The Looney Tunesare gradually making a comeback to the big screen, and the next part of that plan involves Speedy Gonzales.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, the fastest mouse in Mexico will be the next character to get a film all to himself. Leading the charge for this film is Jorge R. Gutiérrez, previously of The Book of Life,El Tigre, and and more recently El Guapo vs. The Narco Vampires. In December, he teased the project was in development, though at time of writing, there’s no writer attached, and by extension no idea as to the plot.
I could not be more excited to dance the Mexican Hat Dance with Speedy, such a legendary and iconic character! I can”t wait to share with the world the amazing and spicy dish we are cooking at WBPA. https://t.co/Bt3XpjpuZE
Created by Robert McKimson and Fritz Freling, an early version Speedy Gonzales appeared in the 1953 Looney Tunes short “Cat-Tails for Two” before his official debut in his titular short two years later. Similar to other B-tier Looney characters like Marvin the Martian, Speedy’s around a lot, and is pretty popular with the Latin American community for his ability to get one over on guys like Sylvester and Daffy.
He’s also been in a lot of outside Looney Tunes media like video games, Virgin Media and Volkswagon commercials, and 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy. Warner Bros. has actually been trying to make a Speedy project since 2010, where George Lopez would’ve voiced him. Those plans repeatedly fell through, with Mexican actor Eugino Derbez (who was attached to voice Speedy in 2016) pinning it on a fear of offending Hispanic people despite the character’s popularity with that demographic.
But now that Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Wile E. Coyote have opened the doors, it’s Speedy’s time to shine. We’ll have more on his solo movie as news emerges.
“Great” is an understatement. Pulling from history has allowed this list to blossom into the greatest Kids TV shows of all time. It’s full of absolute classic. Grass fed GOATS. With that in mind, here are our picks for 13 old TV shows that both kids and adults can enjoy today.
(Nickelodeon)
Avatar: the Last Airbendermay just be the greatest children’s show ever made. When it aired on Nickelodeon, it was the first of its kind. Most kids’ TV series were slapstick cartoon sitcoms with no over arching story or complex characters. Avatar changed all of that. Set in an ancient Asian inspired world where humans can bend elements with their minds, Avatar follows an Airbender named Aang who is called to save the world from the Fire Nation empire.
(Cartoon Network Studios))
Over the Garden Wall came out of absolutely nowhere to become the greatest animated miniseries ever. Brining together legends like Tim Curry, Elijah Wood, John Cleese, and Christopher Lloyd, this whimsical series tells the tale of two boys who are trying to find their way home after becoming lost in fairytale world. The pair must contend with pumpkin headed villagers, axe-happy woodsmen, and a mysterious Beast that threatens to steal them away.
(Warner Bros.)
The hits just keep on coming. Batman: The Animated Seriesis one of the best pieces of superhero fiction ever put to screen. A myriad of classic Batman stories, along with some skillfully written new tales, coalesce into a series that is brooding, hilarious, and unexpectedly deep. The series features the legendary voice acting talents of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as Batman and The Joker respectively, and are practically the dictionary definitions of the characters.
(Disney)
Gravity Falls is melds humor and horror together in a series revolving around a pair of twins who solve mysteries in the Pacific Northwest. While staying with their grumpy Grunkle Stan the the tourist trap Mystery Shack, the pair investigate manly minotaurs, lab-grown boy bands and rainbow-vomiting gnomes. 2013!!! (If you know you know)
(Cartoon Network)
Genndy Tarkovsky is practically the patron saint of Western animation, and Samurai Jackis one of his greatest works. It’s a dark, foreboding series about the titular samurai, who is flung into the far future by the evil demon Aku. The future is anything but bright, as Aku’s forces have turned it into a cyberpunk hellscape, and poor Jack has to fight his way back home again.
