleashed fan or would like to begin watching the show, this is the DVD for you."

Not a substitute for anything else

Derrick Jenkins | Hampton VA USA | 03/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"obviously it will draw comparisons to various Looney Tunes characters (Bugs & Lola Bunny, Wil E Coyote, Roadrunner, Daffy Duck and Taz) and rightly so. But it isnt a substitute or a fill in for those cartoons or characters. It stands on its own and its own right. With all the Loonatics having different powers (like eye beams, psychic/brain blast, superspeed, teleportation, regeneration and the like). Its not supposed to be about or compared to the Looney Tunes characters that we already know they were based on. There are even references to the earlier characters like villian to Tech E Coyote that he's wily or Wil E for Wil E Coyote and other to Ace Bunny.

So with that being said Loonatic Unleashed is a pretty decent cartoon in its own right with different villians that plague Acmetropolis the city where the Loonatics live. They got their powers from a meteor crashing into the city and so did some of the villians that the team runs across throughout this 13 episode first season. Which ends with a two parter and a rather good storyline with the Loonatics, the different villians they've come across and their boss (who has a family secret or two of her own as well).

It isnt meant to be Looney Tunes 2.0 or some other new fangled update. Loonatics Unleashed is a solid show in its own right and will only get better. Mix the various characteristics of your hereos (Danger Duck being as self-absorbed and clueless as his earlier ancestor Daffy Duck). It will draw comparisons and similarities, but its mostly paying respect to a show that is and always will be a classic.

Loonatics Unleashed is worthy of being watched and enjoyed by kids and adults alike minus all the mindless violence and other things detract from other shows."