Hey Arnoldis the closest that American kids animation came to the slice-of-life anime genre. Taking place in a city that’s part Brooklyn, part Seattle, and part everywhere, the football headed Arnold and his friends navigate the vicissitudes of their preteen lives. They build incredible tree houses, grow award winning pumpkins, and ride ghost trains. In short, they live their fleeting youth to the fullest.
(image credit: Nickelodeon)
Spongebob SquarePants is still airing, but real ones know that seasons one through three were the pinnacle of TV comedy. Despite being decades old, Golden Age SpongeBob frames are still responsible for half the memes on the internet today. It’s the only series that’s ever successfully been able to get away with dropping the f-bomb on kids TV while simultaneously teaching children a lesson about not using foul language. Legendary.
(Cartoon Network)
Adventure Time is a hallmark of fantasy, a modern day children’s odyssey as sweeping as Lord of The Rings. Finn the Human and his beloved best friend Jake the Dog while away their days hunting for treasure, diving into dungeons, and rescuing princesses from the mad clutches of the Ice King. What starts as a silly little story of adventure unfolds into a sweeping epic that ends in cosmic battles won by lesbian love.
(Max)
Looney Tunes is the seed from which comedy animation bloomed. Eat your heart out, Walt Disney. Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck and the myriad others are simply unbeatable. Slapstick shenanigans abound endlessly, glued together by the incendiary talent of that God of Voice Actors Mel Blanc. Tweety Bird. Foghorn Leghorn. Bugs. Sylvester. Taz. Porky Pig. Yosemite Sam. That “yeah see” ganster guy. They were all voiced by THE SAME MAN. What a legend.
(Cartoon Network)
Codename Kids Next Doorturned the cultural war between youth and age and made it literal. The Kids Next Door are a paramilitary group of preteens waging guerrilla warfare against adult forces from their treehouse. Using 2 x 4 technology (cobbled together from wood) they battle adult villains seeking to destroy the magic of childhood – evil dentists, Cheese-themed Shoguns, and of course the anything-but Delightful Children From Down The Lane and their villainous father. Oh, and all the teenagers. KND‘s got smoke with them too.
(Cartoon Network)
Dexter’s Lab is a love letter to feuding siblings everywhere. It’s the story of the precious scientist/elementary schooler Dexter and his older sister DeeDee… who makes up for what she lacks in brains with sheer, unbridled enthusiasm. Dexter creates a genius invention in order to tackle a childhood problem, and DeeDee somehow manages to muck it up every time.
(Featured Image: Cartoon Network)
The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
During Tuesday’s Nintendo Direct, GameMill Entertainment unveiled the Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports trailer, previewing the upcoming sports game featuring fan-favorite Looney Tunes characters.
Much like its name implies, Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports will see characters like Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, and more taking part in a ton of games, ranging from 2v2 arcade basketball, tennis, golf, and soccer.
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports will release this September on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
Check out the Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports trailer below:
What else is in Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports?
Other game features include:
Four Action-Packed Sports: Take on all rivals in 2v2 arcade basketball, 1v1 or 2v2 arcade tennis, 4-player golf, and 3v3 arcade soccer!
Squad Up With Your Favorite Toons: Choose from nine iconic playable characters each with their own specialties, including Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Taz, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
Compete With Friends: Enjoy arcade sports action solo or with up to four players in local co-op.
Travel the Toon-iverse: Play across iconic worlds like Galactic Outpost Delta, Porky’s Barn, Foghorn’s Farm, Road Runner’s Canyon, Whispering Woods, Martian Command Center, Granny’s House, and many more!
Unleash the Full Acme Arsenal: Disrupt your opponents in the wackiest ways possible, but watch out for that anvil!
“With the relaunch of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation in June, the studio has shifted its global strategy to focus on theatrical releases,” a WB Motion Picture Group spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet. “With this new direction, we have made the difficult decision not to move forward with Coyote vs Acme. We have tremendous respect for the filmmakers, casts, and crew, and are grateful for their contributions to the film.”
Based on the 1990 New Yorker humor piece written by Ian Frazier and adapted by Samy Burch— who also wrote Todd Haynes’s upcoming awards contender, May December—the film centers on Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote as he seeks legal action against Acme after the company’s products fail in his pursuit of the Road Runner. Costarring Will Forte and Lana Condor, the project was announced in 2020 and dated for theatrical release on July 21, 2023, before it was wiped from the calendar and replaced by Barbie.
When Batgirl was shelved last year after advance test screenings, a Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson blamed the move on “our leadership’s strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max.” But sources told Variety that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav intended to take a tax write-down from the film, rather than spend an additional $30 million to $50 million to market it domestically. Coyote vs. Acme reportedly came with a $72 million price tag and had begun receiving high audience scores at early test screenings. Yet Warner Bros. leadership has apparently similarly balked at pouring any money into promoting the project for release. According to Deadline, the company is taking an estimated $30 million write-down on the production.
While cutting losses by canceling projects is not a new strategy for Zaslav’s company, it’s surprising that Warner Bros. would choose to shelve a film that involves so much marquee talent. DC Studios cohead James Gunn produced the film and worked on its story; director Dave Green, who previously helmed 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, is developing a project at the company’s New Line Cinema division; and Cena stars in Max’s DC show Peacemaker, which is due to return for a second season. (Vanity Fair has reached out to a rep for the actor for comment.)
“For three years, I was lucky enough to make a movie about Wile E. Coyote, the most persistent, passionate, and resilient character of all time,” Green posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I was surrounded by a brilliant team, who poured their souls into this project for years. We were all determined to honor the legacies of these historic characters and actually get them right. Along the ride, we were embraced by test audiences who rewarded us with fantastic scores. I am beyond proud of the final product, and beyond devastated by WB’s decision. But in the spirit of Wile E. Coyote, resilience and persistence win the day.”
Composer Steven Price shared a snippet of the film’s score to social media, “as no-one will be able to hear it now, due to bizarre anti-art studio financial shenanigans I will never understand.”
X content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Scrolling Eric Bauza’s Instagram feed is like a step back in time — it’s jam-packed with nostalgic television and movie throwbacks to the 1980s and ’90s, when Saturday morning cartoons ruled the day and you had to make sure your VCR was set up to record your favourite sitcoms.
His enduring love for classic cartoons certainly hasn’t hindered his career as a voice actor. In fact, it’s helped propel him to what is arguably the top of the cartoon world — he’s the latest voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian and Tweety Bird in the Looney Tunes Cartoons.
And he’s crushing it. The Filipino-Canadian voiceover artist and Scarborough native won the award for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program at the 2022 Children’s and Family Emmy Awards last December.
Story continues below advertisement
Becoming the voice of some of the cartoon world’s most beloved characters, however, started out with pencil and paper. Watching television as a kid, he’d sketch the characters he saw on screen.
Cartoons were “always an escape and always something that I could turn on and I would just be instantly entertained and just full with joy,” Bauza told Global News, adding that he got his start in Hollywood as a cartoonist and character designer.
A self-admitted class clown, Bauza grew up entertaining his classmates and teachers with impressions and was so good that he was invited to do them for his school’s morning announcements.
“It was so nice that I wasn’t reprimanded for being too much of a distraction. … They allowed for that kind of creativity in my high school growing up in Scarborough. I was such an inviting and nurturing environment to be in.”
In fact, Bauza credits his Canadian upbringing for much of his success.
Canadian voice actor talks about what motivates him and what’s to come
“We have such great talent that has come out of Scarborough and Toronto in general and such great impressionists. There’s definitely something in the water,” he said, listing Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy as a few of his heroes and inspirations.
Story continues below advertisement
Bauza revealed to Global News his favourite cartoon character to voice, how he believes Looney Tunes has adapted over the years and what it feels like to be the latest voice of some of the most iconic cartoon characters in history.
